opening up a new restaurant

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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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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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11 Tips for Finding Quality Cheap Restaurant Furniture

Dec 20
Posted by Daniel in cheap restaurant furniture, Commercial Seating, Restaurant Barstools, Restaurant Chairs, Restaurant Furniture, restaurant seating, Table Bases, Table Tops

Restaurant FurnitureThe holidays are a great time for most of us because we get to spend more time with our family, but they can also be hard on the wallet, especially in these times.

However, even today new restaurants and venues are opening and old ones need to keep up with the competition. As any business owner knows, in order to survive and succeed we need to be very smart with our money.

This is why we’ve made this list of tips to help you find new, cheap restaurant furniture without having to compromise on the quality.

1. Take your time – If possible start your furniture “hunt” at least a month before you need them. It takes time to find the right furniture for your venue and you need to allow enough time for shipping. Don’t forget, express shipping is available but it costs more.

2. Shop online – When you shop online you can easily compare prices from different stores. Buying from a local store has its benefits but sometimes an online store that is not local might have cheaper prices, sales or discounts on shipping which can bring down the overall cost of your order.

3. Go metal– For the most part, metal restaurant chairs are cheaper than wood ones. However, if you have your heart set on wood restaurant chairs then look for items that are on sale.

4. Keep it simple – the more features a chair has the higher its price will be. A standard black frame finish is usually the cheapest option and will match almost any décor. Go for a standard wood or vinyl seat and, if you have time to do it yourself, look for chairs that come with the seat detached.

5. Buy in-stock items – By not ordering custom made restaurant furniture you save a lot of money and time. Commercial furniture stores usually have a stock of ready-made furniture that is ready to ship at a days’ notice. This means that the quick-ship or in-stock items are not only cheaper than custom made ones but they ship faster too.

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How To Choose The Right Restaurant Furniture

Jan 12
Posted by admin in Commercial Seating

Opening up a restaurant? Looking for restaurant chairs? Don’t forget to pay attention to the small details when planning the opening of your restaurant.
When you choose new restaurant furniture, there are a few details that you could forget to take into consideration. Those may seem insignificant to you, but often they make all the difference. Let’s have a look at a few examples together:
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