Top 3 Reasons To Invest In Commercial Grade Furniture

It can be tough when you’re starting your own business – so many details to attend to, lead times to take into account, and of course trying to stay within your budget. Plus, you want your place to look a certain way, to evoke certain feelings within your clientele. Along that line, let's talk about why it's best to pay a bit more for commercial grade furniture than to buy residential grade furniture. I’m going to simplify the benefits and characteristics of commercial grade furniture for you. You’re welcome, it’s my pleasure.

Sure, residential grade furnishings are cheaper, at least in the moment. However, over the long run contract (a.k.a. commercial) grade furniture will give you a greater return on your investment.

Here's Why:

~ Commercial grade furniture is always designed to be durable, easily maintained, 
    and have lasting value. It is ideal for when a business cannot budget for new 
    furniture every few years.

~ Contract furniture is meant to be used anywhere there are large numbers of 

    people who will use it daily, and/or where there may be large weight differences 

    among those users.

~ Commercial furniture takes into account the rough movements, multiple uses, 

    and environmental stressors that furnishings encounter, and reduces their 

    impact by using scratch-resistant surfaces, non-corrosive materials, mortise-

    and-tenon joinery, and UV-resistant fabrics.

Now for the technical specs for contract grade chairs and tables, as mandated by the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association (BIFMA):

Top 20 Dining Trends for 2013 - #trendalert

It's that time of year again - when one year ends and another begins. On that note, here are the predicted Top 20 Dining Trends* for 2013:

 

1. Locally sourced meats and seafoods will be in demand.

2. Locally grown produce and restaurant gardens - Top 10 Farm-To-Table Restaurants

3.  Healthful kids' meals - find ideas here for restaurant kids' meals.
4. Environmental sustainability as a culinary theme. Read what GustOrganics CEO Alberto Gonzalez has to say on this topic.
5. Sour gets its day - there will be an abundance of tart, acidic, and bitter flavors to choose from on menus.
6. Chefs will be health-conscious and include items such as brown rice, high-fiber grains, and vitamin-rich vegetable broths in their dishes.
7. Asian foods will add spice and variety to traditional American comfort foods. "Expect to walk into a classic ... diner and see options like Vietnamese chicken sandwiches, Sriracha mayo and Korean-glazed pork ribs."
8. Children's nutrition as a culinary theme. Enlighten yourself about the nutritional needs of your smallest patrons.
9. New cuts of meat will be sought after, such as Denver steak, pork flat iron, and teres major. Learn about these new cuts.
10. Hyper-local sourcing - see restaurant gardens, above.
11. Gluten-free cuisine.
12. Vegetables are featured as a main dish, and are no longer relegated to a side or a salad. Here are 18 Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes from Saveur.
13. Customers will seek out sources of sustainable seafood.
14. Kids' menu options will grow up and become kid-friendly versions of adult dining options. Adios, chicken nuggets!
15. Major U.S. cities will proudly develop support local, artisan foodie destinations in 2013. See an example.
16. Diners are done with the "family-style" sharing of food.  Small plates traditionally meant for sharing will now be used for smaller portions, for a truly customized dining experience.
17. Savory fruit. "Chefs are fermenting, pickling, drying, dehydrating, salting, grilling, frying and generally manipulating fruit to get new flavors out of what we are used to eating raw."
18. Chefs who are cutting-edge realize and plan for the varied diets of their diners. Vegan and gluten-free options will become more prevalent on menus.
19. Whole grain items will make their way into kids' meals. Here are some kid-friendly whole-grain recipes to get you started.

and last, but not least (drumroll, please) ...

20. Popcorn is the snack for 2013. It's healthy, it's inexpensive, and it's versatile. Flavored Popcorn Recipes: Sweet, Spicy And Savory

Which of these trends do you think are most likely to show up in restaurants across America?

Share your predictions in the comments below ...

Five Reasons Why We Love Live Chat

As of November 2012, we now have a Live Chat option on our website, www.ContractFurniture.com

These are the reasons that we love it:

1. There's no better way to make a customer feel attended to than to answer their questions on the spot. We can also provide links to products, guiding them through our site to the most appropriate furniture for their needs.

2. With our chat analytics it's easy to see the city, state, and country of every visitor to the site, as well as their landing page and even the search engine they used to find us.

3. A favorite tool of mine on the Live Chat operators' screen is the keyword information - whatever words/phrases the site visitor entered into a search engine to find us are shown, and can be used to better understand our clientele and their needs.

4. We can look at an individual's navigation through our website, allowing us to see what products they're interested in and what page they exited the site from. We also know if someone has visited our site before, which is handy for number five ...

5. Visitor's to our site can be invited to chat. There are a number of reasons why we'd want to do this: 

• They've visited before and have looked at the same products - therefore, maybe they have questions.
• A person has navigated through many of our site pages, and we want to help them narrow down their search, if needed.
• Someone we've chatted with before has returned and we want to offer a follow-up chat.

Moral of the story: Don't underestimate the power of the Live Chat feature - it's so versatile and such a rich source of information that it's well worth the investment.

Do you use Live Chat on your website? 

What do you love about it?

Holiday Shopping Trend 2012 - #trendalert

According to MarketPilgrim, this year's holiday shoppers will rely more than ever on both home computers and mobile devices to complete their shopping.

MarketPilgrim Infographics - October 2012

It seems like a good time to begin Pay-Per-Click ads, invest in SEO, and try to utilize social media for word of mouth sales. Another great tool is to have a Live Chat feature available for potential customers. Have your staff readily available to answer customer questions, guide their purchases, and provide any information they might need.

Contract Furniture Company has begun utilizing a Live Chat feature that's powered by Comm100. We liked that they gave us a 15-day Free Trial without requiring a credit card number.

Barbados Turf Club - Bridgetown Barbados, West Indies

Joining us today is the Barbados Turf Club, a premier place for horse racing in Bridgetown, Barbados.

We'd like to extend our thanks for the lovely photos! 

 

Featured Products From This Installation Include:

• Holsag Remy bar stool
• Holsag Remy side chair
• Bulldog backless bar stool
• Planked beechwood indoor table tops
• Cast iron round indoor table base

Installation Photos from Orinda, CA

This business office exterior is made more inviting by the addition of wrought iron furnishings and aluminum market umbrellas. 

Featured Products Include: 

• Balero lowback and highback chairs
• Mesh top dining tables
• Aluminum frame market umbrellas
• 70-pound cast iron Promenade umbrella base

Angeles National Golf Club Agave Bar & Grill - Sunland, CA.

A heartfelt "thank you" to the Agave Bar & Grill for providing these beautiful installation photos.

The chairs and bar stools shown above can be found in our European Beech Wood Furniture - Showroom 2 collection.

Fresh Corn Grill - Westwood and West Hollywood Locations

Contract Furniture Company recently teamed up with Fresh Corn Grill to outfit their two California locations - West Hollywood and Westwood.

Noteworthy furnishings include:

• Antique Pine Table Tops 
• RV208 Side Chair with Bonded Leather Seat
• 9-foot Cafe Market Umbrella
• Metro Side Chair
• Teak Table Tops

Pizzeria il Fico - Los Angeles, CA.

We wanted to announce that installation photos from Pizzeria il Fico are now on our Facebook and Pinterest pages.

The outdoor dining area of Pizzeria il Fico features our Solo Collection table tops and Classic folding table bases. It's a great place to go to enjoy the Los Angeles night life. Follow the link to their website and make an online reservation, or simply drop by for a memorable meal.

Cosmopolitan Sky Lounge - Allentown, PA

We would like to thank the Cosmopolitan Sky Lounge for providing installation photos!

Relax and have a drink with friends at this luxurious rooftop location in Allentown, PA. Outdoor woven wicker lounge seating with Sunbrella fabric cushions is the height of comfort and style. This open-air rooftop lounge features two bars, specialty drinks, delectable dishes and breathtaking views of the beautiful Lehigh Valley landscape. 

Outdoor Wicker Lounge Furniture at Contract Furniture Company

Saddleback College, Fine Arts Complex - Mission Viejo, California

Huge thanks to our friends at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA. !

We are pleased to announce that installation photos for this college are now ready to view on our Facebook and Pinterest pages.

Wrought iron chairs, tables, and benches offer a place to sit and relax on campus, while the patio umbrellas offer protection from the elements. Saddleback College has a top-notch Fine Arts program including music, theatre, and dance. Click here for more information on current productions and events.

Wrought Iron European Furniture at Contract Furniture Company

"Made In America" Making A Comeback!

In an article entitled, "What is 'Made In America' Worth?", Inc.com staff writer Eric Schurenberg makes the following points:

• The label still has far more international cachet than Americans are likely to give it credit for. Even in the United States, buyers have proven that they'll pay considerably more for some kinds of American-made goods--simply because they expect them to be a better value.

• Simon Anholt is a British branding consultant and creator of the Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index, which measures a nation's international reputation. In the market-research company's most recent survey, released in late October, the U.S. ranked first - for the fourth year in a row.
  
• Forced to compete with companies that benefit from lower labor costs overseas, American manufacturers have invested heavily in advanced plants. That tends to provide an edge in manufacturing precision and flexibility.

• Contrary to the thrust of much election-season advertising, America's reputation seems to be improving, not receding. In the Nation Brand Index, the United States was the only nation among the top 10 to improve its standing. A lot of this has to do with the American economy. While the United States has emerged sluggishly from the 2008 financial crisis, its recovery is firmly established, and is now more than three years old. The U.S. faces nothing like the 25% unemployment of Spain or the shrinking GDPs of most European nations.

At Contract Furniture Company, many of our commercial furnishings are Made In America and are also Eco-Friendly.

Palos Verdes Golf Club - Palos Verdes Estates, CA

We'd like to extend our thanks ...

... to Palos Verdes Golf Club, for providing beautiful installation photos to us. The wrought iron patio furniture and market umbrellas they chose make their outdoor space welcoming and comfortable after 18 holes in the California sunshine.

Wrought Iron Designer Patio Furniture at Contract Furniture Company