Restaurant Trends

Creating the right atmosphere for your restaurant or bar is no easy task. From combining ingredients together to make fantastic meals to painting the walls in your brand’s color, you take pride in curating the elements your guests will experience as soon as they set foot into your restaurant. And your furniture should be no different!

Create an atmosphere that your customers will never forget by seating them in the handcrafted Leesburg booth.

No matter if you are furnishing a brewery, taproom, or rustic eatery, the Leesburg booth is constructed to invoke feelings of beauty and strength. This booth’s metal frame is made from clear coated steel that showcases welding marks. The frame fits itself nicely into the industrial trend with its “bare bones” aesthetic.

Playing from its rustic charm, the Leesburg booth’s metal frame is finished with your choice of distressed wood for the seat and back of the booth. Choose from reclaimed wood (salvaged barn wood available in Natural, Antique Black, or Whitewash finishes), urban distressed wood (new wood distressed to look old available in Provincial, Dark Walnut, and Ebony finishes), and rustic pine wood (available in Distressed Bourbon finish) options to complete the right booth for your restaurant.

Each type of wood is distressed to create texture and a uniqueness that can’t be replicated from booth to booth.

The Leesburg can be made as single and double booth layouts, which have customizable lengths, so you can outfit your restaurant’s needs accordingly. Regardless of what length you order, the Leesburg booth is 48” in height to accommodate traditional restaurant seating arrangements.

Find out more about the Leesburg booth on its single and double listings. You can also check out our other custom restaurant booths and find the right style for your business.

When it comes time to order a drink, a few bar-goers stick with their tried and true favorite cocktails, you know, the same one they tried on their 21^st birthday and have never ventured away from. But then you have the other type of customer that is more intrigued by the trends and expanding their horizons when they walk into the bar. These trendsetters seek out the latest and greatest in hopes of informing others of the most recent concoctions or getting that perfect Instagram picture to share with their friends. In the interest of luring these trendsetters into your bar and staying relevant in a competitive industry, we look at the trends rising to the forefront of the drink industry.

Sustainability

Just as with the rest of the restaurant industry, sustainability is a topic that is near and dear to consumer’s hearts. Customers want to know where their drinks are coming from and if they are being sourced in an ethical way. Research shows that consumers are willing to pay for these types of drinks.

Bartenders are also looking at sustainability by using their resources in the best way possible. Often times, creating a zero-waste cocktail cuts down on bar costs. Even taking steps to not use plastic straws anymore is beneficial cost wise and with customer approval.

Elevated Mocktails

Mocktails are making a comeback. Offering mocktails at a bar might seem strange but it can be a great way to reach a whole new set of customers. But these mocktails are not your momma’s Shirley Temples. These are more complex and intriguing then just throwing some grenadine in a Sprite. Like their alcoholic counterparts, these drinks are more intriguing than ever with the use of unexpected flavors and fresh ingredients.

Sour Beers

Expect to see more sour beers than ever. Not only are sours gaining popularity, but they are getting the subcategorization they need. Beers like kettle sours, fruit sours, goses (a traditional German-style unfiltered sour wheat beer), and solera (a process of aging by which fractional blending occurs to create a finished product of a mixture of ages) will all be separated out for customers to peruse.

While the flavor of sour beer’s flavor is old, American brewers have only learned how to safely produce it en masse for a little over the past five years. It draws a market for drinkers who are not traditional beer fans. People such as wine and cocktail lovers.

Gin

Gin, while an old favorite for some, has started gaining an even bigger following the past several years. Gin is huge news in the Northern Hemisphere, with European gins the most in demand around the world. Gin drinkers are becoming more experimental, seeking out new flavor and ingredients. Whether it is a classic gin and tonic or a gin with new flavor infusions, you’ll be seeing gin on more and more menus.

Brunch Drinks

Almost everyone has needed some hair of the dog after a particularly rowdy night. Brunch drinks are here to provide that. They are a delicious antidote that is more popular now than ever. While Mimosa’s and Bloody Mary’s have long cornered the market, expect to see some new drinks. Especially drinks that feature locally produced ingredients and sustainability.

Cannabis-Based Drinks

With the legalization of cannabis in some states, cannabis-based drinks have started to appear on menus. Cannabis drinks are not all about a new way to get high. By mixing it into a drink, it will add an herbal undertone, no matter the ingredient you use. The exact flavor varies based on the strain of cannabis you use. Though it does have a surprisingly versatile flavor pairing with liquors.

Distillery Tourism

While it isn’t a drink, distillery tours are bigger than ever. Whether it is a bachelor party just looking for a few good drinks or someone looking to learn the ins and outs of distilling, offering tours is a great way for distilleries to increase profit. It is also ideal for creating brand awareness and loyalty. When someone tours the facilities, they form an attachment.

For example, when they might have walked right past your brand at the store, now after touring, they will see it and be more likely to put it in their cart because they feel like they have some investment in your distillery.

Plus, at the end of the tour, many attendees will purchase goods to remember the experience. Money for the tour, money for the goods, and increased brand awareness and loyalty. It is a win, win, win situation. Expect to see even more distilleries opening their doors to tours in 2019.

 

While trying to incorporate all of these trends might not work for your bar, one of them has the possibility to be a big hit. Staying relevant in the industry can mean the difference between a lucrative year and having to close your doors.

Have you started serving one of these drinks at your bar? Let us know in the comments below!

 

Create the outdoor oasis your restaurant patio has always needed. Allow customers to enjoy cocktails with co-workers and food with friends in your beautiful outdoor area while sitting in the lap of luxury in the Monaco Collection. The Monaco Collection is our brand-new deep seating line that consists of a chair, love seat, sofa, ottoman, coffee table, and side table.

See all the entire Monaco Collection by clicking through this slideshow:

Each seating option comes with your choice of seat and back cushion. The ottoman also comes with a cushion so you can match! Choose from our selection of 10 stock Sunbrella cushion fabrics. These cushions are made from solution-dyed acrylic that is fade resistant and durable, perfect for commercial environments. Custom cushions are also available for purchase to your deep seating set.

The Monaco Collection features aluminum bracing on its poly lumber frame for extra strength. Because this collection has poly lumber construction, it’s easier to maintain and your staff will thank you! This deep seating collection can be made in over 20 poly lumber colors, including five wood grain options. This collection also arrives fully assembled so all you have to do is put it on your patio and start serving your customers!

Mix and match Monaco Collection pieces to find the right combination for your patio. If you need to create privacy, try pairing a few chairs and side table. Or if you’re looking to create a more group-centric setting, play around with the love seat, sofa, and coffee table. Create the layout on your patio to best serve your customers, staff, and restaurant flow.

Get seating that encourages guests to lean back and take it all in (with a drink in hand of course).

Ready to take your patio to new heights? Get started creating your Monaco Collection setup today. Have a question about our poly lumber or our deep seating? Give us a call at 800-986-5352 to speak with our customer care team.

Time to add new seating to your restaurant? See what one of our new booths can do for your restaurant’s layout and overall design.

East Coast Chair & Barstool booths are Amish-made in the USA with superior craftsmanship and careful attention to detail. The booths come with many choices and customization like different vinyl colors or wood options. These booths below can be made in reclaimed barn wood, urban distressed wood, or rustic pine with multiple finish options, so you can match your solid wood table tops. 

Scroll through each slideshow and check out all the new exciting booth styles for this upcoming year!

Rustic Pine Booth

We’re adding a new wood option to our rustic booth lineup! The rustic pine booth is finished with a bourbon stain to highlight the beautiful distressed marks of the wood, creating a different look and texture than the reclaimed and urban distressed wood options.

Depending how much privacy you want for your restaurant, you can choose from single and double rustic pine booths with heights from 43” to 54”. And like the other rustic booth options, you can also choose whether you want a vinyl back or just leave it wood to match.

Tufted Booth

Transform your restaurant’s interior with the elegant comfort of the Tufted Booth. This booth has distinct appearance because of its strategically placed buttons and folds (find out more about this diamond tufting technique here).

The Tufted Booth also has a unique color selection of soft Naugahyde vinyl to really make your booth special for your restaurant. The Tufted Booth is available in 36” to 48” heights and 48” to 72” lengths in both single and double styles.

Tavern Booth

Mixing materials is what the Tavern Booth is all about. This booth is mainly constructed from either reclaimed, urban distressed, or rustic pine wood but also has a fully welded clear coat frame underneath. Even more than just the wood choices, the Tavern leaves a lot of room for customization for your restaurant or bar.

When purchased in the single style, this booth comes with a handcrafted unfinished back that allows restaurant patrons to get a closer look at the distressed wood. You can also add a coat rack to the any of the height options (43” to 54”).

Orchard Booth

We put a twist on our classic vinyl booth by adding wood caps, making a contrast with these two materials to create the Orchard Booth. These caps can be made with any of our rustic wood options and finishes, making it simple to match your table tops. The Orchard Booth can also be made with a crumb strip for easy cleaning. But this booth isn’t complete until you select your vinyl color! This booth has a little more vinyl than our traditional rustic booths, with a vinyl seat, back, and back of the booth for a whole new look. The Orchard Booth can be made from a standard 43” height up to 54” to accommodate how you want these booths to look.

Trestle Booth

Bring the farmhouse style to your dining space with the Trestle Booth. The Trestle Booth is all about being customized for your restaurant’s needs in any of our rustic wood options. This striking wood booth can be finished with a wood or vinyl back and comes with a vinyl seat. Like its namesake frame, the Trestle Booth is a great addition to your restaurant because its legs are high enough off the ground that your staff can easily clean the floor underneath it.  

Choose the right Trestle Booth for your restaurant by selecting your height (between 43” and 54”) and length (from 48” and 72”).

You can learn more about these booths by stopping by our upcoming tradeshows, visiting our website, or calling our dedicated customer care team at 800-986-5352.

There is no restaurant concept more creative than being one step away from literally putting customers behind a prep table or oven. We’re talking about “build your own meal” restaurant concepts and why they flourish. Popular examples of restaurants that use this concept include Blaze Pizza, Chipotle, Noodles and Company, and Burgatory. These restaurants put the creativity in customers hands as they select the ingredients and toppings that are going into their entrée, with endless possibilities.

See how this concept works and how you can shake up your restaurant’s processes with these tips!

Smooth Ordering

Long gone are the days of ‘can you put the tomatoes on the side?’ and ‘can I substitute kale for lettuce?’ Commonly these restaurants use an assembly line system where the meal and customer move down the line or, at sit-down establishments, customers fill out a check list of everything they want on their entrée.

This should also reduce the margin for error with a server taking down an order. It’s easier for something to be misheard and written down incorrectly at a bustling restaurant versus a customer putting a tick mark next to jalapenos.

The typical ordering process for these restaurants allows customers to order comfortably and not have to communicate their likes and dislikes to a waiter- picky eaters unite! It can also save the staff time going through each option with the customer.

What you can do in your restaurant: Streamline the order process for customers by breaking it down, step by step. Start with the base meal and work your way up with options. For example, start with the different kinds of meat they can choose for their burger. Then, work to buns, cheese, toppings, and sauces to finish their order.

Transparency

With “build your own meal” concepts, restaurants are forced to be upfront and honest about their ingredients. It’s likely you’ve been to eateries where you can see their ingredients behind a sneeze guard and they aren’t really looking as “fresh” as they say (here’s looking at you, Subway).

When customers are building their meals down the line or even from a notepad, they want to see basic options, as well as some places they can get a little creative. These ingredients need to look and sound (if written) appetizing to invite customers to have a little fun with their food.

Restaurants offering truly fresh ingredients can make customers can feel good about what they’re choosing to put into their bodies. So, try partnering with local farms to get fresh produce or meat. This is not only a mutually beneficial partnership but will promote local sustainability and sourced foods as well.

What you can do in your restaurant: Label, label, label! If ingredients are gluten-free, vegetarian/vegan-friendly, or soy-based, let customers know. The more detailed you can be with your ingredients, the better.

Experience

The modern restaurant is moving toward these customized experiences, like “build your own meal”, because it integrates the customers into the theatrics. Dinner becomes much more like a production than just ordering tacos a specific way, it’s a curated food adventure. 

With the possibilities of “build your own meal” concepts, customers could come ten times to your pizza place but have a different experience every single time based on their choices.

There is just a little ego-building that goes into “build your own meal” concepts. Customers are being asked to take the reins, so it’s up to them what they create. If they create something they love or is just not quite what they were hoping, there’s a possibility they’ll be back to tweak it so it’s perfection.

Try also featuring a combination of the month. This could spark a customer’s creativity while also enticing people to stop by!

What you can do in your restaurant: When you make your list of ingredient choices, make sure to not offer flavors that will ruin a customer’s meal. For example, if a customer has decided to float their burger in a marmalade and they’re not satisfied with their meal, technically, that was their choice, but you don’t want that to impact their possibility of a return visit.

The trend of putting the customer in control works seamlessly with “build your own meal” concepts because of their smooth ordering process, transparency, and experience value. Putting the customer in charge really changes the whole dynamic of a restaurant’s traditional business model.  

Would you ever try adding “build your own meal” aspects to your menu offerings? Let us know in the comments below.

It has been another great year at East Coast Chair & Barstool. So we’d like to take a moment to take a look back at some of our favorite customer showcases from 2018. Click through the slideshow to see all the wonderful ways our customers have used our furniture to bring their visions to life.

 

 

• 
  Simons with reclaimed wood seats can be found at Draft Republic in San Diego, CA.
• 
  Aliotas Pub in Miwaukee, WI with some beautiful Quarter Sawn table tops.
• 
  Distressed Viktor chairs in Kelly Red are a dash of color at BBQ2U.
• 
  PJ's Coffee has some great tufted booths to sit in while you enjoy your daily dose of caffeine.
• 
  Mare Rooftop has an amazing outdoor rooftop dining area complete with Atlantic Collection tables and chairs.
• 
  Romaines paired beautiful tile with Viktor bar stools for a fantastic look.
• 
  Distressed colored Viktor's give the bar at Lobster Tail a great pop of color.
• 
  Wood always looks classic at Talbots in Mercer, PA.
• 
  The Egg in Huntersville, NC went with metal chairs and wood seats for a farm fresh vibe, and we are loving it.
• 
  The New England Collection is looking good at Union 72 Barbecue!
• 
  Fiji arm chairs and lime poly lumber table tops have us wanting to dine outdoors at Talbot's.
• 
  Unum Fine Wine & Whiskey in Morton, IL has plenty of great drinks and seating with our 825 bucket bar stools in black.
• 
  Walk-On's decided on reclaimed wood booths and they look great.
• 
  These Elliot bar stools give Walk-On's just the right amount of industrial vibe.

 

 

A big thank you to our customers for making us a part of their year and for sharing photos of their beautiful businesses. If you’d like to submit a photo, you can do so by emailing or messaging us on Facebook.

If you have been to a local brewery within the past few years, you may have noticed something a little unexpected during your visit. It might have been colorful, or had a funny name, but it definitely smelled delicious. It was a food truck parked either in front of or in a breweries parking lot offering up appetizing options. Breweries and food trucks are developing a mutualistic relationship that both can benefit from in terms of brand awareness and increased sales.

The numbers for 2018 aren’t in yet, but the growth for breweries in 2017 was strong. The Brewers Association reported an increase of 6,000 breweries in 2017. While the food truck industry is experiencing revenue growth of over 300% in the last three years. Across the United States of America, these two incredibly fast-growing industries are partnering up to boost business for each other. The food truck of today isn’t some shady taco truck hanging out on the corner of the street, that might have been the cause of your food poisoning that one time. These are trucks with themes, curated menus, and devoted owners and staff. Basically, a restaurant operation on wheels!

Breweries are notoriously expensive to get started. Opening your own brewery can range from $100,000 to upwards of $1 million, and once that is all paid for some brewers just don’t have room in the budget to include a full kitchen, food, and the staff to man it. This is where the food truck industry comes in. These portable kitchens are a match made in heaven for a brewery. They offer a product that helps to keep customers on the premises longer, while at the same time not being in competition with the brewery.

Breweries and Food Trucks: A Symbiotic Relationship

Breweries and food trucks aren’t offering the same things, so customers don’t have to choose one over the other. Breweries draw crowds that a food truck can take advantage of, and having a food truck, is just one more experience that a brewery can offer their customer to set them apart from the crowd. Many breweries have even developed a rotating schedule that they post weekly to let customers know what trucks will be available.

Food trucks also come with their own social media following that eagerly waits for them to post their scheduled stops for the week. This is a customer base that they can bring to the brewery and encourage to try the brews. On the very same note, a brewery can have a set of truly devoted customers who wouldn’t think to try food from a Korean BBQ fusion truck, until it was placed right in front of them.

Shared Target Audiences Between Breweries and Food Trucks

It seems that the same customer that is drawn to a brewery, is also drawn to food being served out of a truck. The food truck experience capitalizes on a sense of adventure. It is new food in a different place every night. There is also a level of exclusivity that comes with only being able to serve a limited number of customers and food that can only be found at that particular truck.

Customers also enjoy the personal attention and interaction that occurs at breweries and food trucks. Owners and chefs tend to be more accessible at these businesses and customers enjoy talking about the drinks and food and learning about the processes required to make the food. This works great with breweries that have an outdoor area because the truck is right there!

Curating the Right Menu

Another benefit to food trucks is their easily customizable menu. They can adjust the menu to parallel the craft beer or wine being offered by the brewery. Trucks are seeing success using beers from the brewery to concoct beer infused burgers, or by offering pretzels created to complement the drinking process. If a food truck can create something specific to that brewery that they can sell when the truck isn’t there, such as a special drinking pretzel, even better. Breweries and food trucks can both share in the profits even if the truck isn’t on the premises.

Brewery-goers tend to want salt, bread, meat, and the occasional veggie mixed in. When pairing up with a brewery, a food truck needs to consider their audience when creating the menu. An all veggie menu is probably not going to sell as well as something with meat and bread.

 

Both breweries and food trucks have seen incredible growth over the past few years with no sign of slowing down. By pairing together, they can help ensure the success of both businesses.

Do you have a favorite brewery and food truck combo?  Or has your business paired with a food truck or brewery before? Let us know in the comments below!

The beginning of a new year is an exciting time! People use it as a clean slate and a way to start over. Have your customers end their year and turn over a new leaf in your restaurant with New Year’s Eve promotions that will let them have the time of their life (*cues up Dirty Dancing theme*).

Choose Your Atmosphere

When you think of New Year’s Eve, sounds of champagne bottles popping and glasses clinking may come to your mind in a more adult setting. But the beauty of a New Year’s Eve party is that it can be geared toward whatever audience you want! While it obviously works well in bars, there are other establishments that can still get in on the holiday festivities. Are most of your customers families with younger children? Have a New Year’s Eve early dinner with kids’ activities and crafts so everyone can be entertained. Even breakfast joints can get in on the celebration by hosting a New Year’s Day brunch and catch the crowd the morning after, bonus points if you have a build your own Bloody Mary bar.

Choose Your Theme

A theme is very important for creating hype and interest. It’s easy for customers to justify popping a bottle of champagne and watching the ball drop from the comfort of their homes, but a good theme can entice them to see the value in the experience (around 9% of Americans go out for New Year’s). Pick one that you think would be the most fun and memorable for your guests to enjoy. Some popular themes over the years include reality TV, roaring 20’s, beach, New Orleans, and 90’s throwback. Although a theme isn’t necessary (even just New Year’s Eve could be your theme!), it can really lend itself when you’re decorating your space and creating a memorable menu.

Choose Your Promotion Method

The key to get people to show up? Make sure they know about it! With so many other holiday gatherings happening, all around a few weeks span, it’s important to promote your New Year’s Eve party around the beginning of December.

Try some of these methods to advertise your party and keep it marked on their social calendar.

• Flyers in your restaurant, on community boards, and on customer receipts
• Email blasts
• Mentioned by staff
• Menu inserts
• Text alerts
• Social media advertisement (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)

If you’ve had prior New Year’s events, be sure to send out notices to past attendees that they are not going to want to miss this year!

After you have their attention, consider selling ticket packages to the event. This can help lay out what guests can expect from the event and people are more likely to follow through if they have already paid the money upfront to attend an event. For example, packages could include appetizers, dinner, drink tokens, or even a champagne toast. Having these preset packages can help you order food/drinks appropriately for your crowd and prevent overcapacity. You could even incentivize your staff with who can sell the most tickets for a prize to keep them engaged and customers informed!

Choose Your Entertainment

Music or some sort of entertainment is a must for your New Year’s Eve party! Having entertainment completely transforms the whole feel for the evening. Whether it’s a DJ, live band, magician, or any kind of performer, give your attendees some sort of show they can enjoy while they wait for midnight. You can factor this into the cost of a ticket to your event.

But don’t forget to make a countdown announcement or put the ball drop on a few minutes before midnight so guests can officially ring in the new year as it happens.

Choose Your Staff

It may seem obvious that since your doors are open, you’ll need to schedule your staff. Customer service needs to be at its highest since your restaurant has transitioned to more of an event center than its normal eatery operations.

Bartenders should pay careful attention to how much guests are being served, since overserving is a big issue with the holiday. In fact, DUI arrests are at their highest between Thanksgiving and the end of New Year’s weekend. Having the right staff members on hand to make sure guests have a good and safe experience is crucial to helping everyone have a great time.

Planning a New Year’s Eve party for your restaurant may seem overwhelming but it’s a great way to bring your customers (and maybe some new faces) in for the holiday. A successful New Year’s event, especially those that are ticketed, can be a lucrative start to what may be a slower month in business.

Does your restaurant host an event for New Year’s Eve? What do you found that has worked for your business in the past? Tell us below!

The restaurant industry is filled with invention and creativity, the same can be said for the terminology. All too often, ‘restaurant words’ are thrown around, but their true meaning isn’t known. The term ‘gastropub’ fits right into that category.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines gastropub as a “pub, bar, or tavern that offers meals of high quality”, while the word broken down is a combination of the terms ‘gastronomy’ and ‘public house’. Gastropubs are a fusion of a casual dining atmosphere with elevated cooking techniques.

Gastropubs originated in London with The Eagle in 1991 and have risen in popularity across the pond in the U.S. over the past ten years.

A restaurant’s menu is a great indicator of whether it fits into the gastropub model or not. Looking at a gastropub’s menu, all the base items will likely consist of usual pub fare but garnished with specialty sauces or cheeses. Think bison burgers topped in smoked gouda cheese or fries with truffle mushrooms on them. It’s all about having a familiar food base for customers and then ramping it up with house made extras you won’t find anywhere else.

Special care is taken when the unique menu items are plated as well. There is a little more that goes into presenting these foods to the customer, in accordance to the gastronomy part of gastropub. Imagine salads that have fresh lemons squeezed over tops with a perimeter of dark balsamic dressing keeping the greens in. Think sandwiches layered with different toppings, topped off with a small molehill of scallions. The presentation is creative, but not stuffy.

Like a pub, spirits are still taken very seriously in gastropubs. Normally these businesses have lengthy lists of choices for their customers that cover liquors, wine, and the largest portion of that list, beers.

Gastropubs are a melting pot of the commonalities of traditional pubs combined with a higher-grade food experience, creating a unique niche of the restaurant industry.

Each restaurant is unique in its own way, because of this we like to be able to offer our customers not only great furniture at even better prices, but many options as well. With that in mind, we are excited to announce a new product, the Distressed Thrasher Pine Table Tops.

The Thrasher Pine Table Tops are a great addition to any restaurant. They are built out of beautiful pine wood that is known for its uncommon knots, and great textures. It gives each table top a one-of-a-kind look that can’t be replicated. Often, owners are concerned that these grooves will make the tops more difficult to clean but because of the 10-sheen urethane premium top coat used to seal these tops, they smooth and easy to clean.

Another benefit of the pine wood is that it is resistant to shrinking and swelling caused by variances in temperature and moisture. Exposure to differing temperatures, as well as the humidity of the surrounding air can lead to changes in the wood. This leads to less warping or cracking when the weather changes.

These table tops are covered in a distressed bourbon stain that is a dark, warm shade of brown. The unique grooves of the table are highlighted due to the staining process that we use. This color has a visual warmth that pairs well with all types of lighting and many design styles.

The Thrasher Pine Tops are built by our in-house Amish craftsmen and are available in a variety of shapes and sizes.

 

To make these beautiful table tops yours head on over to our Distressed Pine Table Tops page and start shopping!