Getting furniture for just one restaurant is hard enough, but having to buy furniture for more requires more planning.
Regardless of whether you’re furnishing two or twenty restaurants, you need to keep certain things in mind when buying multiple pieces of furniture for your restaurants.
While they both require a lot of preparation, setting up a chain of restaurants is very different from expanding your franchise to have one or two more restaurants.
Chain Restaurants
When you’re shopping for commercial furniture in bulk there are several different factors to keep in mind.
Since that furniture will be constantly used and there needs to be a lot of it, there are three factors to keep in mind when buying furniture for a large number of restaurants.
- Durability: Since chain restaurants have a lot of foot traffic, the furniture in these restaurants need to be sturdy and be able to take a lot of wear-and-tear. The most durable restaurant furniture can usually last for a few years before needing to be replaced. Some common furniture in chain restaurants are metal chairs and tables, faux leather booths and cushioned metal chairs.
The faux leather that’s used to cover the seat cushions and booth is rather tough, and almost plastic-like, is ideal for restaurants.
While it does get worn down eventually, really the only way to damage this material is by ripping or penetrating it.
- Quantity over quality: If you’re buying furniture for a chain restaurant, chances are there are well over one hundred stores. Because of this, you need to think about having plenty of seats, and not focus as much on the quality of the items. The quality is important because you want the items to last as long as possible, however, buying replacement furniture isn’t as much of an issue for chain restaurants, since they have the budget for it.
- Easy to maintain: Since so many people are using the furniture, it’s essential that this furniture is easy to maintain and clean. The customer turnover in these types of restaurants can be rather quick, so making sure your tabletops and chairs are smooth and easy to wipedown is always good. This helps clear up any dropped food, spilled drinks, and/or germs from others.
Additional Restaurants
If you already have one restaurant and would like to expand and open one or two more shops, you don’t have as much to think about like you were opening a chain, but there are still some different things to keep in mind.
- Style: Buying furniture that matches the other restaurants is essential, as it solidifies the fact that they’re associated, especially if it’s known that they’re ‘sister restaurants’. This should only be the case if the restaurant’s share the same name. Otherwise, feel free to give your second or third restaurants’s their own unique ‘personality’.
- Quality: Even though you’re buying more furniture than normal, getting quality furniture (within your budget) is still very important. Having good quality furniture in your restaurants shows your customers that you care about them and want them to be comfortable while they enjoy their meal.
Focusing on buying this type of furniture is also better for your restaurants in the long run because it saves you money.
High-quality furniture lasts much longer than the pieces that are bought for chain restaurants and therefore requires less maintenance or repairs.
- Budget: When opening more than one restaurant, your budget needs to stay on track. You will now have to think about double or triple the expenses, so be strict on what your money is being spent on. This strictness also includes furniture costs; so be sure to keep that in mind when shopping.