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Restaurants need to offer a variety of different experiences to keep the customers coming in. This means that you can’t just rely on a fancy menu to tide you over. While you may be able to get your eatery started by offering excellent cuisines that are prepared by the finest chefs, eventually your business would come to a standstill if you don’t have a bar that serves cocktails and other alcoholic beverages.
Given just how useful a bar can be for your eatery, it would help if you found the perfect bar stools for customers to sit on as well. You can truly enhance the customer experience by purchasing stools that adhere to several critical factors, all of which will be discussed down below.
Factors to Consider When Finding Restaurant Bar Stools
There are a few important things to remember when searching for bar stools for a restaurant that will help you make the best possible choice. Here are the main factors:
Perfect Height
First things first, you need to avoid a common mistake that is made during searches for bar stools, namely getting the wrong size. Ideally speaking, your bar stools should be high enough that your customer’s waist is just below the countertop. That would make the perfect height somewhere in the region of twelve inches beneath the bar itself, although you may need to change this up based on your specific needs.
Height Adjustability and Adaptability
One thing that bears mentioning is that adjustable bar stools can do away with these considerations once and for all. Some stools come with a screw on the side that can be used to raise or lower the height as per customer needs. You should set the standard height to the aforementioned foot beneath the counter, and allow your customers to adjust the height if they so choose.
Style and Aesthetics
Another aspect that you might want to factor into the equation is the style of your restaurant. This can determine which bar stools will complement the aesthetics rather than clash with them. If your bar’s tools fail to blend in seamlessly with the overall interior décor of your eatery, you may find the clash to be visually jarring and your customers will struggle to fully enjoy their experience as a result.
Modern bar stools generally use a minimalistic vibe which makes it essential for eateries that are catering to a higher class of clientele. That said, rustic aesthetics are also making a comeback, and roughly hewn wooden stools would be the right fit if that’s what you’re going for!
We also feel like retro styles deserve a lot more credit than they are getting right now. The great thing about retro visuals is that they are futuristic from an old school point of view. Retro futurism revolves around over the top curves and bulbous edges. Stools that are made with this aesthetic in mind can be great for mixing things up and setting your restaurant apart from other eateries that are in a similar niche!
Try Out Industrial Style
It’s worth trying out the industrial aesthetic which really manages to rise above the rest. One of the most prominent features of the industrial style is an irreverence for form. An unfinished look that makes your restaurant seem like a warehouse is highly fashionable these days. Minimalism has been done to death by this point, which has given industrial vibes their long-awaited chance to finally shine through.
Comfort and Ergonomics
Now, it’s not just style that you need to be thinking about whilst perfecting your bar stool choices. Comfort needs to be kept at the front of your mind as well, and we have already described how height tends to impact such concerns.
Adjustable bar stools allow your customers to sit comfortably without having to make do with a standardized stool height, but you shouldn’t just stop there. It is highly recommended that you purchase restaurant bar stools with some added cushioning. In case you can only find stools that come with the bare essentials, try to buy a few cushions separately so that you can offer them as an option to customers that are more discerning about things like comfort.
Also, figuring out whether or not your stools need a backrest is not as straightforward of a choice as you may think. Some restaurants rely on high turnover rates, which means that you likely wouldn’t want your customers sticking around for longer than an hour at most.
The Importance of Backrest
Not providing a backrest may seem like a bad decision, but try to remember that it’ll gently coax customers that are finished with their drinks to head out, thereby freeing up space for your next batch of patrons. Backless stools are actually pretty modernistic, and they also fit in brilliantly with industrial aesthetic styles that feature uncovered light bulbs, gray concrete walls without any paint, and high ceilings that create a cavernous and intimidating vibe that customers go crazy for!
Determine the Right Size
The final thing that we would like to talk about is size. Larger bar stools might be great for plus-sized customers, but they also take up a lot of space in your restaurant which makes them less than ideal for eateries that are working with minimal legroom. Only go for the larger variety if you have space to spare, otherwise, it’d be far better to purchase smaller stools.
Not only will they leave ample room on all sides for customers to socialize, but they will also make life a lot easier for your workers! After all, these stools will have to be stacked at the end of the day, and if they are on the smaller side it will be considerably easier for workers to stow them away for later use.
If more customers come in than expected, the lightweight bar stools can be brought out en masse. It’s best to have a versatile and flexible seating arrangement, and smaller bar stools with low backrests can be just what the doctor ordered for that type of workflow.
Tip
“Do consider your restaurant’s overall theme and atmosphere. Your bar stools should represent your style, whether you’re going for a sleek, rustic or contemporary vibe. It is important that the stools complement the restaurant’s decor without drawing too much attention to themselves.”
Conclusion
There you have it! Finding the ideal restaurant bar stools is an important step in improving the customer experience while creating a friendly ambiance. The aforementioned factors will help you choose bar stools that not only complement your restaurant’s decor but also put the comfort and happiness of your customers first.
Always remember that the success of your restaurant depends on the satisfaction of your clients and this satisfaction can be increased by providing them with high-quality, attractive bar stools. So take the time to choose bar stools that not only enhance your customer experience but also reflect the unique identity and style of your restaurant.
