You’ve chosen the location, your menu is in development and fixtures and fittings are in place but what about the design of the dining area of your restaurant? Layout is fundamental in creating and running a successful restaurant. When you consider that on average, the dining space of a restaurant takes up two thirds of a restaurants total space it’s no wonder that planning of the area needs to be a priority. It’s near pointless having a top of the range kitchen and extraordinary menu if the interior and layout doesn’t work, doesn’t enable the venue to operate to its full potential and leaves customers dissatisfied.
1. Capacity
If you are asking yourself ‘Where do I begin in designing the layout of my restaurant?’ then the experts at Trent Furniture may have the answers you need! First things first, you need to calculate how many covers you can fit into the area. This will depend to some extent on the type and tone of the restaurant. In a fast food restaurant setting, diners can be positioned much closer to one another, you can even introduce shared dining experiences and have seating within very close proximity to the next table. Less than 1 square metre per person would suffice. However, in a full service restaurant this would feel crowded and you need to allow more area per customer, anywhere between 1 and 1.5 Square Metres per diner is adequate and should enable you to work out a ball point maximum capacity for your restaurant. Depending on whether your restaurant offers fast food, buffet, full service dining or a fine dining experience will affect how much space you allow and ultimately what type of dining experience you want to create so consider this at the initial planning stages.
2.Size
Once you have figured out your maximum capacity, what next? When you know how many diners you can fit in, or at least have a good idea, you need to decide what size tables will work best. It is important to cater for various group sizes so a combination of square and rectangular tables is the ideal solution. Square tables are perfect for couples and rectangular for families or bigger groups. Then for large parties and events, the tables can be joined together to cater for more people if necessary. The combination of both square and rectangular tables in different sizes tables provides ultimate flexibility so you can adapt efficiently to meet the needs of your customers.
Answering the question of ‘What size tops will I need for my restaurant tables?’ is much more difficult because the answer is very much determined by the type of food you will be serving. Most restaurants combine square and rectangular shape tables to cater for different group sizes, but the final sizes will depend on the style of food, number of courses and accompaniments as well as any additional tableware that might be required. If you specialise in tapas, offer a seven course tasting menu or the menu focuses on little plates, extras and side dishes then you might need to allow for slightly more table surface per person! We recommend a minimum area of 45cm x 30cm but going up to anywhere in the region of 75cm x 40cm for each individual diner. See our table top size guidelines in the image below;
3.Positioning
When it comes to the positioning of your tables and chairs, generally, we suggest approximately 45cm from the back of one chair to another so that customers have room to get in and out from the tables without disturbing other guests. The last thing customers want is to be knocking elbows with the stranger on the table next to them, not only will the uncomfortable experience be likely to lead to a lower overall spend but it also leaves them with a negative impression of the venue, unlikely to recommend your restaurant to others or to return themselves in the future. As a guideline, aim for a minimum of just under half a metre distance between the backs of chairs which will give your customers plenty of room to access their seats.
Once you have your furniture in place, get a feel for the space by sitting in each seat and identifying any potential issues. It’s inevitable that there will be the ‘best seats in the house’ and some that are less impressive but by trying out the position of each chair in the restaurant at least you will be aware of where and able to improve on them. If there is a table within close proximity to the bathrooms or main entrance for example, consider using bench seating to minimise disruption from passing traffic or even utilise the area for a different purpose such as a lobby or storage. When trying out the seats, take account of what the customers view will be form their seat and for drawbacks such as draughts, kitchen noise and lighting. Often very small adjustments to the position of a table can make a huge difference and there will be a very simple solution!
4.Circulation Routes & Flow
The whole restaurant should have a natural flow, from the main entrance to the bar and the dining area right through to storage and the kitchen/food preparation area – you should carefully consider your circulation route both in terms of your customers and the staff. People must be able to move around with ease and the waiting staff need clear pathways and adequate room between tables to be able to maintain high quality service. Ultimately, the positioning and spacing between furniture is integral to an establishments success and has a major effect on how effectively your restaurant operates. Ensure there is space between seating for diners to move their chairs back from a table without obstructing the circulation route.
It can be difficult to get the right balance between an effective circulation routes whilst fitting in as many tables as possible to maximise capacity and accommodate the greatest number of customers but it really is something you should consider carefully when designing the layout of your restaurant. When designing these routes, always consider the seated customer as you do not want them constantly surrounded by people traffic. The key here is to keep circulation routes to a minimum-just enough to allow people to move around with ease and get in and out from the tables, ideally this means a minimum of 40-50cm between chairs which are placed back to back.
Do not position tables in the middle of main route from the dining area to the kitchen or toilets where they will obstruct the flow in the highest traffic areas, not only does it inconvenience waiting staff but it’s an unpleasant dining experience for your customer.
5.Partitions & Dividers
If you are designing your restaurant floor plan to include a waiting area then it should be within easy reach of the entrance but not in any way blocking the entrance or exit. Position furniture at low levels by using sofas and coffee tables or perhaps high bar stools and poseur tables which take up less space. By introducing different level seating to the apace it helps to isolate the waiting area as a different section to the other parts of the restaurant where customers are eating and drinking. A bar area is a good addition to a waiting area to increase a restaurants profitability so you could also consider positioning the bar area in between the entrance and main dining area to separate the two. The addition of a few bar stools strategically placed creates a welcoming ambiance and doubles up as a waiting area when people are waiting for their table.
It’s a great interior design technique to combine high and low level seating in a venue as it adds interest to the layout and help to distinguish different areas within the restaurant. The bar might have tall tables and bar stools, the entrance some tub chairs and low tables, whilst standard dining tables and chairs feature in the main dining section. If you decide to use this technique, make sure there is enough distance between sections that those sitting in low seating don’t feel like they are being looked down on by high tables. Try using the same model of chair in tall and standard height to create a coordinated look but still differentiate the more casual seating with more formal dining areas.
You might also want to section off areas in your restaurant layout to offer some variations in atmosphere, create some more intimate and private areas by using free standing benches which create the feel of a private booth area or high back dining chairs positioned in rows to create barriers and increase the feeling of privacy. Solid back dining chairs can be really effective at sectioning off large groups from the rest of your customers and tables placed at certain angles can restrict view.
NB: Don’t forget the incorporate these other areas when designing your restaurant layout;
- Waiting Area
- Bar
- WC’s
- Kitchen & Food Prep
- Storage
- Staff Area & Office
All will form an important part of the design process and need to be considered in the early stages of planning your restaurant layout and will influence how much and what furniture you can fit into the venue
When you have a good idea of how you plan to layout your restaurant you might be thinking ‘what type of furniture works best for my layout?’ If you need any advice on furniture style, recommendations or information on sizing and product specifications then please call our experienced sales team who will be happy to talk through options and answer any questions.