In our guides on choosing the best restaurant furniture, we often tell you to think about your total floor space, and select tables and chairs that leave plenty of clearance around them.
There are several good reasons for this: it helps your premises to feel more spacious for seated diners; it makes it easier for customers to move between tables; and importantly, it allows your waiting staff to carry dishes to and from the tables with less chance of bumping into other tables or diners.
Recent figures compiled by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills suggest that this last point might be more significant than it seems, with a lack of skilled workers currently available in the restaurant industry.
This skills gap may mean more restaurants are employing people with little to no waiting experience - putting the risk of a bump and spillage higher on the agenda.
According to a survey by the UKCES, 26% of employers in restaurants and hotels believe at least some of their staff are "not fully proficient", based on questions posed to nearly 10,000 businesses based in London.
UKCES chief executive Michael Davis said: "These figures again highlight the enduring threat of skills shortages to business, and show how rapidly the issue can escalate if not tackled head on."
"We must ensure we do not turn a blind eye to the increasing threat of skills shortages," he added.
The long-term solution to this problem is to ensure more people are receiving the training they need to improve their skills across all hospitality and foodservice disciplines; however, in the short term an alternative solution is needed to avoid any disasters on the dining floor.
As we have always said, the restaurant furniture you choose can go a long way towards ensuring food reaches the tables without any mishaps, and you never want to leave your waiters and waitresses squeezing through a too-small gap between tables.
It's equally important to maximise the number of customers you can serve, but be realistic about the size of your premises, and make an intelligent choice of chairs and tables accordingly.