Restaurant Host Stands and Podiums for Restaurant and Hotel Projects: Five Sourcing Routes for FF&E Contractors
Five sourcing routes for host stands, podiums and greeter desks, and what to put in the schedule so quotations can be compared line by line.
A host stand is the first piece of furniture a guest meets and one of the smallest items on a restaurant schedule. It is also the piece most often drawn in a single line, “host stand, 1 no.”, which leaves the maker to decide the height, the shelf, the storage and the way it is fixed. Across a chain, those decisions repeat in every store.
This guide sorts the supply side into five sourcing routes so a project team can send one brief to the right makers and compare the answers fairly. It is not a ranking. No factory is named or scored here, and no claim is made about the performance of any product. For the wider range see our public area and restaurant furniture page, and for counters built to your drawings see our reception desks and concierge counters page.
What should a host stand brief state?
A brief that says only “host stand, walnut, 20 units” produces quotations that cannot be compared. State at least the following, copied from the plan and the item list.
- Item code and quantity: one code per host stand or podium type, with the quantity per store or per floor.
- Dimensions: overall width, depth and height as drawn, and the working height of the writing or screen surface the operator has asked for.
- Construction: timber, metal or composite frame, panel and top material, written for the model quoted.
- Working surface: top material and edge, the shelf or tablet position and whether a reservation book or screen sits on it.
- Storage and services: drawer, shelf, cable route, power outlet and any lighting the drawing shows, and who supplies electrical parts.
- Fixing: freestanding on feet, on castors, or fixed to the floor, and what the drawing assumes on site.
- Finish codes: frame, panel and top finish codes, with approved samples against each item code.
- Branding: any sign, logo plate or inlay, who supplies the artwork and who approves a proof.
- Packing: how pieces are protected and marked by store, and which parts ship separately.
Five sourcing routes for host stands and podiums
1. Timber and veneer furniture makers
Timber workshops build host stands in solid timber and veneered board with a shelf, a drawer and a top. Ask for the construction description, the veneer and finish system, the drawer and hardware description and a finished sample. This route suits restaurants where the stand should match the other timber pieces in the room.
2. Metal-frame fabricators
Metal fabricators build podiums with powder-coated or plated frames and panel or glass inserts. Ask for the section and finish description, how panels are fixed to the frame, and a finished sample. This route suits modern interiors and hotel restaurants where a slim stand is wanted.
3. Joinery shops building to the room drawing
Joinery workshops build the stand to the room drawing in the same material as the surrounding wall or counter. Ask for the shop drawing, the carcass and top description and the fixing detail, and agree who confirms site dimensions. See also our page on fixed furniture and joinery.
4. Sign and display makers
Sign makers add a branded panel, illuminated logo or menu holder to a stand. Ask for the proof, the lighting description and the electrical parts they supply, and agree who approves the logo artwork before production.
5. Full restaurant package suppliers
Some suppliers quote the whole front-of-house package: host stand, tables, seating and counters. This gives one party to coordinate and one delivery, but ask the supplier to quote each item on its own line and to say which items it makes and which it buys in.
How to compare host stand quotations
- What is included: frame, panels, top, shelf, drawer, electrical parts and fixings, shown as separate lines with the unit of measure stated.
- Item match: each line tied to an item code, so a missing piece shows up before the order.
- Construction detail: material, finish and hardware described on every line, so a cheaper line is read against what it contains.
- Samples: whether a finished sample is included and who pays for revisions.
- Branding: who supplies and approves any sign or logo plate.
- Packing: how stands are protected and marked by store.
- Exclusions and substitutions: any change of material, finish or hardware the maker proposes.
A quotation that is cheaper on one line may be thinner on another. Read the descriptions side by side before reading the totals.
Send your host stand schedule
Send the plans, item list and quantities, and we will tell you which details are missing before factories quote.
Chain stores: one stand, many openings
When the same host stand goes into many stores, the problem is not the first unit but the fortieth. Ask the maker to state in writing how a repeat order is matched to the approved sample, how the finish code is controlled between production runs, and how the model is kept in the maker’s records so that a later store gets the same piece. Keep the approved sample and the drawing revision with the order file.
Check also how the stand is delivered to a store that is still being finished. A piece that arrives early needs a place to wait, and a piece that arrives late holds up the opening. The answers go in the schedule as fields, not in an email, so that a later store team can find them.
- Reference sample: the approved sample and its item code, kept for repeat orders.
- Drawing revision: the revision each store builds from, written on the item list.
- Delivery by store: cartons marked by store, so that pieces for one opening ship together.
- Spare parts: feet, castors and shelf supports offered for later replacement.
- Site readiness: where a stand waits if a store is not ready, and who receives it.
Samples, approval and acceptance on delivery
Approve a finished sample host stand, including its top, shelf and finish, not a photograph, before bulk production, and record the approval in writing against the item code. Place it beside the other pieces of the room set so finish, height and edge are seen together. Keep the approved sample as the reference for the bulk order. Our guide to samples, finishes and approvals sets out the approval sequence.
On delivery, check a sample of cartons against the order: item code, size, finish, hardware and quantity of each part. Note any difference in writing on the day with photographs, so the maker can respond while the evidence is fresh. 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 restaurant furniture depend on the destination, the building and the materials. 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 evidence to ask each route for
Evidence should be requested for the exact model, not for a product family. Ask for the following in writing and keep the answers with the quotation.
- Timber makers: the construction and finish description, hardware description and a finished sample.
- Metal fabricators: the section and finish description, panel fixing and a finished sample.
- Joinery shops: shop drawing, carcass and top description and the fixing detail.
- Sign makers: a proof, the lighting description and the electrical parts supplied.
- Package suppliers: a separate product sheet and sample for each item, quoted apart from the package.
Specification gaps to close before quotation
A quotation cannot answer the questions below for itself. Check that the brief answers these questions before it goes out.
- Which height and working surface has the operator asked for?
- Which services does the stand carry, and who supplies the electrical parts?
- Is the stand freestanding, on castors or fixed, and what does the floor allow?
- Is the finish named by code, with a sample approved against the item code?
- Who approves the sign or logo proof?
- How are cartons marked by store, and which parts ship separately?
Next steps for a restaurant package
Send each maker the same brief: the plans, item codes, finish codes and quantities. Ask for answers in writing, line by line, and request samples before bulk production. 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.
Frequently asked questions
Should a host stand be quoted with the rest of the restaurant?
You can ask the same factory to quote both so finishes match, but keep each item on its own line with its own item code. A package price can hide thin lines.
How is the stand matched across many stores?
Ask each maker to describe in writing how a repeat order is matched to the approved sample and how the finish code is controlled between production runs.
Who supplies electrical parts for a stand with a screen or light?
Settle this in the brief. Ask each maker whether outlets, cable routes and lights are included and who supplies the electrical parts for the destination.
Do we need a sample before ordering?
Yes. Approve a finished sample of the stand with its top, shelf and finish against the item code, and keep it as the reference for the bulk order.
How does FBM Furniture charge for restaurant 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.
Send your host stand schedule
Send the plans, item list and quantities, and we will tell you which details are missing before factories quote.