Profitable dining room design includes balancing multiple elements: guest and employee safety, service efficiency, aesthetics, and financial implications. At first glance, it would seem that the cost per square foot, and also the potential revenue generated by each seat, would be the dominant consideration. In general, lower exam averages require higher seat density, and higher exam averages can translate into fewer seats, more guest comfort, and slower turnover.

However, the determining factor is not necessarily filling an empty room with as many tables as possible; rather, the goal is to achieve a balance between the comfort and ease of the client and the final benefit, in the way that best suits the concept and image of the restaurant. Most people have different seating preferences at movie theaters, plays, ballparks, and restaurants. Whenever possible, give your customers the option of choosing exactly where they want to sit: booth or table, near or away from the window, smoking or non-smoking section (if your city or state still allows smoking in restaurants), etc.

The availability of guests with seating arrangements can influence the rest of your meal, even if they stay long enough to order. As for the furniture itself, there are countless designs to choose from. Being a chorus, industry experts tell us to choose seating and furniture “from the customer’s point of view.” What does this mean? Well, let’s take a family-oriented Italian restaurant as an example, seen through the eyes of a mother and father with two children who dine there. You want them to appreciate the fact that you went to the trouble to bring the “Italian” look and feel it through and into your decor.

You also want them to feel comfortable having dinner with their children. They may require high chairs and booster seats. How many should you have for a busy night? Is there enough space between the tables to accommodate a taller chair and allow the server to do a good job? Does upholstery clean well after rubbing it with marinara sauce? Is there somewhere with a little more privacy for diners, say parents with a babysitter, who for once don’t want to sit with a group of families? As you can see, style and decoration are part of many related decisions. Popular types of seating include chairs, stools, booths, and stools. Booths offer a particular sense of privacy or intimacy, but the tables and chairs tend to be more adaptable, as they can be moved closer as needed.

A banquette is an upholstered sofa attached to the wall, with a support placed in front of it. Banquets are a hybrid of booth and table, more adaptable than a booth, but still must hug the wall. Banks are becoming very fashionable these days. Not only can they be upholstered in any number of elegant fabrics, but they maximize seating space by filling in the corners and allowing more guests to be seated than would fit on individual chairs. Bar stools, whether at bars or at taller cocktail tables, are the most casual seating option.

It is usually best to design a dining area with a combination of seating and stand layouts for maximum flexibility. Think about the ability to accommodate large and small groups at any time. Seating should also be arranged with clearly defined aisles and tables not far from the kitchen, as these factors affect both safety and speed of service. Because they are a large investment that will likely be in use for a long time, great care must be taken to choose seating that is comfortable, durable, adaptable, and suitable for the type of dining you will be hosting.

The typical restaurant chair has a life of five years, but the best ones can last 10 or more. Chairs are part of the overall design of the area, so the style you select should be in keeping with the look and feel of the area. You may hear the term “layover” used in seat selection. The scale of an object is your visual perception of its size. Whenever you compare the captain’s chair with the Windsor chair, they are actually exactly the same size, but the Windsor chair seems lighter and more delicate. This illustrates the scale distinction between the two. As soon as you’ve selected a fashion, hone in on the technical aspects of chair construction.

Less expensive chairs may be glued or even stapled down, which is less than optimal for durability. Upkeep and maintenance are important, for example, if the manufacturer will keep spare parts available over the years. Frames can be created from metal, wood, or plastic. They can be stained, stained, painted or lacquered; Stained and stained frames are the easiest to maintain, and staining allows for an endless choice of colors. The seats may or may not be upholstered.

Chairs can have arms, but only if your furniture is spacious enough to accommodate them. Ask about protective laminate finishes for wooden chairs, which would otherwise easily chip and dent. Examine style flaws that would be problematic within a public setting: Do clothes catch or catch at the edges? Are any of the edges sharp enough for someone to accidentally scrape or cut themselves (guests or wait staff)?

Would the legs be wobbly? How will the chair hold up when someone who is very overweight sits in it? For those who have a lot of female visitors, can you hang a bag or jacket over the back of your chair without it sliding to the floor? It is advisable to order samples of several chairs and test them for a week or two. Listed below are some details that can help in chair assortment:

A 15 degree angle is recommended for the back of that chair. The depth from the seat, from the edge to the back of the chair, must be 16 inches. The height of the chair, from the floor to the top of the chair back, must not be more than 34 inches. Anything older prevents the servers. The normal distance from your seat to the ground should be 18 inches. The distance between the seat and the table must be 12 inches. Allow 24 to 26 inches of space for each chair at a table; 28 inches if they are seats. For bar or counter seating, allow 24 to 26 inches for each stool.

Also think about how the chairs or stools work when they are empty. Do they match under the tables or bar armrest? Can they be easily pushed when not in use, to create more spacious hallways? Are they stackable? Are they easy to clean and easy to move when the floor needs cleaning? Cabin seats are an additional frequent option. You used to only see booths in bars and casual restaurants, but they also look great in upscale restaurants, where they provide a sense of privacy and romance.

Booths can save space, occupying as little as eight square feet per person. However, booths are more labor intensive than furniture, because they are more difficult to clean under and near, and they cannot be moved to accommodate numerous dining room sizes. Deciding on the general atmosphere of your dining room will go a long way in your booth selection. The room usually determines how much furniture you’ll need, and in most cases you can get more rectangular than round furniture within the same rectangular space. Research shows that square tables also seem to produce faster turnover, while round ones keep visitors a bit longer.

Attention to aesthetics may require you to simply mix square and round furniture within your dining area, placing them at different angles to avoid appearing the aforementioned army dining room. The more exclusive a restaurant is, the more space it allocates to each customer. A fine dining establishment should allow 15 to 18 rectangular feet for each guest; a moderately priced restaurant, 12 feet per guest; for banquets, a minimum of 10 square feet for each person. When buying furniture, check to see that it has a solid construction. You would like long use and solid service from them. Self-leveling legs or bases allow you to adjust for wobbles, and also allow the table to slide easily across the floor if you want to move.

A recent invention, called Table Shox®, is actually a self-adjusting hydraulic slider that works like a small shock absorber to adjust to uneven floor surfaces and prevent wobble. Consider whether you will cover the furniture with sheets, butcher paper, or nothing at all. You need to make an early decision on the type of finish you want on your tables, especially if you won’t be using tablecloths. There is a world of options, from marble, wood and ceramic to long-lasting plastic laminates like Formica and Corian, which are resistant to stains and easy to maintain.

These days they come in numerous patterns, such as faux marble, which would work even in a fancy restaurant. Whatever you decide, a booth should wear a waterproof layer and its bottom should be positioned to give your customers a comfortable amount of legroom underneath. If the lighting will be low and your tables will be covered, a simple pedestal-style base is appropriate. However, if the dining room is airy and open and the furniture will not have tablecloths, the fashion of the base of the table can be part of your style.

The furniture should be chosen together with the chairs, since they will be used together. For example, furniture that is 26 inches tall works best with chairs that are 16 inches. from the seat to the ground; Furniture that is 30 inches tall works best with chairs that are 18 inches. from the seat to the ground. Table bases no longer just come in chrome, brass or black enamel. Current trends range from fiery red and dark green to copper, pewter or bronze plated finishes. Those little feet at the bottom of the base that keep the stand stable also come in various styles. You will most likely choose between the so-called four-pointed spider bottom and the cylindrical mushroom bottom. The table, from floor to top, was to be 30 inches high. Here are some basic sizes and uses for brackets:

For 1 or 2 diners: A 24 x 30-inch square table, also commonly known as two or deuce tables. For three or four visitors: a 36 x 36-inch square table; a 30-by-48-inch rectangular table, commonly called a four-top table; or a 42-inch-diameter round table. (You’ll find 36-inch-diameter round tables, but they’re a tight match for four.)

For 5 or Six Guests: Two and four can be joined together to create seating for up to six; or use a 48- or 54-inch-diameter round table.

For seven or eight visitors: two four-seater furniture can be joined together; or use a 72-inch-diameter round table.

For cocktail rooms: a 20-by-20-inch rectangular stand; or perhaps a 20-inch-diameter round table.