Written by: East Coast Chair & Barstool
Despite all the challenges presented to the hospitality sector by the Covid pandemic, restaurant owners see the value in investing in furniture to add to their customer’s experience.
Globally, the value of furniture sold to restaurants has risen since 2017. Back then, the market was worth around $456 million. Fast forward to 2022, and it is forecast to be worth $563 million – a rise of well over $100 million in the space of five years, despite the sector being almost entirely shut down for large portions of 2020 and 2021.
Why are restaurant and bar owners spending more on furniture? Put simply, brands – be they retailers, e-commerce companies or those operating in the hospitality sector – are increasingly being judged on experiences as well as product offerings.
According to data from PwC, consumers are willing to pay up to 12% more for a dinner, 16% more for a coffee and 14% more for a hotel stay if the company provides a great customer experience. Meanwhile, the same research found that two in three U.S. consumers find a positive experience with a brand to be more influential than advertising, with 32% of customers saying they are willing to walk away from a company they love because of one negative experience.
Poor quality, tired, or out of place furniture can contribute to that negative experience. As the landscape becomes more competitive, the small details can play a significant role in differentiating one brand from another.
Buy direct to get your furniture choices right
Restaurateurs and bar owners are upping their game when it comes to the furniture and upholstery of their premises. But how should they approach making these important purchasing decisions?While you can work with a designer or middleman, buying furniture directly through a manufacturer and/or importer presents several key benefits: cost, in-house customization, control of the process, full-service production and inventory control, and direct access to customer care teams.
Starting with cost, working directly with the manufacturer or importer will almost always lead to lower outlays because there is no additional dealer or retailer markup involved. What’s more, operating through a middleman effectively involves two freight journeys – from the manufacturer to the seller, and from the seller to your restaurant or bar.
The argument that retailers will stock a wider choice of options also fails to stack up. Many manufacturers, as well as offering their own wide array of products, will also have working agreements with other companies and can even facilitate furniture imports.
In addition to benefiting from lower costs, buying direct can open the possibility to customize and produce tailor-made items that suit the style of a restaurant or bar’s brand and layout.
Space is often at a premium. Making the most out of the square footage of both indoor and outdoor areas could be the difference between turning a profit and struggling to break even. With custom-built furniture, owners will not be left scratching their heads trying to fit square pegs into round holes.
Furthermore, by cutting out the middleman, hospitality businesses can take advantage of faster service times, both in terms of product delivery and customer support. When asking a question from a dealer about a manufacturer’s product, they often have to go and ask the producer before responding to the customer; there is less friction when posing questions directly to people who have the answers.
Working with East Coast Chair and Barstool
East Coast Chair and Barstool lets you work directly with a high-quality and customer-focused furniture manufacturer.
From our facility in Pennsylvania, we make and import an enormous range of chairs, booths, table bases, tabletops and other restaurant and bar furniture fixtures for both indoor and outdoor environments.
We can cater to all business sizes, be they independent boutiques or large chains. We also offer an Elite program for bar and restaurant chains. This includes inventory management assistance based on future projections, customized order books, first looks at new product releases, and one-to-one customer service handled by a dedicated representative from our Elite team.
For more information on the Elite program and East Coast Chair and Barstool’s wider product offering, head to www.tableschairsbarstools.com