Dining booths are manufactured using a variety of different materials. Some booths have cushions and others have solid seats. When you are deciding on the booths for your restaurant, you have to take the theme, decor and layout of the restaurant into account.

Once you have made a tentative seating plan for the dining room, consider these restaurant booths basics to help you choose the booths which best fulfill the needs of your restaurant:

1. Help the guests get comfortable while eating by offering upholstered dining booths.

2. Use wooden booths to highlight a rustic restaurant.

3. Find tables that compliment the dining room decor to put between the booths.

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Consider upholstered restaurant booths

Upholstered restaurant booths are available in numerous fabrics. Vinyl is the most common fabric as it is easy to clean. Once you decide on the fabric you want to cover the booth, you have to choose a color and pattern. When you do this, you should keep the overall theme and decor of your restaurant in mind.

I recommend: Foodservice Warehouse and Jay's Furniture Products are restaurant booth providers. Foodservice Warehouse sells standard single and double booths from numerous restaurant booth manufacturers. Jay's Furniture Products is a restaurant booth maker that sells standard and custom made booths.

Decide if wooden dining booths fit the decor of your restaurant

Wooden dining booths are a popular option for rustic restaurants and barbecue restaurants. Seafood restaurants have also used restaurant booths and tables made of wood to serve boiled crab and crawfish straight on the table. In most cases, varnishing the wood makes the booth easier to clean.

I recommend: Millennium Seating has a varied selection of wooden restaurant booths for sale, including single booths, double booths and full booth sets with a table attached. The Bar Essentials sells double and single wooden booths in varying lengths.

Order tables to use between the restaurant booths

While there are some restaurant booths that have a table attached, the majority of booths are sold without a table. Finding tables that compliment the dining booths in your restaurant provide a consistent decorating theme for the dining room. Make sure that you order tables that are the same length or a little shorter than the booth to avoid it sticking out past the edge of the booth.

I recommend: FashionSeating.com sells table tops and bases separately to ensure you can find items that work with your decor. You can find round and rectangle flip up tables that attach to booths at ivgStores. These tables make cleaning the floor between the booths easier.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When you order dining booths, look for booths with removable seats and back cushions to make cleaning the booth and crumb catcher easier.

Diners previously cornered the market on restaurant booths. Today restaurant booth manufacturers offer custom booths to fit any restaurant décor, theme and size. Savvy restaurant owners looking for a new twist on old fashion seating take advantage of restaurant booths for sale, using them to create a cozy feel to their establishment. Many upscale restaurants use booths to create a sense of intimacy and privacy.

Restaurant booth providers offer custom made booths at the same price as traditional tables and chairs.

Restaurant booths are ideal for restaurants that:

1. Have limited floor space.
2. Want a different look than standard chairs and tables.
3. Offer a friendly dining atmosphere.

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Read up on restaurant design

Before you order any dining booths, read about designing a restaurant floor plan. The placement of restaurant booths and tables rate careful consideration. You don't want to put them too close to the front door or the restrooms.

I recommend: Running a Restaurant for Dummies, by Garvey, Dinsmore and Dinsmore gives good advice for planning your restaurant dining room and how to incorporate restaurant booths into an existing space. Quantified Marketing offers more advice on planning an efficient restaurant seating plan.

Shop around for restaurant booth manufacturers

There are many restaurant booth makers and suppliers, so it can feel a little overwhelming when you first begin looking. Begin your search with restaurant booth providers that are closest to your area. They may not be the cheapest, but when you factor in shipping and handling, you will probably save money in the end.

I recommend: Business.com has a large directory of restaurant booth manufactures. AMC, a restaurant supplier with over thirty years in business, is another place to begin your search for restaurant booths.

Choose the right type of restaurant booth for your business

Restaurant booths come in small two-persons models and go up to large banquettes that seat up to 10 people. Most eating establishments fall somewhere in the middle range, offering booths that seat between four and six people. Once you have your restaurant floor plan done, decide which size booth will fit best.

I recommend: ChicagoBooth.com is a restaurant booth supplier who offers different styles and sizes of booths, including corner booths, ideal for saving space. Budget Supply is another maker of restaurant booths and tables.

Consider buying used restaurant booths

Gently used restaurant booths are a great way to save money when opening a restaurant. When looking at used restaurant booths, check the seams of the upholstery for fraying or tears. If you are considering used booths with fabric upholstery, ask about past treatment of stains.

I recommend: A City Discount carries used restaurant booths and tables. Restaurant Solutions Inc. is another vendor offering used restaurant booths for sale.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you find used booths that are still in good shape, but you don't like the upholstery, consider having them recovered. This is a quick and easy way to update restaurant booths without spending a lot of money.

Dining booths are a common piece of furniture in many restaurants. They are available in a varied selection of styles and sizes. Plastic, wood and upholstered booths are available in round, curved and straight models. Purchasing your booths is only the beginning.

You can use booths in numerous ways. Restaurant booths are more than just a place to sit. Consider these suggestions if you are interested in making the most of restaurant booths in your business:

1. Add more seating space to your dining room by strategically placing dining booths.

2. Encourage guests to get comfortable while they are waiting for a table, food or the rest of their party.

3. Use booths to increase the storage space in your restaurant.

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Maximize seating using single restaurant booths

If space is a consideration in your dining room, consider placing single booths with the backs along a wall. Once you do this, add tables in front of the booths and place chairs on the open side of the table. By doing this, you not only maximize seating, you can also accommodate parties that need to seat a guest in a wheel chair but, have some people in the party that prefer dining booths. Remember to leave spaces between the table for easy access to the booth seating.

I recommend: Foodservice Warehouse and ChairCo International are restaurant booth providers. Both companies offer matching restaurant booths and tables, many of which have chairs that match.

Make waiting for a table comfortable with restaurant booths

Placing restaurant booths in the waiting area or lobby of your restaurant gives customers a comfortable place to sit while waiting for a table or the rest of their party to show up. A booth in the lobby is also a good place for customers who want a take out order to peruse the menu and wait on their order without taking up a dining room table. Consider ordering a designer or extra plush booth to make the waiting area inviting.

I recommend: SeatingExpert.com offers a varied selection of restaurant booths, including single and double booths, in numerous colors. Jay's Furniture Products is a custom restaurant booth maker. This company offers designer and extra plush booths.

Store items inside a restaurant booth

Many makers of restaurant booths manufacture booths with removable seats to make cleaning the booths easier. These booths also make an ideal storage space for numerous items. If you place a small riser inside the booth base, you can store boxes of old employee files. Portable vacuum cleaners, decorations and non-combustible cleaning supplies can also be stored in booths.

I recommend: You can find booths featuring removable seats for added storage at ivgStores. This company offers detailed information about restaurant booths, including specifications. Millennium Seating has restaurant booths for sale from many restaurant booth manufacturers. It offers detailed construction information about all of the booths it sells, which makes it easy to find booths with removable seats.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Avoid bolting restaurant booths to the floor or wall if possible to make cleaning the booths and area around them easier.

Choosing restaurant booths for your business can be a bit overwhelming. The decisions can seem endless. Do you want a wooden booth, a contoured booth or a channel back booth? How many single booths do you need to fit your floor plan? Should you get booths with a crumb rail? These are all important questions. Before you can begin to answer them, you must first understand key terms used by restaurant booth suppliers.

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Single booth

A single booth has one back and one seat. It can be any length, with enough room for one, two or more people. In a restaurant, a single booth typically appears at the end of a row of booths, or up against a wall.

I recommend: For more information on single booths, and to view pictures of single booths, check out Food Service Warehouse.

Double booth

A double booth is a booth that serves two tables. It consists of one shared back and two seats, facing away from each other, on either side of the back. In restaurants, double booths typically appear between two tables in the middle of a row of booths. They can be any length.

I recommend: Central Products displays dozens of double booths for restaurants.

Channel back booth

Channel back booths are upholstered booths with padded backs that are made up of ribbed rows, called channels. The channels can run horizontally or vertically, and the number of channels varies depending on the style.

I recommend: ACityDiscount Restaurant Equipment & Restaurant Supply provides pictures and more information about channel back restaurant booths.

Contour booth

A contour booth is a single unit with two booth seats and a table attached together. The benches are typically made of laminate, and the table is often laminate or wood with a vinyl edge. Contour booths are typically the least expensive type of booth.

I recommend: Pictures of contour booths and more information is available from RestaurantFurnitureSupplier.com.

Wood booth

A wood booth is made entirely out of a hard wood, such as oak or birch. Sometimes a pad is added to the seat or back. The disadvantage of a wood booth is that it can be scratched and worn over time.

I recommend: Millennium Seating shows examples of wood booths and has more information.

Crumb rail

A crumb rail is a flat section of booth at the rear of the seat, just below the base of the back support. Crumb rails catch crumbs and make booths easy to clean.

I recommend: Petersen Furniture offers some of the pros and cons of crumb rails.