The time has come, and you need to invest in some new restaurant furniture – either to replace existing furniture or fit out your new venue. However, the task ahead seems daunting; the costs of your restaurant are stacking up around you and all you really what to know is how much is your new restaurant furniture going to cost you. Good news is, you’ve come to the right place! Read on to find out more about the costs you can expect when purchasing new restaurant furniture.
What is the cost of restaurant chairs?
Deciding on the correct chairs for your venue can seem like a difficult task, especially when there are so many options available. Perhaps more important than anything else is understanding the value of the chairs you are looking at.
Restaurant chairs range from the simplest polypropylene chair, right up to the most intricate timber chairs or luxurious upholstered chairs. Restaurant chairs across the board can range from anywhere between $50 and $1000 a chair, depending on the material, style, origins, and brand.
Choosing from the timber range will increase the price you pay – setting the price range between $90 and $500 a chair. The range in these chairs is mainly due to the timber that is used for the chairs. European Beech is the preferred hardwood used for chairs as it can be steam bent to create chairs without using joins. This produces a much more hard-wearing chair than the rubberwood or Chinese Oak chairs, which are inexpensive, but not as strong or stable.
If you were to look amongst the upholstered range, you would be setting your sights on chairs priced anywhere between $90 and $1000 a chair, depending on the framing of the chair and the detail in the chair itself. Timber framed chairs tend to be on the higher end of the scale, whilst steel framed chairs sit more towards the lower end of the scale. Extra details like buttoning, armrests, or a curved back all also add to the cost of the chair that you purchase.
Going for something a bit simpler, will lead you towards the polypropylene range, which range somewhere between $50 and $250, depending on the design and style of the chair. Each chair is injection moulded, and therefore the more complex designs require more complex moulds – this adds to the price.
With all the chairs that are on offer, the origin of the chair always affects the cost of the chair. Many countries operate with inferior quality control and their only goal is to roll as many chairs off their production line as possible. This often leads to chairs that cost a lot less than their competitors, but unfortunately, they are also of lesser quality. Often Restaurant Chairs of Asian origin come at a lower cost due to being mass-produced in a factory with minimal costs and lower standards of quality. While European manufacturers often come from a line of experienced craftsman who take pride in their workmanship and produce chairs of hand-crafted quality, which demand a higher buy price.
Across the industry there is a hierarchy of furniture brands. There are the replica chairs that are dime-a-dozen and created expressly to sell quickly with little thought as to the quality of the chair itself. Then there are the middle range chairs, that offer quality, comfort, and style – all within a fair price range. The top of the chairs have brilliant quality and style, however you aren’t only paying for the craftsmanship, but the badge as well. Designer chairs have royalties paid out of them and can demand a higher price due to the name attached to the chair. The choice is yours – are you looking for something affordable but replaceable, something made to last or something premium to add to your venue?
What is the cost of restaurant tables?
After choosing the chairs of your dreams for your venue, the next thing you’re looking at are the tables. The options are immense and can sometimes present as a hard decision to make. We understand this, so we’ve taken the time to put together a rough cost guide for your restaurant tables.
Restaurant tables primarily are made from your choice of table top matched in with your choice of table base. Whilst we would always recommend you match these not only with each other, but also your chairs and the atmosphere you’re wanting to achieve in your venue, we also encourage that your choice in this area is always based on quality.
Table tops
Table tops are made from varying materials, and these all contribute to the cost you’re going to pay. Whether you choose to go for a solid timber, a slatted timber or a laminate table top, these will all vary the price that you pay.
Of all the options, you can expect to pay the most for solid marble or slate tops. However, these are rarely used due to the price tag they bring with them. Second from these tops are the solid timber table tops. As these tops are created from a natural product, and require more work to create, they tend to be on the higher end of the scale. However, the timber that is used also affects the price. Genuine Australian hardwoods, Indian Acacia timbers or even Indonesian timbers all ask a higher price than cheaper Asian versions. Australian timbers will always fetch a higher price than any imported timber due to supply and demand.
Looking amongst the Laminate options, you can expect to pay a lot less than any of the solid timber options available. However, amongst the laminate table tops, there is another price range. The most common laminate, which is called low-pressure laminate, is the most cost effective laminate and is most often what is used for commercial table tops. However, the colour you choose can affect the price as well. The standard colours will always cost less than something that is out of the ordinary.
With all the table top options, the thickness of the table top will affect the price. Regardless of whether you are buying a laminate table top or a timber table top, the thicker the table top is, the more it will cost.
Another factor to consider is size. Lots of smaller tables will always end up costing you more than fewer big tables. However, this can be inconvenient depending on what you are wanting to achieve in your restaurant.
Once you have your table top sorted, you’ll be looking for a table base.
Table Bases
As with all furniture, table base prices depend largely on the material used to create the base, and the quality to which the base is made. The most inexpensive table base would be made from standard steel, followed by aluminium, then cast iron, and the top would be stainless steel.
Additional costs for all table bases would include the finish that is used – such as powder coating. Powder coating with outdoor properties is also going to cost more, however it does offer more protection against the elements.
Different mechanisms drive table base prices up also. For example, self-levelling capabilities will always bring an extra cost over against the manual adjustable feet options. Another example would be table bases that allow the top to be folded down for easy stacking away. These also cost more than the average table base that can’t be folded away.
Quality control is another big factor with pricing on table bases. European-made bases will always cost more than Asian versions as there are stricter quality controls in place and therefore the cost of manufacturing the bases is higher.
What is the cost of Booth Seating?
When it comes to booth seating, the pricing depends on the intricacy of the seat. The more details, such as buttoning or stitching, that the booth has, the more you can expect to pay. Imported booth seating is always going to be a cheaper option to take, however these can’t be customised to fit in with your venue exactly as you want.
Custom booth seating that is locally manufactured will always cost more as the raw materials to create the booths are locally sourced and therefore more expensive. Not only are the raw materials more expensive, but the labour used to create the booth seating is also more expensive for local manufacturers. However, these booth seats are customised, so can be created to match in with your venue exactly as you need them to.
With all Restaurant Furniture, you can be sure that the higher quality furniture will cost you more. Furniture that is manufactured in Italy, Turkey, Bulgaria or any European country, will always ask a higher price than their Asian counterparts. Similarly, locally manufactured furniture will also cost more. This is mainly due to the higher quality raw materials used, and the quality control that is maintained in the factories. The furniture is crafted to last, while cheaper versions are created in mass quantities with little attention paid towards quality. As with anything in life, you can expect to get what you pay for.