Which fabric for a restaurant booth? The differences the catalogue does not mention

Choosing a booth fabric usually comes down to colour and pattern, and that is the least important decision in the whole process. The more important question is how the fabric will behave after two years of daily use, not how it looks in the first photo.

How many Martindale cycles hospitality needs

Abrasion resistance is measured in Martindale cycles, and it is the first figure worth asking about. No fabric we offer for venues has fewer than 40,000 cycles, and most of our range exceeds 100,000. This applies both to high-quality velours and to Polish-made faux leathers.

The parameter alone says little without the context of use. A booth in a restaurant with long dinners, where guests sit for an hour or two, takes a different load than a seat in a pub, where someone comes and goes every half hour, rubbing against the edge each time they get up. The second situation wears the fabric faster, even with a similar number of guests a day.

When a certificate is needed

A certificate can be a condition for the venue to be approved, not an add-on to the offer, and it most often concerns hotels and buildings with fire safety requirements. We have fabrics with various certificates, to meet our clients' needs.

If your venue has such requirements, tell us in the first conversation, before we start choosing a colour. Then we narrow the choice straight away to fabrics that meet them: +48 535 080 040.

Light or dark fabric: what it means in practice

Colour has a practical meaning, not only an aesthetic one. Light fabrics show stains and signs of use sooner than dark ones.

Dark ones, on the other hand, can be harder to choose in daylight in a small room, because visually they take up space. Patterned fabrics hide small marks better than a plain colour, which matters where cleaning happens once a day rather than after every guest.

Velour or faux leather: what differs in practice

Velour and faux leather wear differently, even though both pass the same Martindale test. You wipe faux leather with a damp cloth and get back to work, which is why it goes into night venues and places where spilled drinks are an everyday event.

Velour gives a warmer look and works better in a café or a restaurant with longer visits. At Cafe Beluga in Bonn we went for velvet precisely because a café works to a different rhythm than a club. The standard booth finish is black CZ-1, and for another finish we set the price individually.

Why order a sample book before deciding

A sample book settles what a screen cannot. You only see the texture, the thickness and the way the fabric lies on the foam when you touch it.

We send the sample book after a phone call, once we know how intensively the booth will be used and what interior it will stand in. That way the parcel contains fabrics that make sense in your venue, not the whole range. We send it within 1 to 2 working days of the conversation.

When we sew with supplied fabric

We sew with supplied fabric if the designer or investor has already chosen a fabric. At Hôtel Royal Beaulaincourt in France we finished the furniture in the restaurant area with Alcantara supplied by the client.

It is a solution for design studios that run an interior in one material and do not want to leave their chosen collection.

How to describe the conditions in your venue to the manufacturer

Describe how intensively the booth will be used and how many hours a day it will be in use. Choosing for specific conditions is easier than picking a colour from the whole range by feel.

Tell us also whether the venue has certificate requirements and whether the fabric should match an existing interior. We will go through the rest on the phone: +48 535 080 040.

Frequently asked questions

How many Martindale cycles should a restaurant fabric have?

At least 40,000. No fabric we offer for venues goes below this value, and most of the range exceeds 100,000 cycles.

Do you have certified fabrics?

Yes, we have fabrics with various certificates, to meet our clients' needs. Tell us in the conversation which ones your venue requires.

How much does a premium fabric cost?

We do not list fabric prices in the price list, because there are too many types. We price it for the specific choice.

When will I get the sample book?

Within 1 to 2 working days of a phone call. We choose it for your venue instead of sending the whole range.

Will you sew with my fabric?

Yes. We sew with supplied fabric if you already have a fabric chosen by the designer or investor.

Mariusz Wolski · owner of KAIZEN sp. z o.o. · in the furniture industry since 2005