Should I Buy Unassembled or Assembled Hospitality Furniture?

Restaurant TablesAn important decision that hospitality business owners tend to overlook is whether they want to order assembled or unassembled hospitality furniture. There can be a substantial difference in terms of price, convenience, time needed and warranty coverage between the two options. By understanding these different factors, restaurant owners make an informed choice about what type of furniture works best for them.

The Benefits of Assembled Furniture

The first advantage of assembled furniture is pretty significant. Putting it plainly, assembled furniture is simply easier to place inside your restaurant. There’s no tiresome setup, no interior design delays and you know exactly what you’re getting in terms of a finished product. Furthermore, assembled hospitality furniture tends to come with better warranty coverage, which is due to the fact that there’s no doubt regarding the quality standards under which the furniture was assembled. With assembled furniture, hospitality business owners get items that are guaranteed to stand up over time and look exactly the way they should.

The Downsides of Assembled Furniture

The primary downside to assembled furniture is cost, which is usually a higher upfront price tag. Not only will the cost of the actual furniture be higher, but the shipping costs will also be higher because assembled furniture often comes in dimensions that make it more difficult to transport.

The Benefits of Unassembled Furniture

Unassembled furniture may require a bit of work on the buyer’s end, but the finished product can be well worth it. First of all, unassembled furniture is almost always cheaper. It’s essentially a DIY project that allows restaurant owners and designers to be more hands on. It’s also cheaper to order multiple unassembled units at once due to the increased ease of transport.

With unassembled furniture, there are also more options for customization. For example, restaurant owners or interior designers can stain restaurant tables with the exact stain they want, which might be an important factor if they desire a very specific style for their restaurant’s look.

The Downsides of Unassembled Furniture

Unassembled furniture does have a few drawbacks, the first of which is time. Assembling restaurant furniture can slow down a restaurant’s design process, and potentially delay a restaurant’s opening date. On top of that, if a restaurant owner or designer assembled furniture improperly, it may significantly reduce the long-term durability of the piece or simply produce furniture that doesn’t look as good as it’s supposed to. Finally, unassembled furniture is often not covered by any warranty, meaning if an item breaks or doesn’t perform well, it’s usually nonreturnable.

Ultimately, every owner has to decide which type of furniture works best for them. However, owners should use the above information to inform their decision of whether assembled or unassembled furniture is the best choice.