Frequently asked questions
Questions we hear before opening weekend
Most of these questions turn up in the weeks before opening weekend. The short answer comes first, and a link follows where a full page exists.
How long until the furniture arrives?
The lead time on a standard piece is 14 to 21 business days, and on a custom piece it can reach about 8 weeks. The truck's travel time comes after that, and any figure for it is an estimate. Opening date set? Write it in the order notes, where the person reading your order will see it. The delivery page follows an order from quote to unloading.
How is freight priced?
What you see beside a product is the furniture, priced for the options you picked. Freight is billed separately. A person reads your order first; the confirmation email that follows lists the final order, the freight cost for each address you ship to, and how to pay. Our standard service puts palletized LTL freight at the dock or tailgate of a business. Your crew takes it from there, off the pallet and through the door.
Is a liftgate included?
Not unless you ask for it. A liftgate is the powered platform at the back of the truck that sets pallets down on the pavement, and it is booked when you submit the order, at an added cost. With no dock or forklift at your door, you will want one. The other extras are booked and charged the same way: inside delivery, residential delivery, and limited access, which covers restricted places like schools, hospitals, churches and military bases. Stairs are outside the driver's job, so plan hands for any steps.
Does it come assembled?
Freight never covers unpacking, assembly or hauling away the debris. Bring a crew, a box cutter and a corner for the cartons and wrap. To learn how a particular piece looks when it arrives, ask before you buy: email sales@restaurantfurniture.store with a subject that begins with ORDER, and name the product.
How do we pay?
Sending an order costs nothing, because the site takes no payment. After a person reads the order and the freight is settled, an invoice arrives by email. Wire transfer, check, money order and the three cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) are all accepted. Standard orders are settled before the pallets leave. Custom orders ask for a 40 percent deposit up front, and the balance follows ahead of delivery.
What is the smallest order?
Eight pieces. Tables and chairs count, in any mix, so eight chairs in two finishes meet it as easily as eight in one. Two finishes of one chair make two order lines, but the pieces still add up. Booths skip the minimum altogether. Wondering how it applies to a small patio? Ask during a callback.
Do you deliver to residential addresses?
Yes, through the residential delivery service. You book it with the order, and its charge sits on top of the standard freight in that address's quote. Mind the steps: a driver will not carry pallets up or down them, so a terrace above a staircase needs your own hands.
Do you take purchase orders and tax-exempt buyers?
Purchase orders go in the order notes, number and all. A tax-exempt business, or one buying to resell, writes that in the same notes when it sends the order.
Are samples free?
Yes, at no charge: swatches of upholstery and of metal finishes, stain and finish samples for wood, and samples of table top materials. UPS Ground carries them, typically two to three business days in transit. An email confirming the request comes within one business day. Ask on the samples page. A screen only guesses at color, and 4 PM sun changes it again, so take the swatch outside.
What makes an order custom?
Anything off the menu: upholstery from outside the list of options, a finish or stain ordered specially, or a size or shape the standard range does not include. Count on up to about 8 weeks and a deposit of 40 percent. A confirmed custom line is final, with no cancellation and no returns, so approve the color on a real swatch before you confirm.
How high should the seat be for each table?
Start with a tape measure at your own counter or patio rail, because the drawing may be off. Dining tables run about 29 to 30 inches, and their chairs seat at 17 to 19. Counters sit near 34 to 36 inches, and stools there seat at 24 to 26. Bars rise to about 40 to 42 inches, with stools at 29 to 31. Knees need 10 to 12 inches of daylight between the seat and the tabletop, whichever pairing you choose.
Which pieces can stay outside?
The ones listed for patio use. That means aluminum, resin, synthetic teak or coated steel. Wood frames swell, fabric fades and bare steel rusts when an indoor chair spends a summer outdoors, and the warranty leaves that exposure out. Even a patio piece wants a hose rinse, a path for water to leave, and a cover or a storeroom once the season ends. Start in the outdoor furniture category.
How should I clean the seats?
Vinyl cleans up with mild soap, water and a dry towel; bleach, solvents and alcohol-based products are not for it. A fabric's cleaning code tells you what to use: W for water-based cleaners, S for solvents, W/S for either kind, X for the vacuum alone. The materials page goes through every finish.
Can we mix finishes or match chairs we already own?
Mix on purpose: hold one thing steady, such as the frame color or the stain, and let the rest change. Adding to a room you already own, or buying the same chair again? Request a fresh swatch and settle the color first. Color lists for finishes and upholstery move with time, so last spring's shade may have left the list. Keep the exact choices in one patio plan and nobody is guessing next year.
What about big orders and several locations?
Send quantities by address, since each address is quoted on its own. A big order may come on more than one truck. Each truck is received the way the first one was: a crew ready within roughly 30 minutes of arrival, and a check of the pallet count and the carton count against the bill of lading. Prefer your own carrier account? Tell us at submission and we route the order that way.
What about deliveries beyond the continental United States?
Start with the map: the continental United States, plus most of Canada. Your customs broker clears the freight there, and the broker fees, duties and Canadian taxes are on your side of the ledger. Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico are different. Large orders may be delivered, and the specialist form is the first stop: describe the project there, and our written answer gives the route and the cost.
What do I do if the freight arrives damaged?
Treat the dock like a checkpoint. Compare what came off the truck with the bill of lading, pallet by pallet and carton by carton, and look for dents and wet cartons. Mark each carton that is damaged or missing on the bill of lading ahead of your signature. If the driver cannot wait for a full check, sign "subject to inspection." Take photos of the damage, and hold on to the packaging until the claim closes. Damage you find later, inside a carton that looked fine, must be reported within 24 hours. For shortages and defects you have three days from receipt, and the report must be written. Start the subject line with CLAIM, and we help prepare the carrier claim.
Can we change, cancel or return an order?
A written cancellation works while the order is still waiting, which means before production starts or the cartons are packed. After that, you are under the return terms. A stock item can go back for a restocking fee of 35 percent of its returned value. The fee also applies if you cancel a stock item after it is packed but before it ships. You pay freight both ways. Returned pieces must be unused and still in their cartons, with you doing the packing and palletizing. Damaged returns are not credited.
Custom lines cannot be cancelled or returned once confirmed, and they cannot be changed once production begins. Any other change after confirmation needs our written agreement and may bring freight and restocking charges. Write with the order reference, site, lines, quantities and the reason. Nothing goes back on a truck until you hold our reply in writing. Full terms sit on the returns page.
What does the warranty cover?
Flaws in the materials or the making that were already there on delivery day. Only the original purchaser is covered, and only for normal commercial use. The length depends on the piece, from seven years for non-swivel metal chairs and stools to six months for patio chairs, tables and stools. Misuse, wrong cleaning agents, indoor pieces left out in the weather and patio pieces left uncared for are excluded. The fix is ours to choose: repair, replacement or a credit for the purchase price. Every period is on the warranty page.
How soon will someone answer?
Within one business day, for orders and for plain questions. The mailbox is read weekdays, 8 AM to 6 PM Central; mail arriving after hours waits its turn the next business day. Address it to sales@restaurantfurniture.store and begin the subject with ORDER, FREIGHT or CLAIM, then the project name. Rather talk it through? Book a window for a callback.