How Restaurants Keep More Margin by Restoring Furniture in 2023

Why Restaurants Should Restore Furniture & Booths

Chefs and restaurant owners nationwide continue to strive for the best ways to retain more margin in their businesses. We all know the restaurant industry can be brutally expensive. Theft and shrink are also just part of the biz, mostly internal and some just be the design of the business. So more and more restauranteurs are looking to fabric and color restoration companies to help me bring new life to their old digs.

Refurbsining helps in financial downtimes

It’s been a tough few years due to the pandemic and recovering economy. Many restaurants sat vacant and unkept, others have been overwhelmed with “catch-up” business for those that could not wait to get back out and spend money on food and beverage experiences. Others have bought used spaces that need some help desperately in the design category.

So now, restaurant owners are seeking and relying on color and fabric restoration services to help weather the difficult seasons that we have been through. When your dining rooming begins to show signs of wear, tear, abuse and neglect, it directly reflects on the business and the operators themselves. It can damage the image and decrease sales. Over time many nasty little annoyances can happen to your restaurant.

These may include:

• Seating may rip or tear

• Booths can crack from excessive wear

• Leather and vinyl can fade from the sun and lose their luster

Help for restaurant profits

Though restaurants are back open and adhering to semi-normal operating hours, additional waves of the variant have caused many customers to stay away from establishments that pack people in. Additionally, restaurant operators struggled with rising product costs and labor shortages. The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts food prices will continue to rise between 5 and 6 percent in 2022. High food costs can be attributed to supply chain issues, high labor costs, and disrupted harvests.

As the price of food rising is also affecting restaurants in dramatic ways through smaller food orders, reducing menu elements, and incurring greater pain from internal food shrink, restaurants are also still feeling the labor shortage. A current statistic out there suggests that nearly 60% of franchise brands and local owners cannot find the labor to meet current demand despite offering increased wages and hiring incentives.

So what do restaurant owners do? They need to attract valuable talent so they must increase wages. Many are offering sign-on bonuses and finding other ways to combat the crunch. Some restaurants are enabling online ordering and looking for ways to sell more off-site and operate with fewer employees.

Refurbish vs Replace

So this brings us to a growing trend. Restaurant furniture such as booths, chairs, vinyl surface areas, benches, leather, plastics, and more can be restored for less than half the price of buying new. Your local Color Glo Specialist should be in your address book.

We can even bring worn carpet back to life.

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Contact a Color Glo Specialist about Your Restaurant’s Fabric & Surfaces Needs

Refurbished Furniture For Commercial Property

Refurbish Commercial Furniture. Don’t Replace.

Keep your property’s furnishings and fixtures in pristine shape with Color Glo International.

With over 45 years in the business of commercial property restoration, Color Glo International revitalizes commercial property, hospitality, religious centers, private homes, man-caves, and more with industry-leading repairs and restorations through our national color specialist franchisees.

Medical Furniture

Color Glo restores medial furniture and dental office furniture. We can even re-dye colors.

Office Furniture

Color Glo brings your worn commercial furniture back to life at a fraction of the cost.

Restaurant Furniture

Color Glo specializes in bringing abused restaurant booths and chairs back to new.

Commercial and Residential Property Services

It's really tough to keep your commercial furniture in great condition. Your customers and even your employees use and abuse it every single day. Heavy daily use will degrade the value of your furniture quickly. Replacing your commercial furniture every couple of years really is not a financially feasible option.

So what's the solution?

Enter Color Glo International. There is a solution that is easy, efficient, and affordable that can bring brand new life to your worn or slightly damaged commercial furniture. Refinishing your commercial furniture can restore the original luster and sturdiness of your office pieces. Or you can opt to give them a completely new look at just a fraction of the cost you would pay for brand new items. 

There are some financial benefits. Repairing a damaged piece of furniture will cost you much less than buying a new one of similar quality. One market that continues to increase prices while offering less quality is furniture - both home and commercial. Color Glo Specialists have the proper equipment and professional experience required to repair and restore all different types of furniture that are typically found in commercial buildings. We also work in residential neighborhoods all the time for leather furniture repair, automobile restoration, and marine and boat restoration. No need to replace items, we'll make them look the same as the rest. 

Categories Color Glo Can Restore

Medical Offices

Maintain and fix furniture in waiting rooms, exam rooms, and more. Leather vinyl and plastic repair.

Country Clubs

Refurbish your lobby room furniture for an elegant, refreshed appearance.

Hotels

Our furniture restoration services ensure that scratches, burns, watermarks are gone.

Government Buildings

Bring used lobby, hallway, and office chairs back to new.

Residential

Repair and restore old, worn leather pieces and colored fabric for half the price.

Retail Stores

Bring back your fresh, trendy vibes with like new fixtures and re-dyed colors.

Aesthetic benefits

Your furniture and office design, home design, or commercial property design define the look and style of a home, office, or business establishment. Without it, it's an empty shell with some lighting. It adds elegance to the ambiance and gives the impression of prosperity and trustworthiness to your business (or inviting comfiness in your home). People, both clients and employees respond to the ambiance.

Therefore, if the furniture gets damaged, dirty, or worn out, the commercial space will lose its appeal and elegant character. This will happen within just a few years if not sooner because of the daily wear and tear. So rather than replace these items and waste time and effort in shopping for top retail priced items, you can refinish your commercial furniture for a fraction of the price. 

Color Glo Specialists will fix any sustained damage and revitalize the surfaces so that your pieces regain their initial strength and beauty. You can have them restored to their original appearance or you can dye and re-color items such as fabric, leather, and wood to create a whole new office vibe!

Same furniture. New look. Lower price. 

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To sum it all up

Color Glo can Repair, Restore and Rejuvenate all your Office Furniture. Keep all your vinyl and leather office chairs for longer and restore them to like-new status. We do all our repairs on-site which eliminate any possible downtime for our customers and keeps your employees happy and productive.

COST-EFFECTIVENESS. Restored items demand higher resale value, increasing your margin potential if you're looking to sell them. Restoration also mitigates the very costly option of replacement and extends the life of your corporate furniture and office spaces. You will realize huge cost savings when compared to the alternative.

On-Site Service

• Property never leaves the customers site.

• Convenient for our customers.

• Eliminates customer downtime.

• Your property is always secure.

Permanent Lasting Repairs

• Specially formulated proprietary water-based products used in this market.

• Non-flammable & odorless.

• Dries in minutes and usable same day. 

Restaurants Save Money by Repairing, Not Replacing

Repairing vs. Replacing in Restaurants

Restaurant managers and owners can develop very strong relationships with quality repair and restoration professionals. And they should; having a leather, vinyl, and color restoration specialist in your back pocket is a crucial element to your profitability in a business with so much wear and tear on your bottom line.

Full-service professionals can repair the deepest cracks, rips and tears to leather and vinyl surfaces, leaving them looking like new.

Been there. Done that. We've all sat at a booth or table at a restaurant and noticed that there are rips, tears, or even potentially ages old cigarette burns (in the case of "vintage" joints). At any rate, something is in dire need of repair.  And there's nothing worse than sitting at a booth or bench that that rips and cracks below your legs or a table that has deep scratches or chips in your eating area. You may have also been in restaurants that have excessive sun damage on chairs, window treatments and other areas, making the space you are sitting in feel old and dated. It takes your experience right down the tubes. 

If you're a restaurant owner or manager, then this is just part of the gig. Certain areas of a dining room can really suffer from wear and tear of high customer traffic. The cost of replacing these items, unfortunately, can be brutally expensive when you consider how many booths, tables, and chairs sustain damage and wear throughout a restaurant's lifetime.

“Restaurant managers and owners can develop very strong relationships with quality repair and restoration professionals.”

 

A Cost-effective Solution

So how does one reduce the massive expensive of operational wear and tear in the restaurant business? That's where Color Glo International comes in. As a solution to this common problem, many restaurant owners are partnering with companies that repair and restore damage to vinyl, leather and plastic surfaces. It can literally save your business hundreds or thousands of dollars in replacement costs depending on the size of your restaurant, and especially over time.

In some of our customer case studies, we find that restaurants have 5 or more booths with rips and tears, vinyl upholstery in need of major repair and other blemishes in high traffic areas. While it's certainly true that any restaurant builds its reputation on service and food offerings,  customers also want a comfortable dining environment. There is certainly no charm or warm and fuzzy feelings that come from a space that is in disrepair. 

The bottom line for all restaurant owners, whether large or small, comes down to two questions:

1. Can I afford to replace old/worn items?
2. Do I have the time, tools and patience/skillsets to tackle it on my own?

Likely not, on both accounts. Repair and restoration specialists can come in during non-business hours and do restoration work on-site, typically within one day depending on your needs.  

A common misconception

Many restaurant owners believe that when they buy seating and other wearable surfaces for their restaurant that they are buying a timeline of durability. They think that when they rip or tear, they need to replace these items. This often causes them to sit unaddressed, due to the high cost of replacement. 

Full-service restoration professionals can repair deep rips, cracks, and tears to leather and vinyl surfaces. The repair and restoration work makes these surfaces look like brand new, which is just as good as a full replacement. You won't wait for ordering, shipping, installation or any of the other costs associated with replacement. In fact, you'll probably spend less than half of the cost repairing and restoring what you already own. 

Ultimately, it's a business decision. If you could repair to a new state at a fraction of the price of replacement, why wouldn't you consider this option?

Big savings for chains

Consider this mathematical example. If you're an owner of a chain or you manage a group of restaurants, this is where the savings can become grossly apparent. If one booth costs $100 to repair vs. $600 to replace and you have 7 locations with an average of 8 booths that require attention, you've just saved $28, 000. You also didn't have to wait for supplies, installation or any other tedious tasks along the way. Your business operates as normal and takes on a transformation during non-operating hours of the day. 

One of most valued partners you can have in the service industry is one that focuses on restoration and repair of your high-traffic and wear/tear areas. There is no doubt that it is really important to maintain your restaurant's appearance and comfort in order for your guests to return time after time again.

Since the cost of operating and repairing restaurants continues to reach exorbitant levels, many restaurateurs have become increasingly savvy by making smart alliances with restoration specialists that perform work on regular basis. This ensures that areas of concern are being addressed quickly before they become more expensive repairs or very unsightly for their clientele.

Today, your reputation management is an area of concern in multiple areas. Keeping your space in top condition for your guests will keep them coming back; this is directly managed by you. But it also keeps your customers from leaving negative or poor reviews online and elsewhere around the internet. Your reputation management online might be handled by your favorite digital marketing company, but it starts inside your doors. Color Glo International can help you stay on top of your reputation with a quality service that is convenient and timely, all the while saving plenty of dollars on the bottom line.  

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Does your restaurant need a facelift?

If your booths, chairs and other leather or vinyl surfaces are in serious need of repair and your image is not as compelling as it was the day you opened your doors, then find a Color Glo Specialist to help design a repair/restoration schedule to maintain your reputation.

The Importance of Refinishing Furniture in Commercial Buildings

Refinishing furniture in commercial buildings

The appeal and functionality of commercial workspaces are driven entirely by the environment, which is comprised of furniture and work areas. Whether you're an employee or a client, it's one of the first things people see when they enter the building. Not only does it provide a first impression, but it also sets the tone for an internal and external culture of the daily operations of your company. 

“Lucite tables, four legs and shotty furniture generally aren’t good for employee morale. Of course, there are other ways to motivate...”

You probably don't want your office environment looking and feeling like Investors Center...

Despite the importance of commercial furniture...

It's really tough to keep your commercial furniture in great condition. Your customers and even your employees use and abuse it every single day. Heavy daily use will degrade the value of your furniture faster than your pocketbook can handle it. 

Unlike your personally owned furniture at home, your commercial furniture will not have extra protectants and careful handling. It gets bought and placed, and used. Therefore, furniture in commercial buildings tends to deteriorate quickly and starts showing severe signs of wear and tear only after a few years of use.

Replacing your commercial furniture every couple of years really is not a financially feasible option. New furniture is very expensive and quickly eat at business margins or extraneous budgets for office supplies. If you've put your office space together with comfort and zen, then you likely don't want to be sourcing new furnishing designs again anytime soon. 

So what's the solution?

Enter Color Glo International. There is a solution that is easy, efficient and affordable that can bring brand new life to your worn or slightly damaged commercial furniture. Refinishing your commercial furniture can restore the original luster and sturdiness of your office pieces. Or you can opt to give them a completely new look at just a fraction of the cost you would pay for brand new items. 

There are some financial benefits. Repairing a damaged piece of furniture will cost you much less than buying a new one of similar quality. One market that continues to increase prices while offering less quality is furniture - both home and commercial. Color Glo Specialists have the proper equipment and professional experience required to repair and restore all different types of furniture that are typically found in commercial buildings. No need to replace items, we'll make them look the same as the rest. 

• Leather Chairs
• Luxury Wall Paneling
• Office Suites
• Shelving
• Cabinets & Tables
• Medical Furniture

High traffic common areas can stay looking like new with yearly visits to refurbish the material.

Aesthetic benefits

It is absolutely the furniture that defines the look and style of an office or business establishment. Without it, it's an empty shell with some lighting. It adds elegance to the ambiance and gives the impression of prosperity and trustworthiness to your business. People, both clients and employees, respond to the ambiance.

Therefore, if the furniture gets damaged, dirty, or worn out, the commercial space will lose its appeal and elegant character. This will happen within just a few years if not sooner because of the daily wear and tear. So rather than replace these items and wasting time and effort in shopping for top retail priced items, you can refinish your commercial furniture for a fraction of the price. 

Color Glo Specialists will fix any sustained damage and revitalize the surfaces so that your pieces regain their initial strength and beauty. You can have them restored to their original appearance or you can dye and re-color items such as fabric, leather, and wood to create a whole new office vibe!

Same furniture. New look. Lower price. 

Eco-minded

All of this is great, but there's one more benefit to consider. Refinishing furniture has a greater impact on the global environment. When one less piece of furniture is bought from new, you're choosing the most eco-friendly option possible. It's no secret that your carbon footprint is significantly reduced when you opt to restore what is old vs. buying brand new. You eliminate the need to produce one product, burn more fuel, ship more items, etc. 

The process of making new furniture has been estimated to release hundreds of times more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than the process of restoring or refinishing old furniture. By reusing old furniture, you're also helping to preserve wood and other natural resources that have already been put to great use.

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To sum it all up

Color Glo can Repair, Restore and Rejuvenate all your Office Furniture. Keep all your vinyl and leather office chairs for longer and restore them to a like new status. We do all our repairs on site which eliminates any possible down-time for our customers and keeps your employees happy and productive.

COST-EFFECTIVENESS. Restored items demand higher resale value, increasing your margin potential if you're looking to sell them. Restoration also mitigates the very costly option of replacement and extends the life of your corporate furniture and office spaces. You will realize a huge cost savings when compared to the alternative.

On-Site Service

• Property never leaves the customers site.
• Convenient for our customers.
• Eliminates customer downtime.
• Your property is always secure.

Permanent Lasting Repairs

• Specially formulated proprietary water-based products used in this market.
• Non-flammable & odorless.
• Dries in minutes and usable same day. 

Want to hire a professional?

Top Reasons Restaurant Customers Prefer Booths Over Tables

Do you prefer booth or table?

When hungry customers enter a restaurant, one of the first questions that the host or hostess will ask them is whether they prefer a table or a booth. If a booth is available, customers are more often to choose a both over a table. Many people will wait for one to become available if they are all occupied, even though they could sit immediately at a table. Those customers that prefer to sit at booths have their reasons and these reasons may vary from customer to customer.

Understanding the thinking behind why restaurant customers love to sit in booths is an important aspect of furnishing a restaurant. Although booths are often more expensive than tables and seats of similar quality are, they are often necessary to satisfy as many customers as possible. Furthermore, by understanding the reasons why restaurant customers love booths and by being familiar with different features of restaurant booths, restaurateurs can select the booths that are most likely to please their customers.

Why Do Many Restaurant Customers Prefer Booths?

Restaurants in general should have a mix of seating available for its customers. Some people will prefer booths and others will prefer tables, couches or whatever interesting mix of seating they have decided to put together. The ability to satisfy a diverse crowd of regular customers often depends on this mix. 

When it comes to purchasing booths, it helps to understand the reasons why some customers prefer booths to tables with chairs. Knowing how customers think and their taste preferences is critical to the success of any business. Analyzing some data or surveying customers may help a restaurant realize why some people would rather sit in booths vs. a table, and helps restaurateurs to satisfy their customers by furnishing the right kinds of booths.

1. Privacy

Whether eating at a tablecloth establishment or at a local hole in the wall, many diners enjoy having a measure of privacy while they eat. A booth that is situated against a wall helps to provide this privacy by blocking off one side of the table and benches. A booth with high-back benches provides extra privacy, keeping most other diners at an establishment from seeing the party seated in the booth. The high backs also help to block sound, keeping conversations confined to the booth and blocking the sounds of other diners conversing and using utensils from entering the booth. Furthermore, the added privacy of a booth makes a more secure spot for keeping purses and jackets.

2. Comfort

Booth benches can provide greater comfort for diners than chairs can. Many booth benches have soft, padded seats and backs, whereas chairs are made from either wood or metal that offer less padding. Benches tend to be sturdier than chair seats and backs are, giving diners additional support. This support helps them not to feel their own weight as they eat, resulting in less physical fatigue. Another comfort advantage that booths possess is that each diner has a larger seating area, with a bench providing uninterrupted seating space across its breadth. Diners seated in chairs are limited to the seating space that the chair itself provides.

3. Less Traffic

One of the greatest appeals of a restaurant booth is the limited traffic around the booth. Since many booths are placed against a wall one side and other booths on two more sides, waitstaff and patrons only pass one side of the booth. Traffic tends to move around all four sides of a table with chairs, unless they too are situated against a wall. While they eat, patrons seated at tables with chairs may find themselves dealing with coats or purses of passerby brushing against them or even catching a hip or an elbow. The constant rush of waitstaff can also be an annoyance to customers while they dine. Patrons seated at booths are largely protected from such disturbances, making for a more pleasant dining experience.

4. Coziness

In general, booths tend to offer a cozier feel than tables and chairs do. The open space around chairs makes many restaurantgoers feel exposed, whereas booth benches with high backs offer shelter from restaurant commotion that can distract diners. A group of patrons that is seated in a booth may feel as though they have their own separate space within a restaurant, making for more intimate dining. Booth seating also tends to place patrons closer together, adding another layer of intimacy.

5. More Room

A booth can provide more room for diners to spread out, especially if their party does not fill the booth. Many working professionals that frequent lunchtime places often bring their work with them. These patrons may prefer to be able to lay their coats and bags on a booth bench and spread their papers and electronic devices along the table while still having enough space to eat. The extra space of a booth can also help the members of any dining party relax while they eat, whereas chairs can make them feel cramped, even if there is still space at the table.

Great Booth Features

Once restaurateurs understand the reasons why many patrons prefer booths, they can choose booths with the necessary features to satisfy their customers. Booths have various construction features, booth shapes, and designs. Being familiar with the available options for these features helps restaurateurs choose the booths that are most appropriate to their dining establishments and that are most suitable to their customers.

Construction

Bench height should be at least 36 inches, which brings the bench up to about the shoulder blades for most people, providing enough support for the lower back; The higher the bench, the more private the booth feels

Bench Length. Two-seater bench should be at least 45 inches long, though two people can sit more comfortably on a bench that is 48 inches long. You need to balance the comfort of patrons with the available space in the restaurant

The seat. A bench seat may have springs in it, may be padded, or may just be solid wood or metal. Springs tend to provide support over a longer period than pads do; People also find the extra foam around the springs to be comfortable. Bare metal and wood benches tend to be less expensive

Upholstery. Benches with springs or padding is also upholstered. Vinyl tends to be the upholstery material of choice since it is comfortable and easy to clean. Naugahyde is one of the highest-quality vinyls available for use in a booth. These products can be restored through Vinyl restoration, saving a restaurant a lot of money over time. 

Kick Base. The bottom part of the booth, though not all booths feature one. It provides additional support for the bench and helps patrons maintain good seating posture by giving them a place into which they can dig their heels.

Restaurateurs must balance the booth features that they want to make available to their customers with the price of providing these features. Benches with springs and naugahyde upholstery usually cost more than plain wooden benches do, and the extra cost may not be worth it for some dining establishments.

Shape

Booth seating comes in a variety of shapes. Many booths have straight benches, using a wall to create enclosed seating on three sides. These may be single booths, with one bench, or double booths, with a single back that has benches on both sides of it.

One of the best ways to make use of corners in restaurants is by placing round booths there. These feature semicircular benches, adding extra seating to a corner. These booths also enable all of the patrons seated in them to see one another clearly. This can provide larger dining parties with a more intimate feel and a stronger bonding experience.

Design

Booths may have design features that lend the booths aesthetic qualities. Vinyl-upholstered benches may have a certain number of channels along the bench backs. These are panels divided by stitching and a bench back may have three channels, or eight or more. The vinyl can also be one of many colors or feature multiple colors. Wooden booths may have carved details or they may be stained certain tones. These design features may not affect patrons' comfort, but they are important to the dining establishment's decor.

Conclusion

Many restaurant customers prefer to sit in booths instead of in chairs around a table. They love booths because they offer better privacy, more comfort, more protection from traffic, more coziness, and more room than chairs do. For these reasons, many customers are willing to wait for booths in a restaurant to become available, even foregoing open tables with chairs. In some cases, patrons go elsewhere to dine if a booth is not available. It is therefore important for many dining establishments to provide at least a few booths. It is also important that these booths have the kind of features that help satisfy the reasons why many customers love to sit in booths. There are numerous sources from which to buy restaurant booths, including eBay. The buying process can be challenging and often unsuccessful when customers are not sure for what they should be looking. By understanding both their customers love of booths and the booth features that provide all of the aspects of sitting in a booth that customers expect, restaurateurs can successfully shop for the booths that their dining establishments need.

Restoration of booths. Color Glo international and Color Glo franchisees offer vinyl booth, chair and other industrial furniture restoration. This service can be crucial in the financial end-game inside of a restaurant business. Contact us today for more information. 

Header image courtesy of i5Design.