The newest trend in the restaurant industry? Cuisine on the couch, your customers’ couch that is.

The decline of customers stepping into retail stores has finally caught up to the restaurant industry with a surge in food delivery technology. Because, in the evenings, the hardest question customers want to answer is the slightly judgmental “are you still there?” from Netflix.

It’s all about convenience.

Yes, there is normally a delivery fee of some sort, and yes, they should tip your delivery driver, but often, customers are fine with paying a little more for convenience. Think about Amazon Prime. People pay an annual fee just to guarantee their purchases arrive on their doorstep within two days. Now that’s convenience at its finest and it’s something that more people are finding desirable in their eating establishments.

If a customer wants a meal from an across town restaurant that doesn’t deliver and can’t see the drive, wait time, and drive home as a valuable use of their hours, they are likely to pay for the convenience of that meal coming to them.

It can be intimidating to launch a delivery program, consider partnering with one of the restaurant delivery service apps that can get your meals into the hands of hungry, homebody customers. So who are the big players you need to know as a restaurant owner?

Grubhub holds the bulk of the market share by being in 1,600 US cities including Philadelpia, Boston, Denver, and San Antonio. In 2013, Grubhub merged with Seamless creating a powerhouse portfolio of 80,000 takeout restaurants with the acquisition of Eat24, AllMenus, and MenuPages. The most recent reporting, according to GrubHub’s About Us page, shows Grubhub sending “nearly $4 billion in gross food sales to local takeout restaurants”. Grubhub/Seamless is noted as the delivery service of choice, used whopping 92% of the time in El Paso, Texas, and preferred in New York and Jacksonville 85% and 72% of the time, respectively. Grubhub can be ordered through both iOS and Android device apps that give customers a variety of payment options, saves your order history, and the ability to pre-order a food delivery.

UberEats, it’s like Uber, for your dinner! Even though it’s a separate app, UberEats works very similar to the Uber you’re used to. Customers can order UberEats delivery in 12+ US cities from hundreds of restaurants by using their website or app to browse, order, and track deliveries. This service is available nationally but is used most prevalently in Texas. UberEats ranks as the top delivery service in Houston, Austin, and Dallas. One of the most unique qualities about UberEats is their GPS locator. Like the ride app, customers can watch their dinner make their way to them via their delivery car. For the most part, UberEats charges a flat $5 delivery fee which can be a drop in the bucket or double your cost, depending on what you order.

Amazon Restaurants. You may have heard of a little thing called Amazon? It now offers food delivery through its Prime Now feature for 20 US cities and around 10,000+ restaurants, with its popularity peaking in its home stomping grounds of Seattle. But here’s the catch, this service is exclusive for Amazon Prime members. Integrating restaurant delivery seems like a natural fit; what can’t Amazon do? For those who read on an Amazon device, receive Prime packages every couple of days, and are fine with shelling out for a Prime subscription, using Amazon to order your favorite takeout probably makes a lot of sense. Amazon Restaurants is still in the beginning stages and is no small contender considering the experienced infrastructure and delivery network of its parent company.

DoorDash, from start-up to starting lineup. This service is available in large regions across the US including Southern California, Minneapolis, and Atlanta. DoorDash focuses on building partnerships with national chains like Jack in the Box, Wendy’s, and El Pollo Loco. DoorDash blankets most of the market share in San Jose with 78% usage with Fort Worth and Indianapolis close behind. Of course, it’s easy to know what you want from restaurants you’re used to ordering from, but what if you wanted to try something new? DoorDash make it easier to explore the unknown with its “DoorDash Delight” system. This score rates a user’s overall experience with the restaurant’s delivery program, which can help customers decide between Restaurant A or Restaurant B. Users can order through DoorDash with an iOS or Android device.

Food delivery technology has come leaps and bounds from where it was 10 years ago but this technology is still highly concentrated in major cities where delivery is second nature. It’s important for restaurant owners to understand the appeal of the food delivery technologies that are out there because they say a lot about customer preferences. Using a food delivery technology, is not always going to be the largest portion of your sales but it is interesting to add that touch of convenience for your customers.

The restaurant industry is changing and evolving at a high pace, and with more pixel power than ever before, can your restaurant keep up?

If there is one trend that has come to the forefront of the restaurant industry in the past few years it is that consumers are more aware of the health effects of food on their bodies. They what to know where their food is being sourced from, if it is organic, and how is it being prepared. There is a whole market of people that struggle to find places to eat out that coincide with their food restrictions. Those who for health reasons or personal reasons have chosen to go gluten-free.

There are two types of gluten sensitivities. Those caused by Celiac disease and those caused by non-celiac gluten sensitivity. These people don’t experience the same kind of injury and irritation to the small intestine as those with celiac disease, but gluten intolerance can still cause physical and mental problems. Celiac disease itself presents with four different types of varying severity.

Gluten is a substance that is present in cereal grains, especially wheat, that is responsible for the elastic texture of the dough and is a mixture of two proteins. Currently, about 3.1 million people across the U.S.A. follow a gluten-free diet.

It is an entire market of people that you can open your doors to by making some changes to your current systems.  Expectations are higher than ever, and your restaurant might be missing out on profits that you aren’t even aware of.

Changes in Your Kitchen

If you are going to offer gluten-free options on your menu, you need to have the appropriate configuration in your kitchen. Your biggest hurdle will be cutting out cross contamination. Gluten-free products cannot come in to contact with items that have touched gluten-containing foods. For example, a gluten-free pizza cannot be cooked in the same oven as a pizza prepared with gluten ingredients.

Now, this may seem like a chore but there are some easy ways to separate your foods and tools.

• Dedicate a section of your line to only gluten-free food prep
• Keep items separate in storage and walk-ins to avoid cross-contamination
• Use color-coded equipment to avoid contamination

Offering gluten-free options is not as hard as it may originally seem, as long as you keep up with your systems of avoiding cross contamination.

Educate Your Staff

The second most important thing you can do, after making changes in your kitchen, is to educate your staff. Many have heard of the gluten-free “trend” but don’t really know what it is, or how it can affect their customers.  Take some time during a staff meeting to discuss your new menu options and their importance. If you know someone with a gluten intolerance, you could invite them to speak to your staff of their struggles. Knowledge is everything in getting your staff to buy into your new program.

Make sure to encourage them to not judge their customers when they discuss a gluten intolerance. 72% of people leading a gluten-free diet are classified as “PWAGs” – people without celiac disease avoiding gluten. It is important for staff not to roll their eyes or make comments if they feel that a customer might not truly need gluten-free food. Customers with dietary restrictions want to have their concerns heard just like any other customer. It is not their place to judge and ultimately having a good attitude will lead to better tips.

Adjusting Your Menu

There are several ways that your menu can become more gluten-free friendly. Offer gluten-free substitutes to some of your meals. Cornstarch can be a great substitute for flour in certain circumstances.  Order more gluten-free ingredients to have in your kitchen. That way if a customer asks if you have pasta noodles, you can accommodate them. They’ll certainly be appreciative of your forethought.

How much of your menu that you decide to make gluten-free is up to you but having several options would most likely be beneficial. You need to evaluate on a case by case basis how much your current restaurant lends itself to gluten-free options. For example, if you are a Mexican restaurant you might consider offering taco salads or ordering gluten-free wraps. It is not necessary to completely rework your menu if you don’t have the funds or your food doesn’t lend itself well to gluten-free alternatives. Even a few adjustments will help to keep your restaurant relevant and communicate to customers that you are making an effort.

To help customers easily identify your gluten-free foods, you can create a menu ledger. Having clearly marked symbols to inform customers of your dishes that are completely gluten-free or have substitutes available can help to make the ordering process simpler. The easier that your menu is to understand for those that are gluten-free, the more comfortable they can feel.

Offering these options will take some adjustment for you and your team. But ultimately, you’ll see the benefits of increased profits and staying competitive in the market. Bethany Jarmul was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance in 2014 and has been searching for dining out options ever since. “As someone who has a gluten intolerance, the first thing I look for in a restaurant is whether or not they provide gluten-free options. If I find a place that offers a lot of gluten-free dishes, I’m likely to make that one of my go-to spots.”

Bethany represents an entire market of customers searching for their next go-to gluten-free spot. Why not make it your restaurant?

How to Promote

You’ve made the changes to your menu, added new ingredients to your kitchen, and educated your staff. Now it is time to get the word out about your new options. Traditional methods are great options Flyers, radio, and social media, are all perfect ways to talk about the benefits of your new food.

One area, in particular, you might like to consider is in Facebook groups that are focused on the gluten-free lifestyle. These groups can have thousands of members all looking for options that make their lives a little bit easier. Simply search gluten free on the Facebook search bar and then narrow your search to groups and you should find plenty of options.

Providing gluten-free options is the fastest growing trend in the restaurant industry and with good reason. Industry powerhouses like Arby’s, Burger King, and Domino’s Pizza are offering gluten-free items. More and more Americans are choosing to go gluten-free for health reasons and the need for innovative food options is greater than ever. Establishing your restaurant as gluten-free friendly is a great way to bring in new customers and establish loyal ones for years to come. Nothing creates loyal customers like the ability to have an honest discussion about their food. It will take some organizing, but your efforts will be well worth it to keep your restaurant relevant and once the profits start rolling in.

What makes a piece of furniture better suited for outdoor use versus indoor?

The easy answer is the material, but why does it matter from one material to another what goes outside? It’s all about how that material holds up against weather conditions and how often it is used.

Of course, you can technically place any outdoor chair inside your restaurant and it’s usable. But should you? The answer is no. Much of outdoor furniture is made from aluminum, a softer metal, that is not up to the heavy traffic of being inside a restaurant. Using an outdoor chair inside will lead to replacing your seating way sooner than you would like.

Outdoor furniture is made specifically to hold up to the weather. For example, aluminum is a popular choice for commercial outdoor furniture because it is rust-resistant. Untreated steel does not typically fare as well on patios and will rust when exposed to moisture. Another common example is wood furniture on a patio. It can be tempting to put a reclaimed table top outside, but it is sure to absorb moisture and warp, leaving you out of luck on your investment.

You should always pay attention to these warranties to get the most out of your product when you properly use it. Not adhering to a product’s intended use can void the warranty completely, making it very difficult for you to protect yourself as the buyer if something goes wrong.

When you invest in restaurant furniture, you want it to be reliable and hold up for your customers. This requires action from you as a business owner to use the product for its intended use. By placing furniture where it doesn’t belong, you can damage the integrity of the furniture without realizing and cause injury to your customers. Protect yourself and your customers by knowing the difference between indoor and outdoor furniture and using them properly.

Spring is in the air and the Opening Day for Major League Baseball is scooching closer and closer. It’s almost time for America’s baseball parks to open their doors and start slinging hot dogs once again. But baseball season is about more than just hot dogs; there’s also beer, burgers, pizza, wings. It can be difficult to stand out among the crowd (and choices) when it comes to where baseball lovers choose to spend their dollars.

If you’re a first-time vendor or you’re looking to add more seating to your restaurant stand’s space, we’ve come up with a guide for things you should consider when selecting your furniture. Even if you’re not a stadium stand restaurant, these criteria can still apply when selecting outdoor furniture for a park, playground, or any outdoor area.

It’s a Beautiful Day for Baseball… Sometimes…

The weather can have a huge effect on your stand (hello, rain delays) but that doesn’t mean you can’t be ready for it. Scope out your space, are you covered? Are you out in the open? Where does the sun hit during game time? These are all factors to be noted when you’re choosing what furniture will work the best for your location. Chances are though, your stand is going to be exposed to the elements. After all, most food stands are open air in stadium environments. You’re going to want to be sure your furniture is either rust resistant aluminum or powder coated steel for protection against heavy moisture. Be sure to also consider how hot the material of your furniture can get in direct sunlight. You don’t want customers sitting down to eat a quick snack and spill their food because the seat was too hot! Aluminum furniture is a great option here with its reflective surface and the ability to adapt its temperature to who’s sitting on it within 15 seconds.

Make Maintenance a Home Run

Game days are busy, hectic, and you aren’t going to have a lot of staff to spare. Choosing the correct furniture can shorten the time that you or your staff spends on daily upkeep of your space. The right table isn’t going to clean itself but there are ones that can make it easier! High density laminated tables are a great asset to have in a stadium-like environment because of their fierce durability. Tables like this are often scratch/UV resistant and pre-stressed to avoid warping in the sun. For low maintenance seating, find chairs that can stack. Stadium stands aren’t often blessed with a lot of storage space but if you can find stackable chairs they can be easy to tuck behind your counter.

It’s Game Time for Your Team Spirit

With so many choices around your stand, it’s important for you to differentiate your restaurant from others around you. One way to accomplish that is your theming. If your restaurant is a franchise, theming may be out of your hands. In this case, try and find furniture that looks like it’s on the same playing field as those in your original restaurant. By using similar furniture, you can tie the stand restaurant to its larger franchise. If you have more wiggle room with the furniture you can pick out, try and integrate the team’s colors into the furniture. Poly lumber tables can offer a great medium for doing this because they are so low maintenance and come in a wide variety of color options.

Selecting furniture for your stadium restaurant may not be the most glamorous task that you do but it is necessary to find quality pieces that are durable, easy to maintain, and represent your brand. Be sure to study your vendor agreement before making any purchase decisions, each club’s organization runs themselves a little differently. If you have any questions on the furniture items above or finding other budget-friendly outdoor furniture, please call us at 800-986-5352. We’d be happy to help you customize your space!

Are you looking to upgrade your bar or restaurant furniture? We’ve recently added to our premium bucket bar stool offerings with the GLADIATOR Tufted 950 Bucket Bar Stool. The 950 bucket stresses design and coziness. This smart bucket bar stool takes the structure of the 625 bucket and the tufting accents of the 925 bucket to create a stool that is as trendy as it is comfortable.

Give your bar area an executive atmosphere with the 950 Bucket Bar Stool and all its options. We’re confident this bucket can fit into any environment with its three options of 22 oz. vinyl in Bourbon Brown, Distressed Black, and Distressed Wine. No matter what vinyl color you choose to complete this bucket, the back of this bar stool makes it truly unique with its button tufting. Imagine customers walking into your bar area and being wowed by the luxurious back of the 950 bucket lined up along your bar’s counter. You can also customize what base the 950 comes on. The 900 frame base throws in industrial vibes, with finish options including black, rust, and clear coat, while the 910 frame keeps the vintage look of the bucket flowing through the base.

Comfort is key with a great bucket bar stool and the 950 completely rises above your average club chair in this department. High density foam creates a molded seat and back for your customers to relax on, complete with a waterfall seat edge. This bucket bar stool’s comfort rivals that of our premium 925 bucket and ever-popular 825 bucket model, so you can encourage customers to hang around for a little longer.

With its stylish tufted back to retro industrial base options, the GLADIATOR Tufted 950 Bucket Bar Stool upgrades your bar’s ambiance to a whole new level. Please call our customer care representatives at 800-986-5352 for more information on adding this bucket or any of our other bucket options to your restaurant or bar’s space.

With the temperatures slowly but surely starting to rise, it is time to start thinking about throwing open the doors to your outdoor areas and take advantage of the boost to your restaurant’s profits that comes with additional seating. Before you get too excited, however check on the condition of your outdoor furniture. Does it need repairs? Replacement?

Now is a great time to buy to ensure that you have new outdoor furniture by the time you plan to start serving outdoors. If you are on the search for new furniture, you will be excited to hear that at East Coast Chair & Barstool we have brought in several new lines of outdoor restaurant furniture. With all of these additions, we are sure to have something perfect for your patio. Let’s discover the best fit for your restaurant or bar.

The Palmetto Collection

Island style doesn’t have to be “all tiki all the time”, as shown by our Palmetto collection. A black and white wire reinforced polyethylene weave is wrapped around a non-rusting aluminum frame to give off an upscale beach vibe. With its neutral color palette, this collection looks great in almost any setting.

The frame is hand painted to give it a very realistic bamboo look, but with the added benefit of durability for commercial use that comes with an aluminum frame. Aluminum does not rust, making it ideal for outdoor use in areas with salty air. This collection features a bistro style chair and bar stool perfect for enjoying a night outdoors.

Fiji Collection

The Fiji collection is a modern take on outdoor furniture that makes a statement. All Fiji chair options were designed with comfort and style in mind. Available in two different back styles, your customers won’t mind sitting back and relaxing for hours on end. The Fiji collection features the traditional arm chair style or a club chair. All club chairs come with a tie-on cushion for maximum comfort.

Created using two different materials that are equally sturdy, your toughest decision will be determining which design you like better! This first is a textile rope in a rich espresso brown color that fits right in with any color scheme. The rope features a beautiful weave pattern using several strands.

The second option, is a polypropylene wicker that is more durable than traditional wicker. It is also available in two beautiful colors, an espresso and ash gray. Some give is afforded by the material to provide your customers additional comfort. Even your staff will love this material as it is easy to wipe down at the end of a busy night.

Havana Collection

Reminiscent of our New England and Atlantic collections, the Havana is the latest addition to a series of faux wood outdoor furniture. Who would have thought textured driftwood poly lumber paired with black metal would look so good? Well, we did, and we are so pleased to offer this to our customers.

The Havana collection is the ultimate in outdoor durability. The frame is a matte black powder coated aluminum frame that is rust resistant. While the poly lumber inserts are much more durable than traditional wood. It is waterproof and resistant to mold and insects, as well as being easy to clean. They are easily stackable, making them convenient to store during the winter months.

This collection is the whole package with two bar stool styles, two chair styles, and table tops in a variety of shapes and sizes. You’ll certainly be able to find something that works for your restaurant.

Palazzo Collection

The visual appeal of wicker with the durability of metal. The Palazzo Collection, with its streamlined and squared off design, offers a distinguished look for your outdoor area. The seat and back of this collection uses a tightly woven wicker weave in a stunning espresso that has just enough give to offer your customers some additional comfort. The rust resistant aluminum frame is powder coated in matte black achieving just enough contrast from the espresso wicker.

This collection is easy to store when not in use because it is stackable. With multiple chairs and bar stools to choose from we are confident you’ll find something you’ll love.

You really can’t go wrong when you select any of our new outdoor furniture collections. Still have questions? You can contact one of our Customer Care Representatives at 800-986-5352 for expert advice or to start your order!

The last thing you want as a restaurant owner is to watch your money get thrown out in the garbage. Unfortunately, when you waste food, this is exactly what’s happening. It’s seemingly easy to do, some milk here, apples there, and right before your eyes, thousands of dollars have gone to waste. Because it’s so easy, it’s estimated that there are 60 million tons of food wasted annually throughout the United States, and it’s likely that your restaurant is contributing. So how can your restaurant put anti-food waste steps into effect? Here are some actionable steps your restaurant can take to help cut down on food waste.

Create a committee. Either find individuals motivated to take a stand against food waste or incentivize the position, but make sure you have people from different areas in your restaurant as part of the committee. You don’t want to involve your whole kitchen staff, only to leave out the wait staff. You also need your purchaser on board (whether that’s you or an employee).

Practice FIFO. If you don’t know what FIFO is, listen up! A ‘first in, first out’ system allows your food preparation to run more smoothly, while keeping in mind the issue of food waste. When a new food order comes in, put the new food on the right and shift the previously-purchased food to the left. Cooks then grab food in a reverse order (left to right) to make sure they are using the items that will expire more quickly than the food on the right hand side.

*Pro Tip: When organizing your storage area, beware of cross-contaminating foods. Raw chicken does not belong next to fresh produce so don’t let all your rules go out the window to focus on FIFO. Shelf-labeling is handy while keeping in mind newer versus previously-purchase food and the types of food that can be stored together.

Control portion size in the kitchen. This requires due-diligence from your staff. As kitchens get busy, eyeballing ingredients (aka not paying attention to the pre-priced amounts from your menu plan) becomes more common but this is one way that customers end up with more food than they need and often more than they paid for. American restaurants are notorious for unnecessarily large portion sizes. You want to satisfy your guests, but not at the cost of your bottom line. A great way to cut down on food wasted by customers is to allow them to choose their portion size by offering lunch and dinner sizes on the menu. The less food that’s left on your guests’ plates, the better.

Repurpose ingredients. Have a lot of leftover shredded chicken from yesterday’s fajita special? Make chicken tortilla soup! If you’re flexible with your specials, soup can turn leftover nightmares into the next day’s featured dinner.

Make over your menu. Speaking of flexibility, you’ll want to check in on how each of your menu items are doing. If you must buy highly-specialized ingredients for a few items, make sure they’re worth it. If they are sub-par performers on your menu, change it up! It’s easier to broaden your menu with dishes that have more universal ingredients. A lot of restaurants turn to a focused menu to use up any surplus and still offer a variety of options without sacrificing storage space while cutting unnecessary costs.

Compost. Chances are your restaurant probably builds up (and throws away) a lot of produce scraps. Whether it’s from leftover salads or unused portions, these scraps can easily be composted. If your restaurant has its own little garden that grows herbs, use these as fertilizer. Or build community relations and reach out to farmers who could use the compost to help supplement their crops.

Donate what you can. If your restaurant has exhausted the options to using leftover food, consider donating. There are many organizations around the country that help excess food get to those who are in need. If you’re concerned about liability and the legality of your donation, review the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act of 1996 to understand your rights as the donating party.

Keeping food waste in the forefront your mind when running your restaurant and making operational decisions is crucial in combating the problem. Taking the steps above are just a few ways your restaurant can have an impact on this destructive global trend. Integrating these better choices into your business model can cut down on food waste and save you money at the end of the day.

Do you have plan for food waste in your restaurant? What steps do you take to combat it? Tell us below in the comments.

One of the busiest days in the restaurant industry is fast approaching, and you don’t want to be caught off guard. Valentine’s Day is the second biggest day for dining out, second only to Mother’s Day. A quarter of Americans eat out to celebrate the holiday with their special someone. That totals about 8 billion dollars spent in restaurants across the United States. What restaurant doesn’t want a piece of that? As a restaurant owner, you want to make the very most of this opportunity.

What can you do to make your restaurant stand out among the competition? We’ve gathered together some Valentine’s Day best practices and brainstormed some fresh ideas to help you create a memorable and lucrative night.

Menu

First things first, you need to think about your menu. To make it easier for you and your staff consider offering a preset prix fixe menu, otherwise known as a fixed price menu. It will cut down on wait times for guests and give you a better understanding of what needs to be ordered for the night, helping to increase your profits by lessening waste.

Having a prix fixe menu can also be beneficial for customers. They know exactly what they are getting and at what cost. No unexpected surprises for either of you.

As part of your prix fixe menu, consider including a starter, main course, dessert, and a recommended wine pairing. If you want to go the traditional route, try to incorporate pink or red foods into your menu and a chocolate dessert.

Valentine’s Day can be a great time to incorporate some current food trends into your meals. A little bit of fun experimentation can help to set your restaurant apart from others who might be offering more traditional entrees. Perhaps offering a dessert sampler instead of a complete dessert would appeal to an audience looking for that extra special experience.

Beverages

Altering your beverage service can also be beneficial for the busy day. Make sure to have suggested wine pairings available for guests who might not be very knowledgeable. Also, make sure your staff is well educated on the different wines and specialty cocktails you are offering. Fruit flavored red and pink cocktails are a favorite, but taking a risk could pay off too.  Consider adding a chocolate martini with chili pepper for an added zest.

Atmosphere

Having the right atmosphere is crucial. Everything other detail can be perfect, but if the atmosphere is off, it’ll still feel like something just wasn’t quite right. Make sure to give your patrons the whole package. Dim your lights a little extra. Take a look at your music for the night and make sure it fits with the rest of your ambiance. Consider reusing those string lights you brought out for Christmas time to create a romantic lighting for your guests, or perhaps some candlelight to dine by.

Reservations

To help the day run smoothly, encourage guests to make reservations early. To encourage reservations, you can offer promotions, such as a free dessert, to those who book ahead. As tempting as it may be, do your best not to overbook. Consider that guests might want to take their time and linger over dinner to fully enjoy the experience. You don’t want a bad review showing up on Feb. 15^th saying that guests had to wait hours, even with a reservation.

Staffing- Call In the A-team

Make sure that you have your A-team working. Your most experienced workers should be present in both the front and back of house. Valentine’s Day is not the time to try training a new host or waitress. Leave that for the 15^th when the rest of your staff has earned a day off.

Valentine’s Day is all about the specialness. Going above and beyond for the people you love. The restaurant industry is no different. You want your customers to leave feeling that they had the best food, drinks, and service. Take a moment to speak to your staff about the importance of offering an extra special experience. Try to have your most experienced servers working that night. You can trust them to give the kind of service you expect, and more experienced servers tend to be better at up selling a customer.

You can also offer take home gifts for customers. A custom wine glass or even something as simple as a flower can set you up as going above and beyond in the mind of a customer.

Marketing

Make your Valentine’s Day specials and hours as easily accessible as possible. If customers can’t find the information, chances are they will move on to someone else who already has theirs readily available. Create a graphic and post it on your social media accounts and start a Facebook event. It also never hurts to print out some flyers and hang them around your restaurant or hand them out with receipts during January and February. The easier it is to access your important information, the better the chances you will have a full venue for Valentine’s day.

Thinking Outside of the Heart Shaped Box

If you are looking to try something new this year, we’ve got a few ideas for you that are a twist on the classic Valentine’s day meal that we all know.

Wine Tasting or Beer Tasting – For those who love the beverages more than the food. Local breweries and wineries are popping up all over the United States and consumers are responding positively. Join up with some wineries or breweries in your area to offer a tasting night.

Offer Valentines Meals the Weekend Before and After– Some people just can’t make it out on a weeknight to celebrate. Offer them the same meal the weekend before and after with a discount or a promotion. You can bring in even more business and will be able to offer it as an option to anyone who asks for a reservation for the 14^th after you are booked up.

Galentine’s Day Brunch – Galentine’s Day is a day where women across the world celebrate their female friends. And what do gal pals love? Mimosas. Galentine’s Day is February 13^th but you would probably do best on the Sunday before or after Valentine’s Day.

DIY Dinner – DIY is all the rage and that extends to the restaurant industry. Talk to your chef and see if they would be willing to offer a class to customers on how to make their own Valentine’s dinner. What could be better than having customers pay you to make their own meal?

Takeout Meals – We all have one in our lives that we know and love. An introvert, someone who works odd hours, or even moms whose only chance at a peaceful dinner is after the kids have gone to bed. You can still market to the person who wants to eat in but doesn’t want to spend hours cooking the perfect meal? That is where you come in. Offering takeout meals are a great way to continue to offer food, even after your reservations are full. Consider asking customers to order a few days in advance to give your team plenty of time to order and prepare the extra meals.

Whether you stick with the traditional candlelight dinner or do something a little different, a few ideas will remain the same. Good marketing, great food, perfect atmosphere, and a staff that goes above and beyond for the customer, will make your Valentine’s day a success.

Do you do something for Valentine’s day that your customer’s fall in love with every year? Let us know in the comments below.

Move over Ramen burgers and Korean clam chowder, the infatuation of making two very different concepts work together in flavors and offerings is not limited to food in the restaurant industry. Commercial furniture is reflecting the mashup trend by taking differing materials and combining them to create unique pieces to accent your restaurant.

You wouldn’t bat an eye at a wood table top and metal base, but what may catch your attention is these two materials together in a chair or bar stool.

This trend has gone by many names: rustic industrial, modern rustic, vintage industrial. The list goes on and has been present in the home décor and architectural industries for some time. These materials together highlight their contrasting points while also making a great pair.

When wood is used in design, it carries a warmth and neutrality with it. It feels earthy and organic. In contrast, metal can bring a manufacturing-like or contemporary vibe. With its hard an unbending feel, it’s completely the opposite of wood that is soft and easily affected by its environment. The wood and metal hybrids are a marrying of the two that create something totally new yet familiar.

Visually these compositions meld together but they also work well structurally. In a restaurant, metal is less easily scratched and cracked, making it ideal in combating daily wear and tear over wood. When metal is used to reinforce a wood seat or back in a frame, the chair or bar stool becomes more durable.

With the popularity of the wood and metal hybrids, we have quite a few designs that are right on trend for your restaurant.

1) Erwin Collection Solid oak wood and black powder coated metal come together in the Erwin Collection. The rustic look of this collection is defined further with a traditional X-style back and stylized legs.
2) Elliot Collection The Elliot Collection updates the classic ladder back design by using solid oak wood and a weathered iron for an industrial look that’s softened by the wood back and seat.
3) Henry Collection The Henry Collection keeps it simple with squared off wooden backs and seats, giving this collection an understated modern look. The distressed wood paired with the slim yet sturdy, black powder coated frame makes it an easy pairing with other restaurant furniture.
4) Piper Collection The metal frame of the Piper Collection brings a breath of fresh air to restaurants with its hairpin leg design. Embracing the rustic industrial look, the sleek steel contrasts the deep tones of the oak to warm up any dining area.
5) Gladiator Collection From window pane to full ladder back to vertical back, we have all your classic styles covered with the Gladiator Collection. Traditional back designs make this collection extremely versatile and are right on trend with their steel frames and variety of wood seat options.
6) Simon Collection Think grit, think modern, think mechanical. All of these can describe the strong metal look of the Simon Collection. Because this collection comes with a variety of wood seat options to offset the smooth steel, Simon’s are a standout statement piece in a rustic restaurant atmosphere.

Each of these collections use a metal frame with a wood seat and/or back. Together, these materials create a unified theme for your restaurant by pulling from warm and cool tones. Restaurants need furniture that can meet the hectic demands of the industry with durability and visual appeal. And just like a leader of the mashup movement, the cronut, these wood and metal hybrids give you the best of both worlds.

Do you use wood and metal hybrid furniture in your restaurant? What are your thoughts on this hybrid furniture trend? Tell us in the comments below.

Something even the most knowledgeable restaurant owners seem to be unsure of is when they should order furniture for their new restaurant. In the world of express shipping and Amazon Prime, consumers tend to think that they don’t need to order things very far in advance. This is not the case with commercial furniture. When asking yourself “when should I order my furniture?” The answer is: the sooner the better.

Ideally, you should begin your search at around 10 weeks before you want the furniture to arrive. It seems like a lot of time, but it will go by faster than you think.  Starting earlier gives you time to research, place the order, and receive the furniture before your opening.

The time it takes for your furniture to arrive on your doorstep is dependent upon a couple different factors. This first of which is the type of furniture you order. Items that are custom built such as reclaimed booths, or custom vinyl seats, have a production time, where other items might not.

By calling in advance, you can also check the stock of the item you have your eye on. Popular items sell out quickly. Stock fluctuates daily and can affect your expected arrival date. Even if an item says out of stock it is good to call and see when the next shipment is arriving. The earlier you call the better to either reserve your items, or get your name on the preorder list.

Transit time is another factor in your furniture’s arrival. Most large furniture items ship LTL. You’ll want to take into account the location of the place you are ordering from in relation to where you are located. Items traveling from across the United States are going to take longer than items coming from across the state.

Purchasing outdoor furniture can be a little different than purchasing indoor items. If you are looking to get outdoor furniture for the spring/summer season, February is a good time to order. You want to have your furniture before the weather breaks and customers start asking to sit on your patio. Waiting too long to call could put you in the danger zone of not being able to receive your furniture until part way through the season.

It is best to order your restaurant furniture well before your open date, about 10 weeks, to make sure that you can get the items you want, in the time frame that works for you. If you have your eye on some pieces that we offer at East Coast Chair & Barstool, you can get your order started today by calling our Customer Care Team at 800-986-5352.