Most restaurant owners choose Restaurant Tables based on the style and color. While this is important, most people over look two additional qualities that affect the purchase decision. When purchasing tables, please keep a few things in mind:
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Durability
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Thickness
The most durable and versatile restaurant is the custom laminate table, which uses a Wilsonart or Formica laminate. There are hundreds of style to choose from, some ranging from exotic wood grains to granite and abstract designs. These tables are water proof, heat proof, and require little to no maintenance. You can find these tables at fast food chains and high end designer restaurants. To further add to customizability, you can choose between a standard t-mold edge, a custom wood edge, and a self-edge table of various thickness.
Solid oak or wood veneer restaurant tables require occasional buffing in order to protect the surface from scratching and to keep the table looking like new. Chips and scratches can be refinished using wood stain or stain markers purchased at your local Home Depot or Lowe’s. Resin tables do not need maintenance, but care must be taken not to chip the surface when moving furniture around as the resin surface is difficult to fix. For all tables, please be sure to use fine china so that plates do not scratch the surface.
The thickness of the restaurant table affects the overall ambience of the restaurant. A 2” thick table creates of atmosphere of elegance, and premium quality. These can be found in steak houses, modern restaurants, European cafes and bistro. A 1 1/8” thick table is commonly found in fast food restaurants and diners.
However, this is not a hard fast rule as we have seen stores such as Starbucks that have very thin 1” table tops that fit well with the overall them.
My personal favorite is the custom laminate table top with a wood edge or self-edge. These restaurant tables can be made to fit custom booths, and the laminates can be matched according to the color scheme of the fabrics and vinyls. They are also low maintenance and easy to replace.
Restaurant tables can be a hassle to purchase because of the various quality and prices on the market. Many people who don’t research into the pro and cons of each are at the whim of dealers who promise one thing and deliver another. Don’t fall into a trap by not learning more about Restaurant Tables!