Ordering fast food tables is mostly a matter of deciding four numbers and then refusing to let anyone change them quietly. Here is what those numbers are, and where the specification usually slips.
Volume is decided by packing, not by size
Two suppliers can quote the same fast food tables and ship very different quantities per container. The difference is in how the piece is packed: tops and bases shipped separately, tops flat-stacked with edge protection.
Container planning starts with the packed footprint, not the product dimensions. Nesting saves more money than shaving 30 mm off a frame tube.
Where transit damage actually happens
Damage concentrates at the contact points: the corner of a table top, the top rail of a chair back, the seat edge. Corner boards and a shaped carton deal with these. Extra layers of bubble wrap mostly do not, because the failure is impact rather than abrasion.
The second cause is movement inside the carton. Strapping that stops a piece shifting is worth more than padding that stops it scratching.
Loading sequence and the last piece in
Load the heaviest and most awkward items first, against the front wall, and finish with the light cartons that will come out first at destination. That is not only about space: a load that has to be dug out on arrival arrives with handling damage.
Keep access to the rear doors clear. The container packed to the door line with no plan for unloading turns a two hour delivery into half a day.
Documentation and the marks on the box
Every carton should carry model, finish code, quantity and the room it belongs to where the order is for one site. On a fit-out across three floors, room-level marking saves a day of sorting and prevents the wrong finish reaching the wrong zone.
The packing list should match the carton marks exactly. Where it does not, the count on arrival becomes an argument rather than a check.
Working backwards from an opening date
Take the opening date, subtract installation, subtract transit, subtract the production window, and you have the date the drawing has to be approved. If that date has passed, the plan needs changing rather than the supplier being chased.
For fast food chairs both the production sequence and the packing standard are fixed before the order, which is the only point at which changing them is still free.
Where these figures can be checked
Packing is a specification, not a favour. The fast food tables pages carry dimensions including custom heights, and the figures quoted are measured on the finished part rather than taken from a catalogue.
Load and finish reports sit together under quick service furniture, and about the workshop sets out the route from an approved drawing to a packed crate.
Where a room mixes more than one family, QSR sets is usually specified last and fits worst, so settle it in the same drawing round.
The full range is set out under quick service furniture, grouped by where each piece stands on the floor rather than by style.
Questions buyers ask
How many fit in a 40 ft container?
It depends on the packed footprint rather than the product size. Ask for the packed volume per unit and calculate from that.
What packing standard should I ask for?
Corner protection, shaped cartons and strapping that stops movement inside the carton. Standard export packing is not a specification.
Can mixed items ship together?
Yes, and on a fit-out they usually should: one shipment, one set of documents and fewer chances for a partial delivery to arrive after the installers have left.