All restaurant owners know that the dining room is the revenue producing area of their business. So, shouldn’t it be laid out and designed with comfort and efficiency in mind? The most cost-effective and space-efficient way to design and add comfort to your dining area is through the use of booth seating. By adding booths, you’ll save floor space, and that means that you can offer MORE seating to MORE people who will be ordering MORE from your menu. And, booths are MORE comfortable and offer customers MORE privacy as added bonuses. Sounds like a WIN-WIN all around!
Before adding booths, planning for their addition is a must. Not only do you need to know the lingo, specifically regarding the types and sizes of booths, but you’ll also need to measure and determine what space you have available. With booth sizing, you will see terms like single, double, split, and deuce. The smallest of the booths are deuce booths which offer seating for just two people across the table from one another. Single booths offer seating on one side and a flat back on the other and these booths are typically used for the end of a row of booths. Additionally, double booths are the booths in between tables with two backs and two seats, kind of like two single booths built back to back together as one piece. Finally, split booths are the ones you see with booth seating on one side of the table and chairs on the other. All of these booths come in different heights and widths so taking measurements of your dining area to plan for spacing is going to be an important task, one that will require a little extra from you.
Space planning should start with exploring the internet for examples of booth seating arrangements or restaurant dining area layouts. These layouts are plentiful and can offer you a starting point or a general idea on how best to situate your dining area. Next, we suggest a simple drawing to give you a visual; it can be done free hand, with a desktop drawing program, or with the assistance of a professional designer who can help you make sure the spacing is just right.
To guide you in your planning, consider these simple “rules of thumb” when it comes to booth seating and spacing for your restaurant dining room layout:
Rule #1: Allow for the total booth width to be between 64” to 74”, from the top of one seat back to the top of the other
Rule #2: Allow for the seat back depth to be between 3” to 6”
Rule #3: Allow for a clearance of at least 16” from the seat back to the table edge; 16” to 18” is typically a comfortable seating depth
Rule #4: Allow for the table top height of 30”; for a split booth, allow this height to be 31”with the distance to the underside of the table to be at least 30” in order to accommodate a person who uses a wheelchair
Rule #5: Allow for the table width to be between 24” and 42”; for 24” wide tables, booths require 66” from center to center of top caps and 30” wide tables require 72” between the center top caps
Rule #6: Allow for a clearance of between 19” and 22” from the table edge to the back of the seat cushion
Rule #7: Allow for a seat height between 16” and 18”
Rule #8: Allow for the table edge to align vertically with the outer edge of the booth seat. This is considered standard layout for booths.
In addition to these rules of thumb, be sure to consider cantilever table bases for your booths. These are bases that attach to the wall underneath the table in order to offer the best support and plenty of leg room for your customers. And, don’t forget to allow ample space in the isles for customer and wait staff traffic so that people are not running into each other and to accommodate a wheelchair if needed (at least 36”).
Once you have done all of the “dirty work” to figure out the layout of your dining area, it’s time for some good, “clean” fun…shopping for the actual booths to install into your restaurant! Is it possible to find the perfect booth seating to fit with your restaurant design and offer warmth to your atmosphere? Absolutely! There are so many options with regard to style that we know you’ll find booths that will impress you and your customers. Just remember, spacing and layout are keys to your success, and booths are a great way to increase comfort while bringing in more customers to relax and enjoy your food.
