restaurant seating

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Restaurant Opening Checklist

Jan 31
Posted by Daniel in Restaurant, Restaurant Furniture, restaurant seating, restaurant tips and advice

Before you open a restaurant it’s important to have everything in order. When those doors open, it’ll be too late and you’ll get stuck on “putting out fires” instead of moving your business forward. For a smooth restaurant opening menus need to be set, ordered, the seating needs to be arranged, staff needs to be hired and prepped, etc.

To help you get a good start here’s a quick checklist of things to do before the grand opening:

  1. Create a menu. Before opening, the restaurant should offer certain types of food or cuisine. Some restaurants allow people to offer menu names on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. This is an easy way to outsource the task of naming items on the menu and a great way to publicize a grand opening. The menu should have, depending on your type of cuisine, appetizers, drinks, specials, main dishes, side items, desserts, and other courses if necessary. Depending on when you will be open, you should include breakfast and lunch sections. In one of our next posts we will discuss tips and ideas for creating successful menus.
  2. Arrange seating. The seating will depend on the size of the restaurant and the ambiance required. If it’s a laidback bar style, dining booths, bar stools and high-top tables are appropriate. If you have a patio, choose outdoor patio furniture that fits the desired atmosphere. For example, a country-style restaurant would have picnic tables instead of bistro tables for two. The walkways need to be wide enough for trays of food and people to pass by. You want to make seating comfortable, not cramped, so have tables and seats a set distance apart to allow people to get up and sit without disturbing one another. The tables should also be large enough for the plates, drinks, and flatware. Seating should be arranged in linear rows or a pattern which will make it easier for staff to work with, and more comfortable for customers as well. (more…)
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Kids Friendly Restaurant

Jan 25
Posted by Daniel in fun, Restaurant, restaurant layout, restaurant seating, Restaurant Seating Design, restaurant tips and advice

Today when people are busy working all day long they feel like they have less time to spend as a family during the work week. This is why many families like to go out with their children for dinner. This way they are saving time preparing the meal at home and spending it with the kids while also letting the kids have a fun outing as a family.

But this means that the restaurants they choose to visit must be kids friendly.

So, what things would be found in a restaurant that was family oriented?

Firstly, ask yourself what would a family expect to get in such a restaurant.  What kind of seating outlay would there be?  It would have to have plenty of space in between the table, chairs and booths so that the parents can move freely between their place and their children. Also kids like to run around and move from place to place so needs to taken into account as well. And don’t have floors with carpets, it will get way too dirty. However if kids are able to freely run around then a soft  indoor-outdoor carpet should be used, as that is very easy to clean.

This is where the seating outlay would come in.  Try to plan out where the seating will go before putting anything in the place.  There should be a section for big families with loud kids and ones that are small and quiet.  Also think about using restaurant booths for a kid friendly atmosphere.  A mix of dining booths and restaurant chairs and tables is the optimal idea when trying to cater to a mixed crowed. (more…)

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Creating a Romantic Valentine’s Restaurant Setting

Jan 20
Posted by Daniel in Booths, fun, Restaurant, restaurant layout, restaurant tips and advice

Like I promised last time, this post is about easy inexpensive ways to turn your restaurant into a fun, romantic venue for your loving customers.

  1. Pink and red paper hearts. Have your staff make Valentine’s Day hearts and decorate them. You can encourage them to bring in supplies and bring a few from a craft store. Lace, glitter, glue, markers, pens, scissors, silver Sharpies, and construction paper will make this a fun thing your staff can do at home, before work, or after work to brighten up the dining area.
  2. Private and candlelit seating layout. You can wait until Valentine’s Day to rearrange the restaurant chairs and tables, but try to make smaller 2-seaters more isolated and use candles on the table to create a romantic atmosphere. If you can, separate a small section of the restaurant reserved for couples and place a small room divider between it and the rest of the restaurant. You can have a few tables and booths in here that are candlelit.
  3. “Percussion, winds, words.” Take a hint from Sebastian and set up some music that really sets the mood. Find a small band that will play soft, classic romance songs. If you can’t find one that fits your budget, just use a playlist that provides classics like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Andrea Bocelli. (more…)
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Tips for a Great Restaurant Atmosphere (part 2)

Jan 10
Posted by Daniel in Commercial Seating, Restaurant, restaurant layout, restaurant tips and advice

On our previous post: Tips for a Great Restaurant Atmosphere (part 1) we emphasized the importance of  design, lighting, music and comfort.

To complete the list here are the rest of our tips for a great restaurant aptmosphere:

  1. Seating layout needs to be spacious, yet optimized. Spacious seating will allow servers and customers to walk through the dining area without hitting tables, chairs, and other customers. Make sure you optimize the space you have though. Find a seating layout that allows you to have as many tables as possible without sacrificing walking space. (more…)
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Tips for a Great Restaurant Atmosphere (part 1)

Jan 06
Posted by Daniel in Commercial Seating, Restaurant, Restaurant Furniture, Restaurant Seating Design

Cafe atmosphere After discussing things like the importance of a good restaurant layout and how to spot quality restaurant furniture, we have a two part post on how to create a winning restaurant atmosphere. The kind of atmosphere that will make your customers come back and bring their friends too.

Creating the perfect atmosphere for your restaurant can take a bit of trial and error. You have to fiddle with lighting, seating, music, decorations, food, service, and how to best receive customer feedback. All these and more can affect the mood and atmosphere of your restaurant.

So like we promised in the beginning, here are some tips for creating a great restaurant atmosphere. (more…)

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First Time Restaurant Owners: The Importance of Restaurant Layout

Dec 28
Posted by Daniel in restaurant seating

Restaurant seating floor plans

The restaurant business isn’t one that takes kindly to learning on the fly. Customers are looking for good food and great service. They don’t wish to be guinea pigs and have little patience for ineptness.

First time restaurant owners will thus need to work even harder to give themselves the best chance of being successful because their inexperience puts them at a disadvantage.  A good way to improve those chances is to study the business and then create a checklist. Making sure that everything on that list is completed to their satisfaction and according to proper restaurant protocol, prior to opening the restaurant’s doors to the paying public, is of paramount importance. One of the most important areas that a new owner (or any owner for that matter) will need to focus on is restaurant layout.

A new restaurant owner is likely to feel overwhelmed at fist. This is to be expected. They will have a lot on their plate (no pun intended). Making sure that the restaurant is serviceable and ready to handle customers will require a lot of work. For instance, it will be necessary to find reliable and quality suppliers, hire staff, apply for the necessary licenses and permits.

Designing the restaurant, particularly the restaurant seating layout will be extremely important as well. First time restaurateurs and those without a lot of experience, often don’t pay enough attention to restaurant layout and this is their peril. (more…)

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