How to Design the Seating Capacity of a Restaurant Dining Room

Here's an interesting quiz. You are designing the seating capacity for a new location, or redesigning your existing restaurant. You will need to answer three important questions. Can you guess which three?

1. What is the menu?
2. What are the size and flow restrictions of the dining room space?
3. What is the desired capacity?
4. What size do you want your tables and/or booths to be?

If you answered a, b and c, go to the head of startup restaurateur class. If you answered "d," you are typical of many restaurateurs who look at the problem the same way many couples purchase a dining room set. They find one they like, space be damned, and figure out how to make it work in their hacienda.

Rule No. 1: At no time should the size of your tables and booths drive your dining room layout. This article looks at the variables that affect dining room table configuration. As you will see, there is no right answer. The trick is to consider the proper questions and, from there, apply reasoning.

Always Start with the Menu?

Like so many questions facing the startup restaurateur, determining optimal table configuration begins with the menu -- the heart of the concept. In turn, the concept describes the customer you are attracting, the style of service you will employ, and the size and amount of flatware and glassware you will use. It drives the length of time your customers might stay at the table, affecting your table turnover and the size and comfort level of the chairs required. If your menu includes service courses rather than all a la carte dining, you may find you will need a larger tabletop. If the menu includes a well-rounded wine list, you will need to consider wider aisles for the wine bucket stands, and larger tabletops for wine bottles.