How to Choose Alfresco Restaurant Tables & Chairs

Introduction

Adding or expanding the outdoor dining space for your established restaurant is a rewarding choice due to the fact that no customer would say no to have an alfresco meal on a sunny day.

Providing such an alternative ensures your business success by arousing customers’ desire to come to your place for the charming look of the outer décor and atmosphere, enlarging the seating capacity of the whole restaurant, and effectively enhancing customer satisfaction for separating non-smoking section (indoors) from smoking section (outdoors).

Given all the benefits of outdoor dining, please continue reading this article to learn something practical about choosing the right outdoor restaurant tables and chairs for your business.

Dining Tables & Bar Tables

Tabletops

Tabletops for outdoor tables are usually made of marble, teak, resin, plastic wood, etc. Plastic wood is highly recommended for several reasons.

Firstly, it is easy to clean. Commercial dining tables daily bear a high frequency of use. In order to make a table covered with leftover food and beverage available for the next awaiting customers as fast as possible, you need plastic wood tabletop that is water-repellent, hard-to-get-stain, easy-to-wipe and quick-to-dry.

Moreover, it fits into almost any interior or exterior décor style, such as the British style, the American countryside style, the mid-century style or the contemporary style. Hence, plastic wood tabletops are widely used in outdoor catering business across the globe.

Table Shapes

Various shapes of tabletop are seen in today’s outdoor dining, including rectangular, square, rounded, semi-circular, or oval.

An interesting rule of thumb is: Square and round tabletops do well in a square area, but they may do a terrible job in rectangular areas. Rectangular and oval shaped ones look harmonious in a rectangular space, but awkward in a square one. But this is not all that matters. You also need to take the overall aesthetic and visual effect into consideration, which vary in each individual case.

Another factor to be considered is your business type. If your place serves coffee and light meals for commuters, a couple of small round or square tables are better than one big rectangular table. If you engage in big dinner service for family-gathering and the like, then rectangular tables could be put in the center with smaller square or round tables in the peripheral area.

Floor Plan

Therefore, it is smart to measure up the usable area of your outdoor space before you make a purchase of dining tables. Many experienced furniture manufacturers have served their clients with a proposal of a table set layout based upon the floor plan given. Normally, the proposal is a perfect combination of small and big tables that maximize the seating capacity.

Table Bases

Table bases are commonly made of stainless steel, steel, iron, aluminum and wood. Stainless steel bases are particularly beneficial for restaurants, kitchens and outdoor tables, thanks to its rust resistance.

Aluminum table bases are almost as sturdy as the stainless steel ones, but much more lightweight and more economical, therefore more ubiquitous in nowadays outdoor restaurants and bars with an assert-light strategy.

Table Height

Table height is one thing that shows your understanding of your target customers. Dining tables are generally accepted as high as 28 to 30 inches (71-76 cm), with dining chairs in height of 17-19 inches (45-50 cm) to match.

If you are considering customizing your dining tables and chairs, consult the furniture manufacturer for further information about the height of every model to make sure they are best suited to your dining function.

Dining Chairs & Bar Stools

With Arms vs. Without Arms

The most frequently asked question is whether you should buy chairs with arms or without arms. In fact, both types of chairs have their own advantages, and it is determined by your requirement for the business.

If you are looking for chairs that maximize space use, then you should consider armless chairs because they are able to be easily pushed under the dining tables that are not occupied, and they can be flipped onto the tabletop when floor cleaning is in process.

In contract, if your venue is spacious or floor cleaning is not a major concern, then you probably prefer armchairs since they provide a greater inviting atmosphere with extra comfort. Moreover, customers can recline in it with a more relaxed posture with a beverage in hands without having to reach out to the tabletop.

Folding vs. Non-folding

If your outdoor area is meant for versatile uses including parties, wedding, camping or the like, then it is reasonable to imagine that your potential customers may need to group people into different sizes to do some sort of activity or ceremony.

Folding chairs should come as your first choice for their being lightweight and easy to storage and to move. One drawback for folding chairs is they could appear not formal enough for some important events, so do not avoid the trouble of moving heavy wooden upholstered chair from indoor to outdoor for a big event.

Chair Heights

Next professional tip is that a well arranged collection of chairs and stools (with tables or without tables) in different heights give a better effect of the whole outdoor area, adding a sense of variety into the dining vibes.

Metal

Another thing you must carefully examine is the material.

Iron, steel and aluminum are the most popular material for outdoor catering because they possess a combination property of weather-withstanding, rust-resistance, and water-proof. These materials are perfect for rainy weather since they dry themselves quickly. Also, they are sturdy enough to bear whatever human weight capacity.

Plastic Wood

Besides, plastic wood is also very economical and competitive, an alternative to replace natural wood to make outdoor commercial chairs.

It is highly eco-friendly because it is nontoxic and pollution-free. Also, the raw material of plastic wood is the recycled plastic objects including bottle, box and other residue or waste materials from factory manufacturing or residents’ living. While iron, steel or aluminum chairs can absorb solar energy and get itself warm on a summer day, plastic wood seating stays cool during the same weather condition. Plastic wood provides customers a relatively more comfortable stay on them as long as they want.

Sling

Sling is quite similar to plastic wood in term of cool texture. Sling patio chairs feature mesh fabric attached to a metal or wooden frame. They are more breathable, and do better in drying-quick after downpour. Some sling-back seating has built-in padding to provide additional comfort. It forms better ergonomic contour when occupied than plastic wood seating does.

Conclusion

All in all, commercial outdoor restaurant tables and chairs should be durable, stylish and comfortable. Coets produces and sells brushed aluminum outdoor restaurant furniture for over 13 years. Read and learn more about Coets service and download product catalogue now!