Those who run single-location restaurant businesses or banquet halls do a lot for the community. They offer places to bond with friends, services to make special events shine, and unique food that people can come together over.
Unfortunately, since there are 156,715 such restaurants in the US, they also have a lot of competition.
Getting great banquet chairs and other restaurant furniture should be a priority. It creates a good ambiance and keeps people comfortable so that they dine with you regularly. Read on to learn how you can choose between banquet chair options the right way.
The Basics of Banquet Chairs
Banquet chairs are a type of commercial furniture specifically designed for restaurants. The chairs are four-legged seating options that are easy to move around. They’re lightweight and can stack or fold up in small spaces for convenient storage.
These chairs are also cheaper than other options because they have fewer frame materials. You can buy them in bulk inexpensively. This lets you accommodate more people in your space.
Banquet chairs are great for all restaurants and diners. Whether you offer fast food or a dine-in experience, they can keep people comfortable and give you the chance to set up easily. They’re also ideal for mobile catering services that need to cart furniture to banquet halls, school dances, wedding receptions, and other venues.
Stick to a Budget
You don’t want to break your restaurant budget when selecting banquet chairs. After all, one of their main benefits is how affordable they are.
Make sure that you know how much money you’re willing to spend on furniture. Be careful to distribute funds sensibly across chairs, tables, cabinets, storage, and the appliances that you need for cooking. If you’re not careful, you could wind up without all of the items you need for a functional restaurant.
Think About Quantity
It’s important to know how many banquet chairs you need before making a purchase. If you plan to use them in one restaurant area, set up your tables and see how many chairs you’ll need for each one.
For example, if you have 10 tables that will each seat 4 people comfortably, you’ll want to bulk-order 40 banquet chairs. It’s also a good idea to have a few extras in storage in case you need to accommodate a slightly larger group periodically.
If you move chairs to external venues, you may want to consider getting more banquet chairs. Think about the sizes of receptions and other events that you want to routinely cater. Get more than enough chairs to accommodate those venues.
Make sure that you measure your storage space appropriately. You can’t buy more banquet chairs than you can store. Closets, back storage rooms, and outdoor sheds all can provide you with the space you need to get started.
Leave some room so that you can wrap or cover banquet chairs in the event of a leak. You want to keep your restaurant chairs safe so you don’t waste money replacing them.
Choose the Right Chair Type
The first thing to decide is whether you want stackable vs foldable banquet chairs.
Stackable options can be stacked on top of each other when not in use. They save a lot of space because you can simply make vertical pillars of chairs to push into closets or corners.
Since you don’t need to fiddle with folding mechanisms, it’s quick to set these chairs up for last-minute events. You don’t need much setup time.
Foldable options minimize storage space because you can line them up in tiny closets. If your storage area won’t accommodate the full width of a chair that doesn’t collapse, this is a good alternative.
These chairs take longer to set up than stackable options. However, they make up for this with mobility.
Folding chairs are much more portable than stackable options because you can collapse them and throw them into the trunk of a vehicle. If you’re on the go a lot and need to take your chairs to various venues, folding chairs may be the ideal choice.
Chivari Chairs
Chivari chairs are the most basic of banquet chair styles. The backs are rectangular and open.
The frame is made from wood, bamboo, or (more rarely) plastic bars. These bars support the back but do not have anything in the space between them.
The seat is square-shaped and padded for comfort. These minimalistic chairs fall into the “stacking chair” category and look great with any banquet hall decor. This makes them versatile.
Teardrop Back
Teardrop back chairs have a lot of sophisticated elegance. They’re a little more supportive than chivari chairs because the upper and middle back are not open. Only the lower back is unsupported.
This is because the backrest is an oval shape that’s narrower at the top than the bottom. However, there’s nothing underneath the oval, and the metal frame has some exposed space inside it between the back and the seat cushion.
Crown Back
If you don’t like the idea of an open chair back, crown-back chairs are another great option. They come in both folding and stackable styles. The back is padded as well as the cushion for comfort and accessability.
These chairs get their name because of their regal shape. The backrest is square at the bottom and comes into a rounded point at the top. This makes it look like a crown while providing maximum support to the lower back.
Dome Back
Dome back chairs also come in both stackable and folding styles. They’re usually the most common folding chair options.
This classic style is square at the bottom and rounded at the top. The main difference between crown back and dome styles is that dome chairs don’t have a point on top. They’re simpler and cost less, though they lose a lot of the sophisticated aesthetic that crown-back styles offer.
Prioritize Comfort
Comfort needs to be a top priority when selecting restaurant furniture. Uncomfortable furniture can lead to people avoiding your restaurant because they don’t want a painful dining experience.
If your chairs are cold and hard, people won’t want to sit in them for a prolonged period of time. They won’t feel comfortable socializing in your dining room. Even worse, they might choose not to go back because they want to avoid feeling sore, cramped, and achy after leaving.
People also may think that you don’t want them to sit there for a long time. They’ll perceive your restaurant as unwelcoming since they’ll think you just want people to pop in and out within 30 minutes. They won’t feel like you want them there and will go to a restaurant where they feel more welcome.
Comfortable chairs should have adequate padding on the seat. Open-backed Chivari chairs are generally fine assuming that they have padded seat cushions, but if you want people to stay for longer periods, you may want to opt for seating that has comfortable backing as well.
Chairs should also have a wide enough seat to accommodate diners of all sizes. No one likes feeling cramped.
Consider Colors
Color psychology is a great way to choose the right colors for your dining room’s furniture. This is the scientifically backed principle that the hues surrounding us can influence our mood.
Orange is a great color for restaurant interiors. It gets people in the mood for social interaction. People often dine together as an interpersonal experience, making orange a great mood-boosting color for them.
Blue is awesome for restaurants that want guests to feel at home in their spaces. It’s the color of calmness and relaxation. It provides a peaceful ambiance that guests will love.
If you want to take things a step further, red and yellow are considered the main “food colors.” They get people in the mood to dine by arousing their taste buds. They’re appetite-stimulators, so people will feel hungrier and order more of your delicious food.
It’s also important to make sure that your chairs match other furniture in your restaurant. Dining tables and buffet tables are a couple of important options since the chairs will be so close to them. Clashing hues and shapes will be a starkly obvious eyesore.
You also need to match chair colors to your walls and decorations. If you have a blue-painted space, red cushions are going to clash. People will associate your restaurant with a sloppy and careless aesthetic.
You can’t go wrong with neutral chairs made from simple materials like wood. Black or white cushions go with everything. This is especially important if you provide catering services with furniture for other venues and aren’t sure what those locations will look like.
Look Into Banquet Chair Options
While choosing banquet chairs can be challenging for restaurant owners, knowing your options is the first step toward informed decision-making. Now that you have some tips for choosing restaurant chairs, it’s time to begin selecting the perfect furniture for your needs.
The Hode Group is committed to providing high-quality furniture at an affordable price. We work with renowned brands to provide you with the best bulk purchases on the market. Contact us online, email us, or give us a call at 815-455-0500 to get started.
