It would seem that it is difficult to arrange tables and sofas for visitors? It turns out that a carefully thought-out arrangement of furniture and staff routes can double the turnover of the institution. And all this will not require the owner of the cafe additional costs. You just need to know some patterns of the human psyche, to have at hand a plan of the hall and a calculator, as well as get a good supplier of furniture.
If the furniture is arranged correctly, in that case:
- visitors anywhere in the hall will feel comfortable, which means they will want to stay longer and will come in more often;
- Personnel of the institution will move along the optimal trajectories, which will increase the speed of service;
- The probability that the waiters and customers will break dishes or damage items significantly reduced.
The most popular options
The choice of arrangement of furniture depends on many factors. Plays a role the location of windows and doors, the ratio of the length and width of the hall, the presence of niches, the height of the room, its general style. Especially important here is the form of your chosen tables: round and rectangular tables give completely different opportunities for placement. Also take into account the fact that you give preference to sofas, chairs or their combination.
Most often in restaurants and cafes arrange the furniture in two ways: in a staggered order or in a straight line. There is no innovation here, and the stylistics are emphasized mainly through color and light. So if your room has harmonious proportions and a simple configuration, it makes sense to stop at one of these options. Start with the shape of the tables: in staggered order is best to arrange round or square tables, and rectangular (especially with massive sofas) – in straight rows parallel to the walls.
A typical mistake
In the pursuit of profit inexperienced owners of the cafe trying to use the area to the maximum, sometimes putting a table in the vicinity of the front door. Do you think that placing customers near the entrance, thereby increasing their profits? Not a fact. Rather, you will forever alienate those who have dined there.
This is due to the fact that people subconsciously feel unsafe sitting with their backs to the entrance and in close proximity to it. In addition, this is the most “passable” place, and all visitors coming in and out will move past it. And the person who came to have a rest and a private snack will be disappointed. Also, let’s not forget that we don’t live in the tropics – most of the calendar year it is much colder at the door than in the back of the hall.
Leave this space vacant or place some stylish art object here. As a last resort, if your cafe space is very small, enclose the table at the door with a hedge, a low partition or a shelving unit.
What else you need to consider
When ordering furniture keep in mind that the aisles should be at least 2 m, and the tables are not installed close to the walls (leave a distance of about 20 cm). Therefore, before you buy furniture for the cafe, with a ruler and a calculator, work on a detailed plan of arrangement. And do not stop at the most obvious options.
Be sure to think about non-standard ways to arrange the furniture and equipment, so as to make a reasonable choice from several options. Especially since the non-trivial solution can become the highlight that will make your cafe stand out among dozens of others.
Original ways of arrangement
First, you can play with the levels. If the room is tall enough, you can organize a conditional second floor in the form of a balcony or gallery. So you get uncounted area and additional opportunities for convenient placement of customers. If this is not possible, use podiums. The area will remain virtually the same, but the space will seem bulkier and more comfortable.
Second, you can experiment with a free layout. Divide the room into zones, and each of them designed in its own way, and ensure their harmonious “flow” into each other. And within a single concept, you can arrange the furniture “chaotically”, without forgetting about the convenience of staff and customers.
Third, a well-proven “boxed” method. With this option arrangement you organize isolated islands, which are visually or physically separated from each other. These boxes can be different sizes and varying degrees of closure: from tables with U-shaped couches in the center of the room behind “conventional” partitions to cozy and almost completely isolated alcoves along the walls. And all these options can be combined in one room, and it only benefits from this.
Where to place the bar
The bar is one of the most profitable areas of any establishment. Therefore, if the bar counter and bar stools are placed as conveniently as possible for customers, the income from it will be stably high. The traditional location of the bar counter is by the wall with shelves of drinks and tableware. However, a much greater profit will be brought by its location in the center of the hall.
In this case you have significantly more opportunities to play with the style and shape of the bar furniture. Make the bar round, oval or curvilinear. Select the original hanging equipment. Place more chairs at a comfortable distance from each other. And the institution will play in a completely new way!