Case study · Restaurant chain · Middle East

Booth sofas, dining chairs and marble-top tables for a restaurant chain in the Middle East

Booth-style sofas, lounge armchairs, dining chairs in several colourways and wood-frame tables with natural marble tops, chosen in person in Guangdong, checked once production was finished and shipped in two 40HQ containers in 2015.

Project overview

Seating and stone-top tables for several outlets

In 2015 a restaurant chain operator in the Middle East furnished its outlets from China through us. The package combined booth-style and lounge sofas, armchairs, dining and occasional chairs in several frame styles and colourways, and dining and coffee tables built on wood frames with natural marble tops, round and rectangular. It left China in two 40HQ containers.

The operator came to Guangdong to choose styles and materials in person, and we went with them around the furniture market and the shortlisted workshops. Because the same chair model repeats across several outlets, keeping every batch alike mattered from the first order.

Project type

Restaurant chain, several outlets

Containers

2 x 40HQ

Destination

Middle East

Year

2015
The package, area by area

Four product lines, several workshops

Upholstery, chairs, table frames and stone tops each came from a workshop suited to that work.

01

01 · Sofas and armchairs

Materials and finish. Frame stability, cushion filling and upholstery seams were the check points, judged against what a busy restaurant asks of its seating.

Quantity. The record does not give a count per item; seating shipped across both containers.

02

02 · Dining and occasional chairs

Materials and finish. Frame finish and cushion build were compared colour by colour, because the same model had to match from one outlet to the next.

Quantity. Several colourways of the same models.

03

03 · Wood-frame tables with marble tops

Materials and finish. Bases and stone tops were made in separate workshops, then paired up and checked together for slab thickness, edge polish and fit on each base.

Quantity. Round and rectangular formats; per-size counts are not recorded.

How the order ran

From the buying trip to two loaded containers

01

Choosing in person

During the operator’s visit we walked the furniture market and the shortlisted workshops with them, confirming frame construction, upholstery grade and marble slabs on the spot.

02

Orders to specialist workshops

Sofas and armchairs, dining chairs, table frames and the stone work were each ordered from a suitable workshop on one shared timeline, so every line would be ready together.

03

One inspection after production

With all lines finished, our own team inspected the goods once before packing: frames, cushions and seams on the seating, colour matching on the chairs, and each marble top paired with its base. Clients are welcome to join this inspection.

04

Packing and 2 x 40HQ

Upholstered pieces were wrapped and boxed apart from the tables; marble tops travelled flat in reinforced wooden crates to protect faces and edges on the sea voyage.

After shipment

One contact after the containers sailed

After shipment we stayed the operator’s single point of contact across all the workshops involved, so any question about a piece could be taken up with the workshop that made it without the operator having to deal with several suppliers.

A second chain restaurant order is described in our Dubai restaurant furniture case, and our approach to dining rooms, lobbies and bars is on the public area and restaurant furniture page.

Questions about this project

What did this restaurant chain order include?

Booth-style and lounge sofas, armchairs, dining and occasional chairs in several colourways, and wood-frame dining and coffee tables with natural marble tops, shipped in two 40HQ containers in 2015.

What sizes were the marble tops?

The order included round tables topped with 135 cm diameter marble and rectangular tables topped with 160 x 90 cm slabs, in both dining and coffee table formats.

How were the marble tops protected in transit?

The tops were packed flat in reinforced wooden crates, separate from the upholstered pieces, to protect the stone surface and edges during the sea voyage.

When was the furniture inspected?

Once, after production of every line was finished and before packing, by our own team. Seating was checked for frame, cushion and seams; chairs were compared across colourways; each marble top was checked on its base. Clients are welcome to join this inspection.

Can FBM Furniture run the same process for our project?

Yes. Send an FF&E schedule or product list, room by room, with quantities, plus drawings for any custom pieces, and tell us where the project is. Where your project fits our service, we can quote one product group first as a reference; if quality and terms fit, we continue with the rest.

Furnishing several restaurant outlets?

Send your seating and table schedule and our team will review it, line by line.