Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to what shop owners ask us
Answers for the next decision
Short answers for busy owners.
Most questions come down to height, finish or freight, and the answers below cover the general buying steps. For one particular chair or base, have its product page open when you ask.
Use the answers below for the general buying process. Product pages hold the listed specifications and available options, while the order review addresses the selected furniture and delivery details.
Ask a product questionFrom the furniture collection
Most of what owners write in about fits on this page. If yours doesn't, email sales@commercialcafefurniture.com and put the question in the subject.
How long before my order leaves you?
Stock items take 14 to 21 business days. Anything custom, give it up to about 8 weeks. The carrier's transit time comes after that and is only an estimate, so leave slack before an opening day. Don't print the opening date on the flyers until the truck has a delivery slot.
How do you work out freight?
After we read the order. We quote each delivery address on its own, and the figure comes in the confirmation email with the order and the payment details. The furniture price never includes it. Two shops on one order means two freight figures.
There's no dock behind my shop. What happens?
Then you need a liftgate, and you get one only by booking it. Standard delivery is to a dock or the truck's tailgate. A liftgate, which lowers the pallet to the ground, is an added service at extra cost, chosen when you send the order. Carrying the pallets through the door is inside delivery, a separate extra. A shop on a main street with no back lane will want the liftgate at the very least. Steps at the door go in the order notes too.
Do I need to plan for assembly?
Plan as if some work waits for you. Unpacking, assembly and clearing away the packaging are not part of any delivery service. Give the crew an hour after the truck leaves, a box cutter and somewhere to stack the flattened cartons. Check each piece against the confirmation as it comes out of the box, while the paperwork is still on the counter.
When do I pay, and how?
After we have read the order and confirmed it along with the freight. Then the invoice comes. On it you can pay with Visa, Mastercard or American Express. Paper and bank options are a check, money order or wire transfer. A stock order is paid off before it ships. Custom work begins with a 40% deposit, and whatever is left is settled ahead of delivery. The website itself never charges you.
Is there a minimum, and how do big orders work?
Eight pieces, with tables and chairs counted together in whatever mix suits you. Forty chairs or four hundred, a large order can be split across trucks, and your crew checks each one at the door as carefully as the first. Saving each zone in a shop plan keeps a long list easy to check.
Can you deliver to my house?
Yes, by booking the residential delivery service with the order. It costs extra. Drivers still won't carry anything up or down stairs, and getting it indoors is your crew's job unless inside delivery is booked as well.
We buy on a PO, or tax-exempt. How do we say so?
Use the notes box on the order. Write the PO number in it. A business that is exempt from tax, or that buys to resell, should note that in the same box before sending.
Can I see a finish before I commit?
Yes, and it costs nothing. We send swatches of the upholstery and the metal finishes, samples of the wood stains, and pieces of the tabletop materials, all by UPS Ground. Ask on the samples page, and name the pieces you are choosing between so the right swatches come.
Can I have a seat covered in something you don't list?
Anything outside the listed upholstery is custom work, and custom work runs to about 8 weeks at most. Once we've confirmed a custom line, there is no cancelling it and no sending it back, so get a swatch and be sure. Write to us with ORDER in the subject before you order.
Which stool goes with my counter?
Measure the counter first. If it stands 34 to 36 inches, choose a stool whose seat is 24 to 26 inches off the floor. A bar or window ledge near 40 to 42 inches calls for a seat at about 29 to 31. Dining tables of 29 to 30 inches pair with chairs whose seats sit at 17 to 19 inches. Whatever the pairing, your knees want 10 to 12 inches from seat to top. The planning guide has more.
What can go out on the sidewalk?
Whatever the listing marks for patio use. Look for frames of aluminum or coated steel, or seats of resin or synthetic teak. Put an indoor wood chair or a padded seat outside and the sun and rain will fade it, swell it or rust it, and the warranty won't help. Patio pieces want care too. Hose them off, give the water somewhere to run, and cover them or put them away at season's end. The outdoor range is the place to look.
How do I clean vinyl and fabric seats?
Vinyl: mild soap in warm water on a soft cloth, a rinse with plain water, and a dry towel after. Skip bleach and solvents. Fabric: vacuum the crumbs, blot spills rather than rubbing, and test any cleaner on a hidden spot. The materials guide goes further.
Can I mix finishes, and keep the same chair for every shop?
Yes to both. One finish at the window and another by the case makes two lines on the order, and the counts stay clear. For a second shop, order from the project sheet of the first. Colors on the finish and fabric cards drift over the years, though, so before a reorder, ask us for a current swatch and our word on the shade.
Will you ship north of the border, or offshore?
Most of Canada is covered. A customs broker of your choosing clears it, and you pay that broker plus any duties and Canadian taxes. Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico can take a large order, by arrangement. Tell us what you need through the specialist form and wait for our written route and price.
A carton came in crushed. What now?
Write it on the bill of lading with the driver still there, photograph it and keep the packaging. Found the damage only after cutting the tape? You have 24 hours to let us know. For a missing carton or a faulty piece, you have three days from delivery to tell us, in writing. Email sales@commercialcafefurniture.com with CLAIM up front, and we'll work on the carrier claim with you.
Can I send something back?
Stock items, yes, unused and in their original cartons. We keep 35% of their value as restocking, and the freight there and back is yours. Custom work can't come back. Nothing should be shipped to us before you have our written reply. The returns page has the detail.
What does the warranty cover?
A fault of workmanship or material that the piece arrived with. It covers the first buyer and ordinary commercial use. Periods vary by piece, from 7 years on fixed-seat metal chairs and stools down to 6 months on solid wood tops and anything for the patio. See the warranty page.
The order's gone in. Can I still change it?
Before we confirm, yes: just write. After confirmation, quantities, options and delivery can change only if we agree in writing, and the change may carry extra freight or a restocking charge. Custom lines that have gone into production stay as they are.
When will I hear back?
No later than one business day after you write. The shop hours for email are weekday ones, 8 AM till 6 PM on Central Time. A message sent at midnight joins the queue and gets its answer the next business day, in the order it came.