Restaurant Seating- how to Maximise Your Floor Space

Part of choosing restaurant seating is knowing how much and what type of furniture you actually need. To maximise seating in your restaurant you need to have a plan whereby you get as much out of your space as possible by selecting the furniture that’s going to make that happen for you.

Below, we discuss how to design a restaurant seating layout which maximises both your space and revenue while maintaining comfort. We’ll also talk about different seating options when co-ordinating your dining space.

Designing restaurant seating layout

The right layout is one which increases table turnaround times and revenues as well as optimising how your restaurant flows. It’s also the first step to enable you to choose the right table and chair design for restaurant use, as the furniture that you select should be chosen with your layout in mind.

When co-ordinating your seating layout, there are two major rules of thumb to have at the forefront of your mind:

  • Around 60-70% of your dining space should be allocated to seating while the rest of it is taken up with such things as your kitchen, waiting area, and restrooms.
  • Each seat needs around 2.5 square metres. This allows for each customer to have enough room to be comfortable and for waiting staff to be able to move between tables freely.

With these guidelines firmly in your head, you’ll start to see how your restaurant seating layout should come to plan. For instance, with a space of 185 square metres, you’ll allocate around 115 to 150 square metres of that space for seating with around 45 to 55 seats.

Choosing the type of restaurant seating

The type of seating you choose plays an equally important role in making the most of your dining space and providing your customers with a good dining experience.

A few things you should consider include:

Shape – Will square or round tables fit best into your layout or do you need to utilise both? What about armrests? Will these fit comfortably into your dining space or will they jut out impacting the flow and serving capabilities?

Anchored or fixed – Do you want your layout secured or would you prefer to rearrange it when necessary?

Size –  What size of tables are best to accommodate your customers, bearing in mind the need for condiments, drinks, and food?

Other things to consider are maintenance and costs. All of these factors need to come together when you’re selecting chairs and tables for your restaurant. Furthermore, they need to align with your layout and meet your requirements. The more adept you are at choosing the right furniture for your floor space, the better experience your customers are likely to have.

When it comes to a successful restaurant, the choice of tables and chairs is as important as the food and drinks that you serve.

Here at Cafe Furniture Melbourne, we stock a wide range of restaurant seating and tables in different materials, styles, sizes and colours. Why not browse our online store or visit our Melbourne showroom to see the quality of our furniture.