Restaurant Outdoor Furniture: Dining Chairs and Tables for Hospitality Terraces in Aluminium, Teak and Rope

Outdoor dining furniture for a hotel terrace, restaurant patio or rooftop is bought as a set: chairs, tables and often bases, cushions and umbrellas from different workshops. The same terrace can use aluminium frames with sling seats, solid timber tables and woven rope chairs, and quotations that look alike can leave out the finish system, the fixings or the cushion covering. A specification has to name each part before makers can price the same thing.

FBM Furniture works with companies only: Developers · General Contractors · Builders · Commercial Project Owners · Interior Design & Construction Companies · FF&E Solution Providers. Send the terrace plans, the schedule and the quantities, so we can compare the same drawing line by line.

Product scope

• Outdoor dining chairs and armchairs for restaurants, hotel terraces and rooftop venues
• Outdoor dining tables, café tables and bar-height tables with their bases
• Bench seating and banquettes for outdoor dining areas
• Cushions, covers and accessories that belong to the dining package

Loungers and daybeds, restaurant interiors and park seating come from different production lines. See our pages on outdoor furniture, commercial sun loungers and daybeds and restaurant and café tables.

What to specify before requesting quotes

Schedule field	What to record
Item code and quantity	One code per chair, table and bench type, with the quantity per terrace, venue or phase.
Layout and covers	The plan drawing, the number of covers per table and the table sizes the layout needs.
Frame material	Frame material and section for chairs and tables, written for the model quoted.
Finish system	Finish or coating system and colour code, with an approved sample against each item code.
Seat and back	Sling, slat, woven or padded construction, with the weave, slat or fabric description the maker proposes.
Table top	Top material, thickness, edge, drainage or gap detail and joint position, with the finish code and sample.
Base and fixing	Base type, whether tables are freestanding, weighted or fixed, and the fixings the drawing assumes.
Cushions and covers	Whether cushions are part of the item, the covering and filling description and how covers are removed or replaced.
Evidence required	The test report or declaration the project specification asks for, with its edition, for the materials offered and the destination named.
Packing	How chairs, tops and loose parts are protected and marked by venue and item code, and which parts ship separately.

The table is a checklist. Add a line for anything your project needs that is not listed, such as stacking, nesting, umbrella holes or branding.

Aluminium, teak and rope are three suppliers’ answers, not one

Aluminium frames are made by metal fabricators with a finishing line, teak furniture by timber workshops with a joinery process, and rope or woven seating by weavers who often work on a metal frame made elsewhere. Each route has its own questions. Ask the aluminium maker for the section and the finish system, the timber maker for the species description, the joint method and the finish, and the weaver for the weave material, the frame it sits on and how the weave is fixed. Our guide to aluminium, teak and rope outdoor furniture compares the materials for resort projects.

Tops, bases and how tables are fixed

Outdoor tables are usually the pieces that move, rock or collect water. Name the top material and edge, say how the top drains or sheds water, and give the base type. State whether tables are freestanding, weighted or fixed to the surface, and ask the factory to show the fixing on its drawing. For exposed terraces, see FBM Sourcing’s note on weight and anchoring for rooftop and coastal furniture.

Chairs, seats and cushions

Chairs are judged by the seat and back construction and by what happens to the covering. Ask each maker to describe the seat and back for the exact model, say whether cushions are included and how covers are removed, and name the finish code of the frame. Where the project wants stacking, say how many chairs and in what orientation. A finished sample should show the frame finish, the seat and any cushion together.

Samples, approval and acceptance on delivery

Approve a finished sample of the chair and the table top, not a photograph, before bulk production, and record the approval in writing against the item code. Keep the approved sample as the reference for the bulk order. Our guide to samples, finishes and approvals sets out the sequence. On delivery, check a sample of cartons against the order: item code, size, finish, hardware and quantity of each part, and note any difference in writing with photographs on the day. Before shipment our own team checks quantities, dimensions, finish, hardware and packing against the signed-off specification, and you receive a QC report with photos and video.

Name the rules in the specification

The rules that apply to outdoor dining furniture depend on the destination, the venue and the materials, including timber, coatings and any fabric. Name the requirement in the specification and ask each factory what evidence it can provide for the exact model offered. Our United States, Canada and Australia and New Zealand compliance pages explain how we approach the main rules. Your specifier or certifier decides what applies to your project.

What to request from the factory

• A description of the frame, the finish system and the seat or top for each item code, with the sample reference.
• A finished sample of each chair, table top and any cushion, with the finish code on the sample.
• Evidence the specification asks for, issued for the materials offered and the destination named.
• Drawings showing how tables are fixed or weighted and how chairs stack, if stacking is required.
• A packing and marking description by venue and item code, and a statement of any proposed substitution for approval before production.

Send the plans, schedule and quantities together. For the wider range, see our outdoor furniture page and our case studies, including outdoor teak furniture and park benches for a United States project and our guide to teak park benches and outdoor seating.

FBM Furniture is the furniture-focused team of FBM Sourcing, which manages the entire China procurement package for overseas construction projects. FBM Sourcing’s guide to outdoor furniture manufacturers for hotels and resorts covers the supply side, and its guide to commercial dining chair manufacturers covers the chair side.

Frequently asked questions

What should an outdoor dining chair and table specification include?

Give the plan with the number of covers per table and the table sizes, the frame material and finish for chairs and tables, the seat and back construction, the top material and edge, the fixing or weighting method, any cushions and their covering, and the evidence the project requires, with its edition, for the materials offered and the destination named.

Why do aluminium, teak and rope quotations differ so much?

They are different materials made by different workshops, and quotations often describe them in different words. Ask every maker to answer the same schedule fields for the same item code, so that frame, finish, weave or timber description and fixings can be read side by side.

Who decides whether a table is fixed or freestanding?

The project team does, from the operator’s layout and the terrace conditions. Put the decision in the schedule and ask the factory to show on its drawing how each table is fixed, weighted or left free, so that a later site change is a recorded change.

Can chairs and tables come from different makers?

They can, but finishes, heights and seat-to-table clearances then have to be matched by your team. Give each maker the same colour and finish codes, the same table height and the same sample approval step before bulk production.

How does FBM Furniture charge for outdoor dining furniture?

For suppliers you nominate, we charge a 5% commission; for products we source for you, we quote a direct price. Our own team performs one inspection after bulk production is complete and before shipment, and your team is welcome to attend.