Restaurant seating that is comfortable and functional is a major component of a successful restaurant. If customers are uncomfortable while dining, they may not come to your restaurant, regardless of how good the service is or how wonderful the food tastes.

The key to making the most of restaurant seating is to place the seats in a way that provides maximum privacy for guests while still allowing employees to care for the guests properly. Consider these suggestions when planning the seating:

1. Appeal to every customer by providing a varied selection of restaurant seating options.

2. Plan the layout of the dining area carefully.

3. Remember the young guests that visit your establishment.

4. Pay attention to cleanliness in the dining room.

Action Steps
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Use multiple types of restaurant seating furniture to make every guest comfortable

There will be times when a guest is unable to sit in dining booths. This is the case with many people who are in wheelchairs or use walkers. While some restaurants simply have a person in a wheel chair roll up to the edge of a booth, this is uncomfortable for the patron and may cause a safety hazard if the wheelchair blocks a fire exit lane. Parents with young children may want to sit in restaurant booth seating to box their children in so the kids can't run off. A single person may enjoy sitting on a restaurant stool along a bar or counter where they can mingle with other single guests.

I recommend: CommercialFurnitureCenter.com has a varied selection of restaurant seating, including dining booths and chairs. This company gives quantity discounts. RestaurantFurnitureSupplier.com has restaurant seating booths, chairs and bar stools.

Maximize guest and employee flow with an effective restaurant seating floor plan

Placing restaurant seating takes planning. You can do this the hard way by placing tables and seating in the dining area and moving it around until you find a good setup or you can do it the easy way by creating a virtual dining room on a graphic arts program. If you use the program, you can move items around at the click of a mouse. Once you have the plan perfected, you can simply place the furniture in the dining room according to the floor chart.

I recommend: SmartDraw.com is a graphic design program that has a restaurant seating plan design tool. You can try the software for free before purchasing it. Draw Pro offers a reasonably priced restaurant seating chart program. This program is compatible with Microsoft Office, PowerPoint and Excel.

Help keep children safe by providing youth restaurant seating options

Providing youth restaurant seating options for patrons who visit your establishment with children is an ideal way to show that your business is family oriented. Many restaurants have only high chairs and booster seats, which means that parents with infants have to put the infant carrier on a chair, on the table or on a high chair flipped upside down. None of these options are safe. If you really want to appeal to families, order some infant carrier stands made to safely hold an infant carrier.

I recommend: FoodServiceWarehouse.com and InstaWares have numerous child seating options from various restaurant seating manufacturers. Both companies offer discounted prices on all items.

Encourage guests to come again by providing clean restaurant furniture throughout the restaurant

Nobody likes to eat at a restaurant that looks dirty. By keeping all of your restaurant seating furniture clean, you show guests that they can enjoy their meal knowing that they are in an establishment that keeps the entire restaurant clean.

I recommend: Mission Restaurant Supply has food surface sanitizer in tablet form. ReStockIt.com has powder food surface sanitizer for sale. This company offers bulk powder and cases of individual packets of sanitizer.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Keep in mind that you may have to move restaurant seating around to accommodate a large party.

Restaurant seating furniture is an integral part of a restaurant's design. Whether you plan to use traditional tables and chairs, tall tables and restaurant stools, or cozy dining booths, you should carefully consider your restaurant seating plan. Your restaurant furniture should match your dining concept or theme and enhance the overall look of your restaurant.

Restaurant seating goes beyond the dining room. The waiting area, lounge, bar and function room should all be given careful consideration when selecting restaurant furniture and planning a seating chart.

A well thought out restaurant seating plan should:

1. Allow for easy flow of traffic throughout the restaurant.
2. Maximize floor space, allowing for more tables and booths.
3. Enhance the ambience of a restaurant.

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Consider your restaurant theme

A restaurant that serves fine French dinners and wine by the bottle has different commercial seating needs than a diner that specializes in cheeseburgers and fries. It is important to think of the atmosphere you are trying to achieve in your restaurant and let the restaurant seating reflect that.

I recommend: If you are looking for restaurant seating, SeatingExperts.com sells all types of restaurant seating furniture, including tables and chairs.

Save space with restaurant booth seating

If your restaurant offers limited space for tables and chairs, consider purchasing restaurant booths. Dining booths come in a variety of colors, patterns and styles. Restaurant booth furniture can add warmth and coziness to a restaurant dining room.

I recommend: AMC Industries is one of the leading restaurant booth manufacturers. General Seating Solutions offers high end restaurant booth seating in vinyl, leather and custom fabric upholstery as well as a full array of other restaurant seating furniture. ChicagoBooth.com has more than 30 years of service as a restaurant seating manufacturer. In addition to restaurant booth seating, the company carries a wide array of metal and wood chairs, as well as restaurant stools.

Save money by purchasing used restaurant seating

One of the biggest expenses of opening a new restaurant is outfitting the dining room. Commercial seating doesn't come cheap. However, you can pick up gently worn tables, chairs, booths and bar stools at a fraction of the price through restaurant auctions and used equipment dealers.

I recommend: A City Discount offers a wide array of gently used restaurant chairs at half the price of new commercial seating. Budget Supply is another online vendor that carries good quality used restaurant seating, including booths and barstools.

Make a statement with your restaurant seating plan

Skip traditional low tables and chairs and purchase tall pedestal tables with high restaurant stools for a sleek, sophisticated look. Tall restaurant stools are very popular with customers and can work in both the bar area and the dining room.

I recommend: Find durable, attractive restaurant stools at Jeans Restaurant Supply. Just as their name suggests, Bar Stools & Bar Stools is another restaurant seating manufacturer who specializes in bar stools.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Avoid placing tables near the front entrance, restrooms, kitchen doorways and wait stations. If you are limited on space, use dividers to separate the restaurant seating from these areas.

Choosing the restaurant seating furniture for your establishment is an important decision. The type of restaurant seating you choose should be comfortable for your customers as well as durable and functional.

Before you start to consider upholstery patterns and other decor for your restaurant, determine the types of restaurant seating you need. Think about these restaurant seating basics when making your decision:

1. Consider different types of restaurant seating furniture for the dining room of your establishment.

2. Choose outdoor restaurant seating that you can easily secure during inclement weather and when your establishment is closed.

3. Make sitting at the counter or bar comfortable for your patrons.

Action Steps
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Find commercial seating for the dining room

The area of focus for restaurant seating is in the dining room. In most cases, you should incorporate restaurant booth seating options and table seating options to maximize the number of patrons that you can seat at any time in your restaurant. In some cases, such as along a wall, it is possible to use a booth and chairs on opposite sides of the table to maximize seating.

I recommend: Booth World has a varied selection of restaurant seating booths for sale. This company offers single, double, corner and round booths. RestaurantSeatingDirect.com sells restaurant chairs and booths. This company offers numerous upholstery choices and base options for the restaurant seating furniture it sells.

Consider outdoor restaurant furniture seating options

If you live in an area where restaurants are permitted to have outdoor dining areas or patios, outdoor restaurant seating is a way to maximize the number of guests you can accommodate. It is important to remember that any outdoor furniture you order must be securable when you close and when the weather is bad.

I recommend: RestaurantFurnitureSupplier.com has a large selection of outdoor restaurant seating options, including chairs and bar stools. Central Restaurant Products sells plastic and metal outdoor restaurant furniture, including chairs and umbrellas.

Consider bar or restaurant stool seating

Restaurants that have a bar area or dining counter can use stools to accommodate customers. Some restaurants choose to use regular chairs along the counter or bar. Most of the time, however, restaurant chairs are too low for the counter or bar. In this case, the most appropriate restaurant seating option is a bar stool or restaurant stool.

I recommend: FoodServiceWarehouse.com has a varied selection of restaurant furniture, including bar stools. This company offers expedited shipping options. SeatingExpert.com has a large selection of bar stools, including upholstered, wooden and metal stools. Many of the bar stools are customizable.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Keep extra restaurant seating furniture on hand in case you need extra seating at a table or if any of the furniture needs repairs.

There are a variety of options when it comes to selecting restaurant seating for your establishment. It is important to have the comfort of dining booths in addition to the flexibility of side chairs. Also, if you are going to cater many large events, it is important to take into consideration the comfort that banquet chairs can offer to your customers. Take the time to familiarize yourself with restaurant seating key terms to make the right seating choices.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Dining booths

Dining booths consist of two high-backed benches on either side of a table. Often, the benches are padded and covered with an easily washable material such as vinyl. Dining booths give a little more privacy and seclusion to a dining experience.

I recommend: Jay's Furniture Products explains the many varieties of booths.

Bar stools

Bar stools are not only used for sitting at the bar. Bar stools are any high-top chair that can be used for sitting at cocktail tables or in the foyer of your establishment. Some bar stools are tall and just have a seat cushion, while others resemble more of a high-standing chair with a back and arms.

I recommend: Elegant Bar Stools explains what constitutes a bar stool.

Booster seats

Booster seats are for children who can sit by themselves. A booster seat is a portable attachment that sits on the top of a chair, raising the child up so that they can reach the table.

I recommend: HighChairs.com details the benefits of a booster seat.

Cluster seating

Cluster seating refers to a table and chairs that are all connected to one unit. Although flexibility with cluster seating may be limited, it is a good space saver.

I recommend: Millennium Seating discusses one of its cluster seating options.

Side chair

A side chair is any chair with a high back and no arms. Side chairs can be used in addition to chairs with arms to create a variety of seating options.

I recommend: One Way Furniture outlines the specifications for a variety of side chairs.

Banquet chairs

Banquet chairs are specifically designed with the idea that a customer will be sitting in them for a prolonged amount of time. They often provide more cushion than most restaurant chairs and can be easily stacked for storage and flexibility purposes.

I recommend: Chairtex explains the idea behind the banquet chair.