We need to talk about bad restaurant chairs
Herman, 42 and a frequent restaurant-goer, has had enough: poor seating comfort in restaurants ruins his evening. And honestly: we totally get it. How can it be that in some restaurants everything is perfect except the chairs? ‘Sitting badly ruins my evening!’
Herman: ‘You know what I really don’t understand? How hard can it be to put a decent chair in a restaurant? Seriously. You go out for dinner, pay a fortune for your meal, and then you’re punished by a chair that wrecks your back within five minutes. How?! Who designs these things? Are they torture devices with a dining option?
No backrest
I was somewhere the other week – a beautiful place, all over Instagram. Impeccable design, atmospheric, lovely lighting, great music; everything was absolutely perfect. But then they put me on a chair I wouldn’t even want to sit on during a punishment camp. No backrest, hard wood, and just wide enough for half my backside to hang over the edge. What are you thinking? That I’ll eat my food faster because I want to get up? Believe me, it works. It works brilliantly. I hadn’t been sitting for ten minutes and I was already thinking: how long is this going to take?
Minimalist thing
The lovely waitress – honestly, the service was excellent – saw me struggling and offered me another chair in a desperate attempt to help. Of course, she could tell that the alternative wasn’t really an option either. It was one of those minimalist things, and hopefully it won’t become a trend. With steel frames and a thin, hard cushion on top. Beautiful to look at, horrible to sit on. Honestly, I felt like a flamingo, forced to constantly shift around, first on one butt cheek, then the other, wobbling all the time. How am I supposed to enjoy my food like this? I’m more focused on survival than on tasting!
Cosy corner sofa, nice and snug
By then my wife had had enough too, because she was sitting opposite me on the sofa. It starts to get annoying, but I can’t make it any more fun. That sofa was no good either. You think: oh, lovely, a cosy corner sofa, nice and snug. But as soon as you sit down, you slowly slide away, as if you’ve ended up on some kind of sinking ship. You shift around, rake your plate closer, push yourself back up, but it’s hopeless. After five minutes I saw her sliding down towards her wine glass at stomach level.
A chair should be comfortable
Having a normal conversation was no longer possible, because the only thing we could still talk about was how on earth it was possible to run such an expensive place and not properly check the furniture. Why spend thousands of euros on an interior, candles and napkins with gold trim, but forget the most important rule: a chair should be comfortable! Really comfortable! That’s the basics, isn’t it? If I go home with back pain, I’m really not thinking: ‘What a wonderful evening.’ No, I’m thinking: ‘Next time I’d rather go to the snack bar. They have plastic chairs, but at least they’re comfortable.
Stay seated for a while
People in the hospitality industry, if you happen to be reading this, I have a tip. Forget all the fancy stuff. First and foremost, alongside good food, provide comfortable chairs. Chairs that feel like a cloud, but aren’t so soft that you fall backwards. Chairs that hug you, that say: “Stay seated for a while. Enjoy.” That would earn the best reviews. Food you’ll talk about for a long time – and chairs you’ll never want to leave. Until then, I check the chairs before I walk in anywhere.’
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Herman’s name has been changed for privacy reasons. His real name is known to the editorial team. Would you also like to share a personal story (anonymously!)? You can email us at info@favorflav.com
