Amanda Howard
If you have a large enough outdoor space in your restaurant, you should definitely invest in the right patio furniture to create a great ambiance for your customers, especially in the summer season. The perfect time to buy outdoor furniture is in the late summer when everyone is wrapping up their outdoors. Furniture stores introduce great clearance sales in the late summer to get rid of the outdoor furniture they have, and restaurant patio furniture is no exception. You can invest in some great pieces in the late summer to enjoy them right away, or in the next season depending on how you run your restaurant.
However, many restaurant owners make horrible and embarrassing mistakes when buying patio furniture. In this article, we will help you avoid those mistakes easily by considering the factors mentioned below.
Never Forget to Measure Your Outdoor Space
No matter what type of patio furniture you are looking to buy, you should always measure your outdoor space before buying anything. This method applies whether you are looking for outdoor furniture in the local market, or online. Never rely on your eyeballs to measure the furniture and your outdoor space, and use a proper measuring tape for this purpose. You should also write down all the measures after taking them. You can use these measures to shop for the right restaurant patio furniture. You should leave enough space for walking in between when planning the layout of furniture in your restaurant’s outdoor space.
Ignoring The Build Quality
When you are shopping, you can easily get carried away by the shining colors newly displayed in furniture shops. However, you should never ignore the build quality and materials before investing in it.
Investing in substandard outdoor furniture is just like throwing your money down the drain. That is because low-quality furniture won’t be able to withstand the harsh weather conditions outdoors, and will only last for a small period of time.
If you do not know how to inspect high-quality furniture, you can ask an expert to help you, or you can read reviews of the manufacturer online before investing in them. Keep in mind that buying the right outdoor furniture is not as easy as you might think it to be.
You should ideally invest in metals and other materials which are made to withstand lots of harsh weather conditions and sunny days without getting much affected.
Related: How Interiors Affects Restaurants and Bars
Not Considering Your Location
Before you can invest in any outdoor piece, you should do some research on your local climate, and how different materials will act and perform in it.
For example, if you have your restaurant by the sea, the air in your local climate will have salt in it. This can cause lots of problems for certain types of metals used in outdoor furniture. The same goes for areas with trees that drip sap from them throughout the year. Colder areas can also have their own outdoor furniture requirements. So, you should consider all of these things related to your location when investing.
Not Trying Before Buying
You should always try every type of furniture before buying it. The same goes for restaurant outdoor furniture. You should try it before buying. Ideally, the furniture should both be comfortable and sturdy at the same time. This is needed to make it durable enough to withstand harsh weather conditions and different types of clients.
Some furniture pieces can be too harsh to sit on especially if they are made for elongated outdoor use. That is why you should always try the pieces before buying them no matter what.
You can also wait and read some online reviews about the furniture pieces you are about to buy. This way, you will be able to get long-term reviews from past buyers of the same pieces. This can save you a lot of money by avoiding buying substandard or uncomfortable outdoor restaurant furniture.
Not Protecting Your Restaurant Patio Furniture Properly
If you are spending a lot of money on outdoor furniture for your restaurant, it also makes sense to invest in proper protection. This means buying protective covers for every piece used in your restaurant patio. These covers are really cheap but can keep your furniture safe for years to come. For cushions and pillows, you should invest in a proper container that is waterproof as well.
This is more important if you are buying outdoor furniture at the end of the summer season. This way, you need protection even more in order to keep your outdoor furniture safe until the next summer.
Ignoring The Functionality Part
Since the restaurant patio furniture is used on a regular basis, you should invest in a large number of chairs to use outdoors. Moreover, if your restaurant is located in an area that gets very sunny in the summer season, you should invest in a patio umbrella to keep your customers away from direct sunlight.
You can also consider the habits of your customers, there sitting and eating patterns, and then make any purchase decisions. You can invest in more small tables if you usually get small groups of customers in your restaurant. You should also invest in a few tables if you have a habit of keeping your drinks with you when out on your patio.
In the end, you can make your patio look perfect by adding a large rug underneath the patio furniture. This can help you ground your furniture, and introduce more colors to your outdoor space. A good rug can provide you with enough comfort to make you feel like you are inside your house. However, the color of your rug must match with the overall theme of your patio, and the outdoor decor of your property.
Conclusion
Thus, we can safely conclude that the biggest outdoor furniture buying mistakes can be avoided easily if you are well aware of all the factors to consider when buying it. Also, you should always invest in high-quality outdoor furniture which will last and serve you for a long time to come.
