18
Apr
Author: admin // Category:
Business
The quality and atmosphere created in a Restaurants interior often determines whether or not the Restaurant will be a success. Obviously the standard of the restaurants food is of paramount importance, however many vendors forget to place themselves in the customers position. It is vital for a restaurant owner to perceive the establishment from the customer’s point of view, far too many restaurant interiors are designed to the owners personal tastes, this can be a recipe for disaster.
Before rushing in and parting with large amounts off your budget, use careful consideration, access how much on average you would expect your customers to spend. Bear in mind the restaurants location and likely patrons, will customers require a light lunch, food after an evening out or something more sophisticated? If your customers are only grabbing a quick bite to eat, they will not be in your establishment and the level of comfort they need will not be as high as in a expensive restaurant where the customers would expect to enjoy a relaxed meal over a greater period of time.
Remember that your customer s will recommend your restaurant to their friends and family if they enjoy the experience, this can boost customer numbers considerably and quickly. Also if customers enjoy their eating experience they are much more inclined to visit again and may use your establishment on a regular basis. Not only do you want to hear good comments, remember that negative comments can be very damaging so it is worth trying your best to satisfy any disgruntled customers.
Once the comfort level has been ascertained you should contemplate your colour scheme which can leave a lasting impression on customers. Different colours promote different moods and will actually affect the way your customers behave. Some colours will reduce the amount the customer spends; this is not the behaviour a restaurant owner would want to encourage. Certain colours create an exciting environment which leads to customers brains being too active and results in the customer spending less than the restaurant owner would like.
If planning restaurant interior it is worth investing time in investigating up and running restaurants of a similar calibre to what you would like to achieve with your restaurant. Take notes on factors you like, how colours affect your mood and which parts you would like to recreate. Evaluate the sizes of chairs and tables used as well as the number of them, you can easily make customers feel uncomfortable and overcrowded by squeezing too many tables into the space you have. This is bad business as the clients you have will not spend enough and will definitely not make a return visit.
The secret is to recreate an aura of home, should you accomplish this you will find that your customers happily spend more time and money in your establishment. It is worth spending as much as the budget allows on good quality tables and seating. If costs are cut in this area you can run into the dangerous area of furnishing your restaurant with cheap tables and chairs that will not be sturdy and hardwearing and could easily result in a law suit.
17
Apr
Author: admin // Category:
Management
Putting up a bar is indeed one of the most lucrative businesses today. People’s penchant for hanging out and having fun, drinking and dining, unwinding and partying have driven the proliferation of bars in our society.
However, with so many bars and restaurants all over the country, it is important that you are able to create a unique identity for your business, a way to stand out among the crowd.
One of the ways to do that is to purchase furniture that will give your bar a look like no other. Of course, furniture buying is not entirely for image’s sake. There are also other important factors to consider.
To help you find the perfect kind of bar furniture, here are the questions you need to ask before purchase.
1. Will it complement the design and theme of my bar?
The furniture in your bar should blend beautifully with the designs of the interior such as wall paint and other decorative elements. For example, if your bar has that laid-back ambience, go for casual earth-toned overstuffed couches. If you are going for an ethnic style, pick artisan pieces. If your bar has a contemporary visage, opt for modern furniture that are of bold colors and made of metal and glass. Now if it exemplifies a young and hip atmosphere, go for furniture that has upbeat colors and designs.
2. Will it last?
Here, quality plays a major role. With quality comes durability and permanence. Whatever you do, never sacrifice quality when you go furniture shopping. This is one of the most important ways to ensure that your furniture will last a long time doing service for you and your customers.
3. Will it give utmost comfort and convenience to my customers?
There is no use buying furniture such as tables and chairs that will make your customers feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. People will go to your bar to unwind and have a fun break from the usual work grind so it is only right that you are able to provide them with furniture that will help them relax. Soft cushioned couches, bar stools with backrests and tables that are just high enough so they do not have to stoop down are just few of the many examples of such furniture.
4. Will it attract customers to my bar?
When people peek into your bar, they will not yet get to taste your exquisite food or see that the service is efficient, the first thing they will see is the physical interior including the furniture. Because of that, it is important that you set up and decorate your bar with furniture that will give a fun and inviting ambience to lure customers.
5. Will it give my bar a unique personality?
As mentioned earlier, your bar should have a distinct personality that will make it stand out among other similar businesses. If it looks just like a carbon copy of the next bar in town, chances are your bar will not be noticed. A way to ensure this is to let your personal taste be your guide when picking out furniture.
6. Will it fit the size of my bar?
It is also very important to plan the space inside your bar so that you do not end up buying pieces that are too big or will cause the space to look too crowded. Make sure that the number of chairs and tables are sufficient but please ensure that there will be enough space to move around. When people fill up your bar, it is essential that there is adequate room to allow a smooth flow of traffic among customers and employees as well.
7. Will it be a practical investment?
We all know that buying furniture entails spending quite a sum of money especially if you are going for high-end and high-quality types of furniture. With that said, it is necessary to make sure that you are making a worthy investment. To ensure this, it is a good idea to opt for furniture with classic designs rather than follow trends so that it will not easily get outdated or out of fashion.
Buying the perfect furniture that will fit suitably into your bar is a step towards the success of your business. Make sure you are buying the right kind by keeping these considerations in mind.
17
Apr
Author: admin // Category:
Shopping
Restaurant patio furniture is no different than the outdoor furniture you find at your home. The focus however slightly shifts from a focused decorative effort on a small area with one furniture set to a more broad decorating strategy in line with your restaurants’ theme.
Restaurants come in all shapes in sizes. Chinese, Italian, French, themed, etc. – the list goes on and on. Your restaurant will determine the patio furniture style you end up choosing. A more modern themed restaurant will naturally dictate designs and styles that will fit accordingly. Conversely, if your restaurant has an old-fashioned, vintage theme, something like wrought-iron patio furniture might do the trick. Perhaps your eatery plays on the funky retro vibe, in which case there is a lot of option on the market to play to that.
As a restaurant owner, your job is to serve quality food in a way that will turn you a profit. Unless your aim is to win a decorative prize of some sort, the focus should always be on your culinary delights. The best strategy therefore is to focus on cost-effective, durable restaurant patio furniture.
If a large number of you customers are going to be using the furniture it means that you require furniture that will stand the daily wear and tear and are easy to maintain.
Furthermore if your focus is on minimising your cost, you’ll be better placed to allocate your financial resources more effectively in areas of the business where it matters most.
Restaurant patio furniture is usually purchased in bulk. The exact amount of furniture sets is obviously determined by your available space and percentage of your clientele that prefers to dine in the outdoors. This bulk purchase is a great tool to demand a discount of some sort. Most retailers will be happy to negotiate this discount for your purchase - another great tip to keep in mind if you wish to keep costs low.
Your ultimate decision will, to a large extent, be guided by the availability of space, the profile of your average client, the theme of your restaurant, available financial resources and even the surrounding area to an extent. If you stick to these main points you will be able to pick the perfect patio furniture set for your restaurant.
17
Apr
Author: admin // Category:
Business
If you are trying to furnish an outside eating area there are several things necessary for you to consider. When purchasing furniture for your restaurant there are some major differences from furnishing the other dining areas, which makes it challenge for some business owners to locate the perfect pieces. Follow these pieces of advice and your outside restaurant dining area will look fabulous, and you will have created a professional look and feel.
Tip 1. First you have to determine the exact size your outside area will be. This means width, plus length. You need these figures for several reasons, including determining how many tables, chairs, and stools you will need. If you are going to use only chairs to go with the tables, then you will only need tables and chairs. If you want to have a bar area as well, then you need to plan for an area for your bar stools, bar tables and possibly poseur tables.
Tip 2. If you are thinking about your chairs for outside one of the best options you have is outdoor commercial aluminium furniture. This type of furniture is made for outdoors and they are extremely durable, plus they are made for commercial applications so you can be sure they will survive for a long time. You don’t want to buy cheap, unsafe chairs that will fall apart continuously. Cheap chairs are prone to rusting and will usually need lots of repairs, which will overtime make them much more expensive. It’s important to choose a supplier to deal with that has perfect customer service as well as perfect top quality furniture. Some of the best commercial bistro furniture that is perfect for outside use comes from Italy, so remember to ask the supplier where the seating comes from. When selecting outside furniture a bad supplier can cost you lots of extra funds in poor quality, broken pieces of furniture that are of far poorer quality.
Tip 3. Because aluminium chairs does not tend to be easy to move around, you may want to consider purchasing some swiveling chairs and bar stools in order to make it quicker for the diners to get in and out. It can also be more comfy because chairs and stools can simply swivel easily, compared to having to be lifted up and moved around. This is one of those small touches that your customers will notice and always be grateful for. It is important to remember that ease of use is a factor that your customers remember when choosing where to eat. No one wants to be forgotten about because of difficult furnishings - that is never a promising sign; you should keep the furnishings as quick to move as possible to help the customers.
Tip 4. Some restaurants should think about matching your inside tables and chairs to your outdoor furniture by selecting aluminium furniture with beech highlights. If you are selecting a similar color and design of wood it would create an attractive natural flow throughout one area of the restaurant to the other. Some restaurant operators consider this and decide to follow this plan because it can greatly improve the total look of the entire restaurant. While this may slightly increase the initial financial investment, the benefits in the quality of the furniture can be easily worth the increased money|extra money.
Tip 5. It is vital to look for pieces of furniture that are very comfy. There seems to be a common belief that metal furniture is not at all comfortable and this is not always true. Great pieces of furniture that have been well constructed design and are of good quality can be often as comfy as other pieces. There is no reason why outdoor commercial aluminium furniture should not be comfy. If you get to the point where you have not located furniture that are as comfortable as you would like, keep looking as you will find some perfect chairs|exactly what you need well within your budget. It simply requires is some cleaver searching. Remember, this comes back to the idea that customers that are comfy are likely to stay in your restaurant for longer, spend more money per visit, and more often than not visit more often. All of this means more money will be made from a purchase that was going to be made anyway, so why not gain the biggest result possible from the purchase?
17
Apr
Author: admin // Category:
Home Improvement
Everything that is involved with your café, or restaurant is important and because it is important you need to pay attention to every minute detail, including your café furniture. After all, you’ve have embarked on the task of choosing the perfect food, the complimenting wines, the location. Now the task at hand is picking out furniture and assembling the layout of your Cafe. Many restaurateurs underestimate the importance of choosing the layout and the adorning furniture for their establishment. It is very important that a café be furnished in a way that represents the quality and taste of the food that is being served. It is the appearance of a Café that draws patrons to a particular establishment verses going to another.
What Kind of Furniture?
Café furniture can be classic, contemporary, rustic, and even well, shall we say modest. It can be colorful or classic. Whatever the design you chose, chose wisely. You want your café to be warm and inviting. It needs to be an extension of your personality as well as representative of the food that will be offered. Remember that the first impression of your establishment can very well determine whether a customer becomes a regular, or becomes the biggest advocate against visiting your establishment. You can have the best cuisine in the world but if you café is not adequately laid out with the comfort of patrons in mind people will not be drawn to eat there.
The Theme
Pick out the theme of your café. Classic colors works well with classic furniture, accents, and textiles. Or maybe trendy colors with more contemporary style furniture. So the number one is to settle on a specific theme and stick to it. Lighting is very important to the ambience and the dining experience. It also needs to compliment the colors and textiles that you have incorporated. Extras like mirrored walls or large plants can also add to the scenery, but be cautious. Do not over indulge in to many of accenting features. You can very easily make a good theme look tacky and cluttered.
Once you have a basic idea of what you want the layout to look like then you need to measure the space you have made available for tables and chairs. You want the sufficient tables and chairs to accommodate the specific number of customers that will be served at a time, but you need to avoid crowing customers together. It is easier to pick a specific style of furniture than it is to factor in space and how functional is should be. One of the key elements to factoring in space is having adequate room for bussers and servers to maneuver around patrons and tables. This makes mapping out the flow of server traffic extremely important. Pay close attention to the distance from the back to the front of the café. Will the flow be fast paced, or run at a slower smoother pace? You tables and chairs should optimally be spaced in a way to avoid potential accidents. You don’t want to run the risk of servers dropping a whole tray of food on a group of patrons. But it is a balance. In a Café style setting you also don’t want to create an area that is so comfortable that patrons linger for long periods of time causing back up and longer wait times for patrons waiting to be seated.
Where Customers Wait
Do not ignore the waiting area. It is the first presentation an introduction to this wonderful place that you have created. You want the area to be warm and inviting. It needs to comfortable and eye catching. Many restaurants and Cafes have paintings or scrapbook style pictures. You can create your own, or ask painters in the area to show their work there. Just be sure to keep it simple but interesting. You cannot always anticipate when customers will need to wait to be seating and you want the waiting area to be suitable and soothing. And they need to be busy while they are waiting, even if it is just looking at the décor.
Your Budget
Furniture in a café setting will be subjected to its fair share of wear and tear. For this reason you should have a suitable amount of money set aside in your budget for furniture. It’s easy to want to succumb to purchasing furniture that is offered at cheaper price than others but is it worth sacrificing quality? You may save yourself a few pennies when making the original purchase but if the furniture is not resistant to wear and tear you have will spend more time in money when the items need either repair or replacement. Quality is definitely the way to go for your Café furniture. Good quality furniture also makes a statement to your patrons. A patron that has a good eye for quality will immediately identify the quality of your furnishing with the quality of the food that is being served in your Café.
Investing the time to prepare and organize your Café will be time well spent. It is such a key factor to the success of your business. You want employee and patrons to be happy and feel comfortable. You also want the atmosphere to be inviting so that your Café will grow and profit. Putting it all together is the hard part. Once your Café has opened its doors you will be extremely satisfied and all the work will be worth the effort. Remember you will only have to go through the process of decorating every once in a while.
Once you have finished with everything you will be extremely satisfied with the job, and you will soon begin to notice that your clientele and your business begins to increase. Once that happens you will not worry so much about the money you spent on café furniture. Until then keep looking and deciding on the café furniture that best suits your business.
16
Apr
Author: admin // Category:
Home Improvement
There will not be a household which does not have at least a piece of furniture. Furniture can be anything ranging from a simple stool to elaborate modern bedroom furniture sets. There are different materials used for making furniture. According to the materials used we have wooden furniture, steel furniture, molded furniture etc. Here an attempt is made to spell out different types of furniture depending on the material used for manufacturing along with its cost, durability and suitability to various purposes.
Wood is the most important material and is traditionally used for making furniture. Even today most of the furniture we come across is made of wood. Wood is a soft material and so can be easily worked with. The finish obtained is very good and polishing it once in two to three years can keep it like new at all times. It can be carved easily and beautiful objects can be created. Carved living room furniture can give a royal look to your living room. Cost of wooden furniture depends on the type of wood used and the decorative work involved. Furniture made of certain type of wood like oak, teak and rosewood are very durable and so, are costly. Wooden furniture is best suited to homes as these provide elegance and durability.
Metal is another important material used for making furniture. Painted or electroplated iron furniture was only made in earlier times. This used to get rusted and so started the use of aluminum and stainless steel. We will be tempted to believe that these are highly durable, but practically are not so. These are generally not suited to make bedroom furniture but are commonly used for making chairs. Attractive furniture made of stainless steel is specially suited for offices and lobbies.
Plastic is extensively used for making furniture and these are known as molded furniture. Even though plastic can be molded to any shape, its use, as far as making of furniture is concerned, is mostly limited to making chairs and light tables. Such furniture is best suited for small time restaurants and auditoriums because of its low cost of setting up and ease of storage. Durability of molded furniture is comparatively low.
Cane and reed are also used for making furniture. They do not possess great strength and so should be used carefully. Durability is also low. These are suitable only to homes. These materials are available only in certain pockets of the country. A word of caution here, cane and reed furniture works best in high humidity areas, and may ***** in excessively dry ones.
All types of furniture will be available in one of your nearest furniture stores. One can also get to know about modern trends in furniture at a furniture exhibition.
Make an informed choice once you step into the furniture gallery. Pick the right material as per your interest, and you will never regret it!
15
Apr
Author: admin // Category:
Business
Shopping for restaurant furniture doesn’t have to be difficult, annoying or tedious, unless of course you want it to be! If you want excuses for not upgrading, remodeling, or opening your own business, you won’t want to shop online to find everything you could ever need.
Whether people are willing to admit it or not, the World Wide Web has made the world a much smaller place, especially when it comes to shopping. The once dreaded tasks of flipping through catalogs, making countless phone calls and driving across town (and even across the state) in search of a specific item has been conveniently replaced with a click of the mouse, a computer screen and an Internet connection. Not only does this save time and fuel, it saves you and your business money!
There are, however, a few things you will want to consider before you purchase anything, including restaurant furniture, online. First and foremost, you’ll want a secure site that enables you to put in your payment information (credit card numbers, etc.) without the worry of unauthorized individuals being able to access this personal information. The easiest way to check for site security is to look for the secure logo, like Verisign or Geotrust. Your personal payment information is safe with them!
The second item on our list is variety. You’ll want to have choices to make your establishment truly your own, reflecting you, your personality and your ideas along the way. Retro, contemporary, art deco, or classic- you’ll want to pick your style and work from there, always being open to new ideas and possible adjustments, prioritizing as you go in order to accommodate your primary needs. The ideal furniture provider will have an optimum selection to allow you to create your establishment’s environment the way you want it to be.
Don’t forget about shipping! Reasonable shipping rates and online tools to help you to calculate shipping costs, plus the all-important time frame for which you will receive your newly purchased items, will take the guesswork out of the shopping experience. This will enable you to keep your budget intact (and your sanity, too!)
The most important aspect of any business, whether you’re in the business of serving food or selling the seats for the customers to sit on, is customer service. You’ll surely agree that you want to receive both the excellent service that many small companies are known for, but the wide selection of products which a larger company can obviously provide. There are a few online stores that offer the best of both worlds, so shop around!
14
Apr
Author: admin // Category:
Sales
There may be times when ever we need furniture for our business that does not necessarily offer us a space to be productive. For example, if we have an office that tends to get a lot of foot traffic visiting, we want to make sure that we have the proper reception furniture in place. The same would also be true if we own a restaurant. There are so many different options as far as restaurant furniture is concerned that making the proper decision can be difficult. This is especially true if we are looking for something in particular, such as bistro furniture.
As far as reception furniture is concerned, there are very few things that you’re really going to need to keep in mind. One of the main pieces of furniture that goes in the reception area, however, should be taken into consideration because this is how people are going to perceive your business whenever they first enter it. This is the reception desk and it is not only the person that is sitting behind it that is going to make a first impression. Make sure that your reception desk says a lot about your business, even before they enter in through the doors. Another piece of reception furniture that needs to be taken into consideration is the seating area. This should be comfortable, just in case they have to wait a little while in order to enter into your business.
As far as restaurant furniture, or more precisely bistro furniture, you want to make sure that you have an atmosphere that people are going to enjoy. Even before a person sits down to enjoy a meal in your restaurant; they are going to judge what the restaurant has to offer by the furniture that is in it. By having bistro furniture inside of your restaurant that is themed, you will help people to have a favourable impression about what you’re going to offer, even before you offer it. This would include having matching table and chairs as well as any stools that you might need in the area.
Finally, you may need some kind of media furniture, either in your office or your restaurant. It is becoming increasingly popular for such things as television sets and music to be available in these areas. Your media furniture should fit in well with the rest of the furniture in the area, both to keep up the synchronicity of it all and so that it is not in the way whenever you’re moving about.
Regardless of whether you’re looking for reception furniture, restaurant furniture or media furniture, you’re sure to be able to find it at the Plan-It Interiors website. Take a look around at what they have to offer and you will see that having the right furniture at the right place is going to make a large difference in what you’re able to get done.
13
Apr
Author: admin // Category:
Home Improvement
With the boom of the cafe industry came the clamor for furniture that will be suitable for this kind of business. Cafe owners search far and wide, hoping to find the perfect pieces that will beautify their cafe, knowing that furniture contribute largely to the success of a coffee business.
As a cafe owner, you know that durability and quality are the top qualities to look for when buying furniture. But aside from these two, there are many other things that you should keep in mind when you go furniture shopping. Here is a list of things that you should know before you buy cafe furniture.
1. Colors have effects on people. Most people think that colors are aspect of design meant simply to please the eyes. What most of us do not know is that colors have psychological effects on people’s feelings. Knowing what the effects of colors are in people will make it easier for you to make your choice. For instance, you should know that shades of brown, yellow and orange on your wall will give your cafe a warm and inviting ambience while blue is not a good idea for table tops because this is the least appetizing color.
2. People go to cafes to relax and unwind. Knowing this will tell you that it is essential to buy furniture that will provide customers with utmost comfort and relaxation. It is smart to invest on couches, a common find in many cafes, because they are comfortable to sit on and allows customers to unwind and chill out.
3. Ambience matters. You should know that coffee is not the only thing that encourages people to go back to your cafe. The atmosphere also plays a vital role in drawing and attracting customers to your business. Your furniture should give off an inviting, relaxing and light atmosphere, which can make customers’ stay worthwhile and enjoyable.
4. Furniture should blend well with the theme of the cafe as well as with the design and color of the interior. If the theme of your cafe is ultramodern, you have to buy pieces that are made of leather and metal and have colors black or red, whereas if your cafe has a rustic theme, orange and brown are ideal colors.
5. Form is just as important as function. When buying furniture whether for commercial or private use, you should always strive to achieve balance between form and function, which work hand in hand in making the furniture a worthy investment. Choose pieces that are not only aesthetically pleasing to the eyes but will also be highly functional.
6. Furniture will be subjected to daily wear and tear. Because of this, it’s crucial that you only invest on the highest quality of furniture that will assure you of durability and permanence. Some of the ways to assure this is to buy only from reputable furniture suppliers and to examine carefully parts of the furniture before purchase.
7. Extremely cheap furniture usually means poor quality. If you think you’re saving a few dollars by opting for cheaper furniture, you’re wrong. You may end up spending even more because this pieces which are usually poor in quality, easily get damaged. You will have to spend a lot of money and time for repairs and replacements, which could have been avoided if you have prioritized quality over price in the first place.
8. Furniture contributes to the efficiency of the staff. Excellent furniture will maximize the productivity of the staff so it’s best that you opt for these pieces that will enable them to give competent service to the customers.
Finding the pieces that will fit perfectly with your cafe may not be that easy. It will entail you to spend time and money as well as require you to be resourceful, creative, and patient. But you can be sure that all your efforts will be worth it since furniture will be a big factor to the success of your business.
13
Apr
Author: admin // Category:
Business
What is contract furniture? A lot of people have been asking this question and you’re probably one of those wondering how it’s any different from commercial furniture. To put it simply, contract furniture by definition is one not intended for residential or home use. This term, of course, is quite generic and can leave a lot of loose ends to what to consider contract and what to leave out from the definition. What about those offices that have furniture that looks so cozy that it could be easily shipped to any home for private use? Is it still contract furniture? Yes! To make things easier, any furniture ordered by an official entity is it governmental, industrial, or commercial. Moving on to the more important question of how different is contract furniture from commercial one, the simple answer to that would be: higher quality and cost. While contract furniture tends to be more expensive, it is more durable and lasting. Now that we’ve settled on the definitions, you’re probably thinking what to ask before signing anything. Here are 15 questions to ask your supplier before closing any deal.
Materials
1. What materials are being used?
2. What is the origin of the materials?
Those two questions help you find out two important factors: durability and the cost vs. true value balance. Different materials are known to have different durability levels, while different origin materials have different costs and you could be easily tricked into paying more. You should put some time researching this aspect, since it will affect your office or business on the long run.
Design
3. who’s the designer?
4. Is the design unique, generic, or custom?
You might say but what’s the different between unique, generic, and custom designs. To hit the nail on the head, generic designs are available in your contract supplier’s catalogue and most people opt for those designs. Custom made designs are ones that are made for your business or company but will be listed in the catalogue and available for future orders in the future. Unique or exclusive designs are custom made especially for you and will not be used by any other company. The importance of whose designing lies in future reputation for your business. It’s not preferable to associate yourself with a designer known to constantly have one foot in the mud, for it will affect your business’s public image.
Maintenance
5. Does the furniture need special cleaning detergents/methods?
6. Where can you buy spare parts?
Maintenance questions are essential if you’re willing to keep the ordered furniture for years. You’ll need to know exactly how and what to use for cleaning in order to keep your furniture safe. Another thing is to inquire about spare parts in case you need anything for your furniture, most contract suppliers can direct you to specialized shops where you can get spare parts for your furniture such as leg pads, etc. A helpful tip is that suppliers can give you discount coupons for spare parts if a different dealer is involved, make sure to ask your supplier for such an option.
Methods & International Standards
7. What manufacturing methods are employed?
8. Is the contract supplier adhering to international standards?
Manufacturing methods and adherence to common international standards is of utmost importance if you’re seeking to have you business recognized internationally or nation wide in the future. Failing to ask questions can be quite costly, since you’ll need to order new furniture to suit Green standards or ISO standards to get into a certain privilege club or chain. Better ask than suffer the consequences in case of future expansion.
Installation & Delivery
9. Who’s responsible for installation (if any)?
10. Whose delivering the furniture?
Such questions are very crucial for you to have a clear picture of the requirements. Are you required to hire a private installation team, or will the contract supplier provide such service. Similarly, you should be aware of who’s going to deliver the furniture and arrange a proper schedule to suit your day.
Recommendation
11. Are there any previous clients to recommend the supplier?
12. Is there a client database catalogue available to preview live samples?
Such questions can help you decide whether the contract supplier is reliable and up to your standards. You might get into a fancy supplier office, only to realize that the furniture designs are not up to your standards when the movers bring it your business. Why not be on the safe side from the beginning?
Contract
13. Is it a supply contract?
14. When is the contract invalid?
Those two questions are there to protect your rights. From a legal perspective, you should be fully aware of the contract’s type (supply or limited). Supply contracts entail a longer period of constant supplying that can last up to ten years. Make sure you read your contract and to specify the type and duration. Another important part to watch out for is when the contract is considered null or invalid. Such terms are usually in the middle of any contract, and you should read them carefully. Previous clients have suffered from a “The supplier is not responsible for any maintenance if X happens…” Unaware of such a condition, they had to pay more money to fix the damage done.
Payment
15. What is the payment method and sum required?
The final thing to ask is in relation to payment. You should agree on the payment before any contract signing, and make sure to ask for the preferred payment method. Some contract suppliers don’t take checks - believe it or not. Others won’t take hard cash and will prefer bank transfers over checks.
Finally, there’s room for many questions but the most important thing is for you to ask. Take some time and brainstorm in any valid points tangible to contract furniture. A good start is usually around the areas of: materials, design, maintenance, brand, delivery, payment, support, contract, discount and bonuses, etc. Don’t hesitate thinking the supplier will think you’re rude, asking is your right. So ask now and avoid trouble later!