Restaurant Furniture Blog

I have been to restaurants where the restaurant tables layout has been so poor that I have never returned - even though the food was fantastic. There is a problem when you try to squeeze too many tables into a confined space - I call it snookering your patrons. Once they get in, they can’t get out.

When I come across this situation, I don’t know what is worse, the fact that I have been snookered, or the fact the staff know it is going to happen and plan ahead. How do I know? They start seating patrons on tables towards the back of the restaurant then slowly fill towards the front. Patrons have an easy path to their tables, but as other tables fill, their path out is blocked by the chairs of other diners. They are snookered and often the only way out is for someone to stand and push their chair in.

Restaurants have been known to fail miserably simply because of their table layout. Yet I know of one restaurant that started to fail and was bought out by an enterprising, and imaginative young chef. He was able to seat the same number of patrons by using some very clever layout techniques.

The solution really is to think outside the square. You don’t have to have exactly the same size table through out the restaurant. You can have smaller tables for couples, rectangular tables for families or groups, even triangular-shaped for threesomes. It is simply a matter of knowing the trends for that area (do families dine, couples, business?) and using a little imagination.

By mixing different sizes and styles like square, circular or rectangular, you can often seat the same number of patrons without making them feel uncomfortable or snookering them. It also makes it a lot easier for your staff to provide a timely service to each of your patrons without annoying others.

Don’t snooker your patrons or your waiting staff. Think outside the square and use a little imagination to create a clever restaurant tables layout that maximizes the space whilst creating the smallest amount of inconvenience - your bottom line will certainly appreciate it.