While wood furniture is certainly an excellent option that provides quite a bit of versatility as well, these days metal furniture is slowly starting to gain popularity as well. A lot of the advantages that metal furniture can offer for restaurants have to do with durability. Metal is by far the most durable material that you can look into for furniture save for plastic, and it has a much more stylish look than plastic to boot which makes it perfect for restaurants that are catering to a high-end clientele that might have standards that you would need to adhere to. Let’s see more on the important tip for metal restaurant furniture.
That said, there are a few important things that you might want to keep in mind once you purchase metal-based furniture for your eatery. Metal chairs for restaurants require a specific type of maintenance, and not focusing on giving them the kind of maintenance they require can ruin the advantages that you had been hoping to receive from them. Part of this maintenance involves optimizing your cleaning practices for your furniture since metal has certain chemical properties that might make it so that normal cleaning techniques would end up doing a lot more harm than good.
The thing that you need to understand about metal is that it has a tendency to rust. Hence, you can’t just wipe it down with a wet cloth and call it a day. Doing so would ruin its structural integrity in no time, and on top of all that rust tends to spoil the look of the metal furniture as well. Chances are that your reason for buying metal furniture was because it matches the futuristic, sleek look of your eatery overall, and rust is a decidedly bad addition to this kind of aesthetic.
You can start the cleaning process with a wet cloth of course since this is the most efficient way to get rid of most stains whilst slightly more stubborn stains would require you to add a bit of soap to the water for good measure. However, once the wipe down is done, you must dry the water off immediately. A big reason for why rust tends to form on metal furniture used in various restaurants has to do with a lack of proactivity among the cleaning staff. Leaving water on your metal furniture will start the oxidation process, and once it starts to rust you would be faced with quite a tall order if you want to try and get rid of it.
It is highly essential that you be thorough while drying the metal furniture up after the cleaning has been completed. Try to get into the crevices and joints of the furniture as well since moisture tends to gather here. Rust in furniture joints is especially problematic since it has a tendency to make the whole chair break down the moment someone sits on it. This poses a reputational risk so try to focus on these areas to avoid such issues from happening.
There are a lot more things that you can do to protect your metal furniture as well. Oiling the furniture can be a great way to protect it from rust, and regular oil application might just keep rust at bay for good. People use metal furniture in restaurants all the time so rust clearly isn’t something that they are bothered with. There is a fairly significant likelihood that their lack of concern about rust is due to them regularly oiling the metal so that it can stay sleek and clean.
Speaking of sleekness, oiling your metal furniture can also help it maintain that chromium gleam that you undoubtedly love. Extremely shiny metal furniture is usually not preferred since it tends to look rather tacky, so a more popular option for restaurateurs is furniture that has more matte metal look. Sometimes textured metal works best here, and your main priority in this regard should involve avoiding mirror surfaces at any cost. Mirrored surfaces that are too shiny will be very prone to fingerprints and grease marks. These stains will come about almost as soon as a customer sits at the table, so unless you want to be the kind of overbearing restaurant owner that cleans tables while customers are still seated at them it might be a good idea to forego shiny metal in favor of matte or textured finishes.
Oil can help you maintain the look of the metal both in terms of cleanliness as well as shine, but another thing that you should remember is that the type of metal you go for matters a lot too. Certain types of metal are more prone to rust than others, so you should ideally opt for those metal types that have a lower likelihood of suffering from various forms of oxidation.
Aluminum is probably the best kind of metal that you can use in furniture. It pretty much never rusts so you can avoid the hassle of thorough wipe downs after every cleaning, and it has a very appealing look to it as well. The overall aesthetic of aluminum furniture is very modern, but it can also offer a retro vibe if that’s what you’re into.
All in all, metal can be a great addition to your eatery’s furniture set up so long as you take care of it properly. Choosing the right metal can be a big help here too, and if you have any doubts you can simply contact a furniture expert who specializes in restaurant interior design to hear what they have to say on the matter. Following their advice can make it far easier for you to keep your metal furniture in tip top shape.
