22nd Feb 2010

How to Choose Cafe Furniture


Image : http://www.flickr.com

Planning to open a café? Is this your first time in this line of business? You should be having some idea of simple economics if you want to design your own café! Your café should have aesthetically appealing and snazzy furniture that’ll make your café stand out from the rest of them in town. So, choose furniture for your café environment with a vague idea of the economics of space, because the more spacious your café, the more the capacity, the better the business. So, what are the main things you should look for in furniture designs to create a unique café environment? Let’s find out…

Know Your Space and its Limitations

There’s just one problem with space – you never have enough of it! This is where space management comes into use. You need to be aware of the amount of space you have in your café, and how many furniture pieces you need. You can include café tables, chairs, booths, stools, and even a counter, but remember that you can’t change the fixed structures, that is, the doors, windows, and layout of the room. So do you know how much space you have and what furniture you are considering for the space?

The best possible thing is to create a scaled floor plan of your café and carry it with you when you go for buying the furniture. You should have the measurements of the doorways, walkways to and from the kitchen, restrooms, and emergency exits listed on the paper to help you look for proper furniture.

Utilize All Available Space

Cafés should utilize the space beautifully and well. Corners are the most difficult to accommodate, and some cafés use large tables to fill the gaps with wrap-around seating so that the hassle of pulling up tables is virtually non-existent. Some also fail to utilize these corners. Cafés with large tables or booths in the corner are sometimes a good idea, although buffet-type restaurants never use it.

Do you want to create a section of the café for lone diners? This will allow customers to dine alone and provide a place to sit that doesn’t inhibit large families to continue their eating. It also helps to maximize floor space. Café counters could entail adding a few smaller tables for two or for four to make most of the space.

Choose Furniture Wisely

Choosing furniture wisely sounds like apt advise, but when your try your hand at it, you’ll find out that it’s far tougher than you thought it would be! Having the right type of tables and chairs, so that you can accommodate large groups and still have space for others to sit, calls for measuring and double checking to make sure the type of furniture you’ve purchased fits in perfectly within the space provided.

After all, customer satisfaction comes first, and you’d want the furniture to create an illusion of spaciousness and yet be comfortable as well as blend with the atmosphere in the café. Go be imaginative!

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15th Jan 2010

Presenting – Authentic Austrian Cooking and a European Coffee House Atmosphere at Konditor


Image : http://www.flickr.com

When you travel to Toronto, this multicultural metropolis, you’ll have a chance to sample delicacies from all over the world, but one of the national cuisines is not well represented: Austrian cuisine. Canada experienced a big wave of Austrian immigrants right after World War II and into the 1970s, but since then the number of newcomers from this small European nation has dwindled considerably, resulting in a shortage of Austrian eateries.

As an Austrian immigrant myself, one place caught my eye a while ago: an authentic Austrian café / pastry shop called “Konditor”, German for “sugar baker”. Over the last few months I have tried several times to drop by and try some Austrian dishes that I had grown up with, but every time I swung by I inadvertently picked a Monday or Tuesday when the establishment is closed.

Well finally, today after doing my interview with Sheila Blinoff and Carole Stimmell from the Beach Metro Community News, I decided to pay another visit to Konditor, and given that it was a Thursday today, I had finally picked the right day of the week. I came in right around noon into a small yet tidy establishment in Toronto’s Beach neighbourhood, on Queen Street just west of Woodbine Avenue. This compact café has nine tables and three of them were occupied with enthusiastic patrons. The mood in the place was amazingly cheerful, with patrons chatting back and forth from table to table, and I overheard a conversation between two different groups of customers who both agreed that Konditor has the best apple Strudel and the best coffee.

A group of three local business people sat down at the next table: Ernesto Monte is the owner of Meat on the Beach, known for its high quality meats; Arthur (Arturo) Bossio runs a local pest control company while his brother Tony is a general contractor who does a lot of work in the Beach.

Soon jokes were flying back and forth and Arturo started to inquire about the reason for my visit. He indicated that he is originally from Italy, from the southern region of Calabria, but came to Canada when he was a small child. Then Arturo joked with one of the owners, Benedetta Stellino, who also hails from Italy.

People sometimes say that Toronto residents are rather reserved, and strangers are hesitant to talk to each other. Well, at Konditor, witty comments were flying back and forth, and complete strangers (including myself) were ribbing one another, having a good time.

The real reason I had come here for was to finally sample some Austrian cuisine, some munchies that reminded me of my time growing up in the Austrian Alps. So I ordered my favourite Austrian soup: Fritattensuppe (pancake strip soup) and a gourmet pork roast sandwich. Tasting the food of my birth country again, right here in Toronto, was great and the filling meal definitely hit the spot. The gentlemen beside me were already wondering how I was going to polish away a sizeable bowl of soup plus a nice size sandwich, but no problem here, this girl can eat….

Guests kept streaming in, and Benedetta kept them entertained with her charm and an enviable gift of the gab. She definitely has a great knack for making anyone feel welcome, as if they had been friends for many years. She explained that on weekends this place really starts to hop. Finally, I had a chance to meet her business partner, and the pastry chef herself. Burgi Riegler grew up on a farm in Mürzzuschlag, a town in the beautiful province of Styria, only about 30 km away from my own home town in Austria. We sat down and chatted for a bit in our native German dialects, and then switched to English when the formal interview started.

Growing up on a farm, Burgi was introduced to cooking early on, having to prepare meals for her large family. At nine years of age she had already figured out her ideal job: she wanted to become a chef. She figured she might as well get paid for her favourite activity. After her local apprenticeship she spent some time during the winter tourist season in the Austrian province of Tyrol, working as a chef and skiing to her heart’s content. Although she would sometimes work 20 hours a day in the winter she would have the summers off.

But the big city kept calling her: Vienna. She spent several years in the Austrian capital, working in such esteemed establishments as the Hotel Bristol, the Hilton Hotel and Restaurant Corso, one of Vienna’s most renowned restaurants. She worked with some of the most well-known European culinary experts. While working in Vienna, she fell in love with pastries (who wouldn’t?), and took an evening apprenticeship as a pastry chef. Part of the reason was also to prove one of her previous supervisors wrong who had told her she was a “total loser with cakes”. Now Burgi had official credentials as an executive chef as well as a fully qualified pastry chef.

After a few years in Vienna, that Austrian city became too small. The big wide world was calling – Burgi wanted to go to America. But she was unable to obtain a green card and a friend suggested she should go to Canada. Burgi was actually recruited by the Royal York Hotel in Toronto as they were attempting to increase their profile with high end desserts. Burgi was game, and in 1987 she arrived on Canadian soil. I myself had arrived here in 1986, so we realized that both of us have about 20 years of Canadian living under our belt.

Burgi’s first impressions were that the country was so big, the city was huge (in comparison to Greater Toronto’s 5.3 million people, Vienna, by far Austria’s largest city, only has about 1.5 million residents). Just like me, this Austrian transplant fell in love with Toronto. She felt that the people were friendly, and within half a year she had found a Canadian who was so friendly that she decided to marry him. Over the next few years Burgi and her husband started a family in Toronto.

After the Royal York Burgi also spent several years as pastry chef at the prestigious Badminton & Racquet Club until Benedetta came up to her and said she was wasting her talent and should pursue her life-long dream: to open her own coffee-house. Burgi liked the idea, quit her job, and Burgi and Benedetta ended up becoming business partners. The big breakthrough came when Ben was listening to a radio show where Kerry Stratton, conductor at the Toronto Philharmonia Orchestra, commented that he was unable to locate a decent Sacher Torte (a real Viennese specialty) in Toronto.

Benedetta said to Burgi “your Sacher Torte is awesome” and they sent a sample to the conductor. The sweet delicacy went over really well, and Burgi was invited to provide the sweet table for the prestigious Viennese Ball organized by the Toronto Philharmonia. Other highlights in Burgi’s career include an appearance on the popular “Christine Cushing Live” cooking television show, work for the Italian consulate, as well as the annual Salute to Vienna Concert at Roy Thompson Hall. People were definitely taking note of this gifted Austrian pastry chef.

Today Konditor and the partnership between Burgi and Benedetta is well established. While Burgi prepares sinful treats in the kitchen, Benedetta handles the customers in the front. Ben is definitely a character; she has a great natural sense of humour, and doesn’t shy away from ribbing customers in a good-natured way. While I was there, a regular customer came in and Ben told him off for hanging out too much at Starbucks, her competition. The patron came right back with a quick-witted answer and a little humorous banter was flying back and forth.

Not surprisingly, Benedetta’s background is in sales, she spent many years in the headhunting business, saying that she “sold heads for cash”, prior to starting a business with Burgi. Although the last three years have been a ton of work, both entrepreneurs agree that their foray into business ownership has been very rewarding.

Their recipe for success consists of providing an authentic Austrian coffee house atmosphere, with high quality meals and desserts. In addition to delicious merchandise, they strive to create an environment that makes people feel comfortable, just as if they were at home. Benedetta has a knack for engaging people in conversation, and patrons chat freely with one another. Ben, an avid poet, said she is keeping track of all the goings on at her establishment, and one day she’ll write a book about it where she is going to dish out the goods and share the juicy tidbits that she has witnessed in her café. I joked that I better behave myself so as to prevent any compromising news from leaking out.

Ben adds that Burgi’s desserts are second to none, and they taste even better than they look. And people who have traveled to Austria confirm that this place looks like an authentic Austrian pastry shop. As an Austrian myself I can attest to that. For Mozart’s 250th birthday celebrations last winter Burgi made a special three tier cake which was enjoyed by a crowd of 200 patrons. The attendees were fortunate that it was one of the warmest days in January with temperatures around +10 degrees Celsius. Patrons were able to hang out on the patio outside.

I inquired as to whether there were any special events at the restaurant. A recent initiative at Konditor consists of regular poetry readings called “Poetic Justice”, held every first Thursday of the month. One or two poets present their writings, and audience members have a chance to read their own work at the open mike.

A mouth-watering strawberry Cremeschnitte represented an enjoyable highlight to the end of our conversation; I figured I couldn’t leave this place without at least trying one of the sweet treats. Finally I had made it to Konditor, this little Austrian nook that reminded me so much of where I grew up, and you can bet your bottom dollar that I’ll be back (using Arnold’s famous words), not just for the food, but for the company.

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14th Jan 2010

How to Choose Cafe Furniture


Image : http://www.flickr.com

Planning to open a café? Is this your first time in this line of business? You should be having some idea of simple economics if you want to design your own café! Your café should have aesthetically appealing and snazzy furniture that’ll make your café stand out from the rest of them in town. So, choose furniture for your café environment with a vague idea of the economics of space, because the more spacious your café, the more the capacity, the better the business. So, what are the main things you should look for in furniture designs to create a unique café environment? Let’s find out…

Know Your Space and its Limitations

There’s just one problem with space – you never have enough of it! This is where space management comes into use. You need to be aware of the amount of space you have in your café, and how many furniture pieces you need. You can include café tables, chairs, booths, stools, and even a counter, but remember that you can’t change the fixed structures, that is, the doors, windows, and layout of the room. So do you know how much space you have and what furniture you are considering for the space?

The best possible thing is to create a scaled floor plan of your café and carry it with you when you go for buying the furniture. You should have the measurements of the doorways, walkways to and from the kitchen, restrooms, and emergency exits listed on the paper to help you look for proper furniture.

Utilize All Available Space

Cafés should utilize the space beautifully and well. Corners are the most difficult to accommodate, and some cafés use large tables to fill the gaps with wrap-around seating so that the hassle of pulling up tables is virtually non-existent. Some also fail to utilize these corners. Cafés with large tables or booths in the corner are sometimes a good idea, although buffet-type restaurants never use it.

Do you want to create a section of the café for lone diners? This will allow customers to dine alone and provide a place to sit that doesn’t inhibit large families to continue their eating. It also helps to maximize floor space. Café counters could entail adding a few smaller tables for two or for four to make most of the space.

Choose Furniture Wisely

Choosing furniture wisely sounds like apt advise, but when your try your hand at it, you’ll find out that it’s far tougher than you thought it would be! Having the right type of tables and chairs, so that you can accommodate large groups and still have space for others to sit, calls for measuring and double checking to make sure the type of furniture you’ve purchased fits in perfectly within the space provided.

After all, customer satisfaction comes first, and you’d want the furniture to create an illusion of spaciousness and yet be comfortable as well as blend with the atmosphere in the café. Go be imaginative!

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01st Jan 2010

Restaurants in Kailua – Enchanted Lake Oahu, Hawaii


Image : http://www.flickr.com

bistro cafe table

While I was working in Kailua (Oahu Hawaii) I had the benefit of eating out at a restaurant on my lunch break every day that I was stationed out there. I was scheduled to work 7 days in Kailua so I know I would have the chance to eat at a lot of places.

I was not familiar with restaurants in Kailua. My only other visit to Kailua was when my mom used to bring me Kailua for dentist appointments in the 3rd grade.

Day three of my work week on the east side of Oahu, Hawaii brought me to a town within the Kailua area called Enchanted lake. By the looks of the map it seemed as though the town was situated in a tight 1 mile circumference with a two way road looping you around the town. We were installing light fixtures in a restaurant called “Round Table Pizza” located in the Enchanted lake Shopping center. Soon after that we jumped across the street to install the same lighting in “The Shack” restaurant which is kind of a sport bar with breakfast, lunch and dinner menus.

bistro cafe table

I was on a search to find some food for my lunch break here in Enchanted lake, Kailua. After working in the Round table pizza Hawaii restaurant I took my lunch break and headed down the shopping center to a restaurant called “The Food Company”.

It was interesting because I had heard of “The Food Company” restaurant by a few locals and also from the website. But one thing that I noticed while working earlier in the day was that at 9:30 in the morning even before the store opened there was four people outside waiting to get in. As the day went on the customers never stopped coming to ‘The Food Company’ for a bite to eat and at lunch the place was packed. I decided that 100+ people couldn’t be wrong so Ill go ahead and try out their menu.

The Food Company did not disappoint, they had all the local favorites from fish and seafood/sushi items to authentic Asian dishes. They also had a light Polynesian menu as well. I tried the Bar-B-Que bento mix plate and it was delicious. The prices were ok but the food was well worth it.

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24th Dec 2009

cafe furniture Cafe Tables Why Cheap Can Kill Your Business

cafe furniture Cafe Tables Why Cheap Can Kill Your Business

cafe tables

Cafe tables

Cafe tables



Healthy is organize place your business. Therefore cut Devoir, make great point and jobs that you buy the same perfect CAF? Tables for your company. Purchases at low cost and less of this size and scope can kill literally as business opportunities. Outlook desire the company has the merit of a district of your customers. This portrait is laboriously keep poor furniture and low-cost purchase coextensive with CAF? Tables. Should professions take the selection of furniture and not turn and walk to the door.

So the big question that should betoken desire cheap furniture can kill your business? Should appear near your problem: you can drag ensure that this opinion ‘ t happen your company?

Why kill furniture for low cost to the Organization?

Comfort thirsty people to imitate rich, if you eat. Not that were estimated a little Elbowroom and feel, as their activities. If you specify tables that are cheap opinion delivered ‘ make t feel comfortable or estimated. ‘ Unstable tables that are from the balance makes for a bad impression. Or not the tables look economic have a good impression. Want to fill your customers with confidence, long before filled with food, because if you do you will find that many customers right, port walking.

Bearing in mind that comfort ‘ t only one physical state. To provide physical and psychological comfort to your customers. When tables are ‘ important t as possible comfort chairs for physical cheaper tables are an equal are more convenient or offer are the edges he ‘ comfortable t for small children to the negotiating table. Should all consider your customers when important decisions as the CAF? Tables for your company.

Small-scale lazybones boats is a bad sign for customers. This is something that many known before even smell of coffee or speak with personal care of waiting. ‘Direct is a reflection in amount of attention, make the payment details and the average customer assumes that if you can’ to ensure that to ensure serving food, excellent quality is the furniture designed for number of exceptional quality may not care nor be harassed t.

No society is to survive if you are not yet a customer is chance lose establish had. Most restaurants and coffee, combat (in the best cases) for the first three years if the company is decent. It is almost impossible to get off ground if your first impression on your customers is no favourable impression and the furniture is the first thing that you are to see.

I think tables ugly World Café or not, Diners Club, are picky about some things and find often bad tables are not simply appetizing. This ‘ to say that all tables low-cost are bad, but many are less attractive a good on a good day t.’ You want to furniture, who are invited and warm not like furniture, potential customers through the door or leaving heading for the heels. That do not intend as majority to make your profit, take business, possible, although not recommended is the furniture for research, which your customers will be interesting for the vast majority. Yes, to do people really bad and low-cost mobile restaurants about trying to go every day.

Size wrong another great way to low-cost mobile can kill you from companies claimed measurements or bulkier and require more space storage that can be achieved. Coast is inside seats CAF?. Others find the table is not comfortable height (or worse consistency) and there are other problems, you must handle. The worst, but for many CAF? is the fact that are costs in jobs restaurant precious because owners on the fast table transforms abandoned and the CAF to low-cost keep filled abnehmenden jobs to you? Tables match improperly referred that need some posts seating space is planned, have.

Lack of options of repair costs involved really large economic mobile and because it can kill the company you can repair or replacement may be non – existing or expensive, in this case. You can also find so unequal that hide colors, cushions are slightly incomplete, easily scratched the surface or are constantly need to prevent the sfarfallamento table this support. None of these situations are repaired and perfect by any means, but the fact that society unlikely that goods means ensuring that it is the furniture, a Eyesore and (valuable space is useless) remain for the repair or replacement must pay up to not you or may be replaced.

Potential dangers, a question that is not ‘t mentioned the issue of liability is important. We live in a society its simultaneous process. Low-cost mobile can cause injuries which may be considered to be responsible. This is a situation that is avoided at all costs. Although the rule may courts in their favour the process considerably be costs an expensive process and your business. We recommend that you purchase furniture closing, rather than risk so much store by trying a few dollars up front is built. In this case cost much more than could ever presented may be now low-cost you.

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