There might seem like a world of difference between slouchy, comfy pub furniture like a leather couch, and the straight-backed dining chairs seen in typical restaurant furniture.
But the two worlds do collide sometimes, whether in more upright bentwood pub furniture, or relaxed restaurant furniture that caters for the ongoing snacking trend seen in recent years.
Now Datamonitor Consumer has noted another emerging trend in its latest Product Launch Analytics innovation of the week.
The analyst has given the latest accolade to frozen foods brand McCain, who have introduced to the US market a variety of onion rings coated in a batter made with American pale ale.
Tom Vierhile, innovation insights director for Datamonitor Consumer, said: "According to a recent Datamonitor Consumer global survey, 34% of beer drinkers said that a beer that pairs well with food would encourage them to pay more for beer.
"This natural beer and food tie-in can actually work in reverse, with food increasingly taking flavour inspiration from beer."
In terms of the food itself, there are other benefits too - the stronger flavour of the beer means no need for artificial flavourings and, perhaps thanks to the colour of the beer, there are no artificial colours used either.
While McCain's product is a frozen side dish for the home cooking market, it's still a useful indicator of how the beer and food markets are converging, and onion rings fit perfectly alongside the trend towards burgers and hot dogs as commonplace menu items.
And as the two markets find new ways to overlap, that of course means venues in either channel have the opportunity to broaden their customer base - for pubs, by serving more hot food, or keeping pace with foodservice trends, and for restaurants, by embracing craft beers and other pub trends.
For pub and restaurant furniture, the best choices are likely to depend on where you sit on this spectrum between the two channels.
Relaxed pub furniture is obviously ideal for venues centred on drinking and socialising, whereas formal restaurant furniture suits high-class fining-focused establishments.
In the middle ground, consider straight-backed but ergonomic dining chairs, or more diverse seating arrangements that combine chairs with leather sofas or stools, so tables can quickly be reconfigured for different sizes of group with different intentions.