Say you own a restaurant. When you first opened it, it was flooded with new customers that became regulars along with new additions each day. Your restaurant flourished and was the talk of the town for quite a few days. However, as the years passed, the customers became more and more infrequent to the point where you barely saw a customer heading the way to your restaurant. Now you might wonder what’s the cause of that? It’s probably not the food, not the location but most likely your furniture.
Yes, believe it or not, your furniture speaks volumes about your restaurant. The quality of the furniture, the style, and the size dictate most of your restaurant’s atmosphere. As such, when you have rickety old furniture that you haven’t replaced from the beginning, it can make a potential customer run away. When that happens, we heavily suggest the first thing you do is replace old furniture.
Having stylish, modern and comfortable furniture improves the aesthetic of your restaurant and attracts new customers, and makes the old ones visit again. According to Adage Furniture, it’s vital that you decide on the atmosphere and style you want to achieve at your place. This not only gives your restaurant a personalized look, but it also sets itself a bar above the other restaurants in the vicinity giving your restaurant the competitive edge it needs.
The thing is, though, when do you know your furniture needs replacing? What are the obvious signs one should be on the lookout for as a restaurant owner? In this article, we’ll help you clear that very confusion and give you a detailed list of signs that indicate the furniture in your restaurant needs a replacement as soon as possible.
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What are the indicators that let you know your restaurant furniture needs replacement?
When you are working each day at the same place it can be hard to notice any difference that should be the cause of your worry. However, as a restaurant owner, you must overcome this facade and scrutinize the furniture you have for signs like:
Source: www.superiorseating.com
1. You haven’t replaced furniture for years
Unless you have expensive wooden furniture that ages well, it’s a good idea to replace your furniture every 4-5 years. Depending on the material your furniture is made of, you might need to replace it sooner or later. For example, lightweight materials are flexible and light but also weaker. On the other hand, wooden furniture lasts longer and also looks vintage but also costs more. Many restaurants choose to go with plastic furniture as it’s not only cost-efficient but also looks modern and can last several years.
Plastic furniture coupled with polypropylene chairs is also becoming a popular option for restaurants that offer outdoor sitting as they look vibrant and are weather-resistant. Not replacing your furniture when it’s beyond its lifetime can be a safety hazard. That alone constitutes enough reason to replace it, but to add on that, if your furniture is old, it’ll show – directly or indirectly and you don’t want your customers to see that.
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2. Staff and customers are giving negative feedback
It’s rare to see customers directly complain about the quality of your furniture because, by the time your furniture gets bad enough for that to happen, there won’t be any customers left to complain. What customers will do, however, is start giving you negative feedback about the furniture.
This can be very trivial like something as slight discomfort while sitting, or occasional creaking noises from the legs of the table or chair. It’s your responsibility to recognize these early signs as indicators of failing furniture.
Your staff, too, will tell you from time to time about furniture that needs replacement. We suggest you pay heed to these words and replace your furniture as soon as possible before it’s too late. Ignoring such feedback and continuously delaying the replacement can cost you customers as well as the faith and trust of your staff.
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3. Dirty, musty, and old furniture overrules your place
Imagine the impression you set on a new customer that enters your place and the first thing they notice is the dirty cushions on your seats, cracks in the wood, and moldy carpets. Not a single customer would return to a place like this. While you may know that your furniture is clean and regularly washed, it amounts to nothing if it still looks dirty. Customers think of dirty furniture as unhygienic and consider it to be a sign of negligence on the owner’s part.
If you have furniture like this that won’t look better even after washing several times, then it’s time to throw it away and buy its replacement. Customers love eating in a clean atmosphere and you’ll be soon getting compliments for having such a lovely restaurant when you throw away old furniture. If the saying “A restaurant customer devours with his eyes first” holds any truth, then getting rid of dirty furniture should always be a restaurant owner’s greatest priority.
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4. Your furniture is out of date
Restaurants that don’t keep up-to-date with the latest trends in decors tend to lose their customer base as well as popularity significantly. If all the restaurants in your area have modern furniture while you are still stuck with old and outdated stuff, it leaves a bad impression. If this situation occurs, you immediately lose your competitive edge for attracting new customers.
While it’s not essential to replace your furniture even when it’s working fine, it’s something you should consider if it looks older than other restaurants. Doing this will give your restaurant a new, fresh look and also attract new customers. Unless your restaurant is going for a vintage-styled look, replacing old furniture for their modern alternatives is definitely a viable option.
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Conclusion
Replacing the non-functional furniture in your restaurant with new furniture will require considerable capital especially if you are replacing multiple components. However, you must think of it as an investment for your restaurant’s future rather than futile expenditure. If this article helped you out, do consider following our website for regular updates as it will help us out immensely.
