It can be tempting to buy used furniture when opening a new restaurant. Some people think this is a good way to save money, especially if you have a limited budget. The truth is used restaurant furniture isn’t always cheaper and there are many disadvantages and downsides to this option and it may end up costing you more. Here are some fallacies regarding used commercial furniture:
Top Reasons why you shouldn’t buy used Restaurant Furniture?
Used furniture can be easily replaced or repaired
Not all restaurant furniture can be repaired. Restaurant chairs and table tops that are not made of solid wood can’t be refinished. Even if your used restaurant tables and chairs can be refinished, there is no guarantee the finish will match or come out well.
Another problem, arises if you try to replace some of the items. Let’s say you buy a set consisting of 20 restaurant chairs. If one of those breaks or you decide you want to expand your seating, not knowing who the supplier of the items was, means that you could have a difficult and long time finding items that would exactly match the ones you have. When you buy new commercial grade furniture, it will be easy to find a replacement or additional chairs since the supplier is often the manufacturer as well, or has direct contacts with the manufacturer. Having matching furniture that is the same model and color helps give your venue a cohesive look and sense of style.
New and used restaurant furniture are of the same quality
The furniture you are buying may not have been designed for commercial use, so it may not meet the same industry standards. Another reason not to buy used furniture is that it voids any warranty it might have come with. You have no way of knowing if the used furniture you bought was tested or certified to meet commercial furniture standards. Buying used furniture that has not been tested and certified for commercial use could risk the safety of your guests. If you bought a restaurant chair for example that was not tested to meet certain weight bearing requirements, it could break and injure your guests.
This is true of used hotel furniture as well which may not have been tested or may have not have been maintained properly, The used patio furniture that you bought may not meet the industry requirements for outdoor use and you may discover that the used outdoor patio furniture you bought may rust, or warp when it gets wet. The used outdoor chairs or tables that you purchased may not be UV resistant or they may not be meant for outdoor use which could cause them to fade or degrade quickly in the sun.
Used furniture is cheaper
This might be true in the short run, although sometimes, if you buy new furniture in bulk you can get a discount on the order. Often times the sale price can be the same price or less as a used commercial chair or table. In the long run, you might just find yourself replacing your furniture sooner than expected. Don’t forget, the items you bought could have been in use for a long time and in unknown conditions. So if you are planning on staying in business for longer than a year you might want to look into getting affordable and durable new commercial grade furniture.
Then there is the fact that you are limited in your options by the available items on offer. That means that you might have to create your décor around the furniture rather than match your furniture to your envisioned and hard worked-on décor.
In general, new restaurant furniture doesn't have to be extremely expensive. Just because you are on a tight budget doesn't mean you need to compromise on the quality of your restaurant furniture and equipment. Look for deals on bulk orders, go for metal rather than solid wood and make sure you are ordering from a reputable supplier that you can rely on.