As a restaurant owner, you thrive to offer an unbeatable and comfortable dining experience to your guests. When it comes to restaurant seating, you have several options to choose from – barstools, chairs, or booths. Restaurant booth seating is the ultimate combination of comfort, style, and looks. Especially in the post-Covid era, restaurant booths let your guests enjoy dining privately in an isolated space. So, whether you own a family restaurant or a café, casual diner, or pizzeria, dining booth seating can be an enticing addition to your restaurant.
Why Is Restaurant Booth Seating So Popular? Ask any restaurant customer whether they prefer booths or tables. Many times they will choose restaurant booths. Sometimes, the customers even prefer waiting if booths are unavailable. So, why is restaurant booth seating so popular? Most restaurants offer mixed seating options comprising chairs, couches, barstools, booths, etc. Although dining booth seating can be more expensive than your typical restaurant tables and chairs, as an owner, it makes sense to invest in restaurant furniture smartly to conquer the psyche of your customers. After all, analyzing your customers’ preferences can help you offer a memorable dining experience and stand ahead of your competitors.
Here are some of the reasons why your customers prefer restaurant booth seating:
1. Booth Seating Offers Privacy Whether unwinding after a long day at work with colleagues or spending quality time with friends or family, most diners prefer privacy. Restaurant booth seating does just that. It offers an intimate space where your guests can enjoy their meal. Since many restaurant booths have one edge against the wall, it naturally blocks restaurant tables and chairs on one side. Moreover, high-back restaurant bench seating offers extra privacy as they block sound, and other guests in the vicinity cannot see them. Also, restaurant booths provide a secure spot for protecting your guests’ purses and valuable items.
2. Offers Great Comfort Restaurant bench booth seating has thick yet soft padded backs and seats. Restaurant booths, being sturdy, offer more support for your guests than some restaurant chairs. As a result, your guests can sit longer without any physical fatigue. Booths have long benches that offer a larger seating area per diner for extra comfort.
3. Less Foot Traffic Another great thing about restaurant booths is that they restrict foot traffic. Booths usually have a wall on one side, and other booths on two sides, and many are accessible only from one side. As a result, your staff and patrons enter or exit only from this side. So, no more brushing against other guests or disturbances from the staff serving nearby tables. With minimal interruptions, your guests can enjoy a pleasant dining experience.
4. Offer Coziness Restaurant booths create a cozy, relaxed atmosphere where diners can enjoy their meals with loved ones for an unbeatable dining experience. Restaurant tables and chairs have open spaces around them, which might make your guests feel distracted or exposed. Booths have a high back that makes the diners feel they have the entire space to themselves, resulting in an intimate dining setup.
5. Comfortable with More Room Restaurant booths allow the diners to spread out and offer more room than chairs. So, if the guests do not fill the booth completely, they can get the long bench for themselves. For example, office-goers or professionals can carry out their work during lunch breaks. Similarly, restaurant booth seating provides ample room for diners’ coats, laptops, files, etc., and still leaves space for food and cutlery. Restaurant bench seating can help your diners relax while eating.
What are the features of Restaurant Booth Seating? Now that you know the advantages of restaurant booths, here are some features, styles, sizes, etc., to make an informed decision and most of your investment.
A. Restaurant Booth Sizes Restaurant booths come in several sizes, and you must select one that matches your restaurant’s space and style.
Single Booth or Double Booth? While a single booth has a flat back that you can place against a wall, a double booth consists of two back-to-back benches. Double booths can be an affordable option if you wish to create a line of booths along your dining wall.
Booth Length: Restaurant booths have a standard length of 48” that can comfortably host 2 or 3 diners. Alternately, you can consider single-person booths, called deuces, that are usually 24” or 36” wide. Deuces, with their quick turnaround time, are perfect for solo diners. Most restaurants mix single-person deuces and standard booths to optimize space and offer flexible seating. However, while finalizing your seating arrangement, ensure you leave a seating space of around 20” per diner.
Booth Depth: While most restaurant chairs have a standard 16” or 17″ seat depth, booths are a little roomier for guests and have a 19″ seat depth for additional comfort.
Booth Height: Booth height, measured from the top of its back to the ground, varies for different restaurant themes. While the industry standard booth height is 42” or 43”, shorter booths (36”) or taller booths (48”) are not uncommon to see. While a shorter booth has an airy appearance, a taller booth creates an intimate setup.
Table Size: The table size must match the length of your booth. That’s why most restaurants pair a 30″ X 48″ rectangular table with 48″ long booths.
B. Upholstery and Finish Options When it comes to restaurant booths, you have several materials to choose from depending on the ambiance you wish to create or the clientele you wish to serve. Here are some common upholstery materials and finish options for restaurant booth seating:
Vinyl: Vinyl is an affordable and popular choice for booth upholstery. Most restaurants use Grade 3 to Grade 7 vinyl that weighs 22 to 27 ounces per yard. Although vinyl can wear over time, proper stitching and seaming can limit the deformation.
Fabric: Since fabrics are available in several colors, designs, and patterns, you can use them to make a style statement. Alternatively, you can even use a custom fabric design or restaurant logo for the booth upholstery. Moreover, as compared to vinyl, the fabric gives a premium feel.
Plastic/Laminate: Plastic and laminate continue to be the most economic material for restaurant booths and are popular in the fast-food industry like ice cream shops, cafeterias, pizza joints, etc. Typically, plastic or laminate restaurant booths come in a simple design without cushion or upholstery options.
Wood: Wood is a vintage material that helps create a rustic, warm, and premium appeal in your restaurant. You can go for booths made entirely from wood or opt for wood trim or detailing for a sophisticated look. From traditional oak to upscale cherry to bright maple, you can choose any material for constructing your restaurant booths.
C. Style Options: Last but definitely on your list should be style or design options for restaurant booths. You can choose from the following style options:
Channel Design: The back of your restaurant booth no longer needs to look plain and dull. With channel design, one can visually divide the back with seams for an aesthetic appeal. While most common designs use 3, 4, or 6 vertical channels, you can consider horizontal or V-shaped back designs as well.
Crumb Strip: The most problematic issue with restaurant booths is that removing food crumbs from the cracks between the back and seat gets cumbersome. Adding a crumb strip in the booth leaves ample room below the booth’s back and behind its seat to take out the leftover food items and crumbs.
Head Roll: As the name suggests, a head roll runs at the top of the booth’s back to add aesthetic appeal. It’s a long horizontal piece with a design either similar to the cushion or pillow design or a contrasting fabric, color, or pattern.
Summing it up Restaurant booths are the go-to choice for many diners as they offer privacy and comfort. Moreover, they provide more room, and your guests suffer fewer disturbances or distractions. All these points make investing in booths a sensible investment choice for your restaurant. This article discusses why restaurant booths are so popular and things to look for while purchasing them. Hopefully, by noting these points, you can find the perfect restaurant booth seating that matches the ambiance, looks stunning, fits your budget, and offers the ultimate comfort to your guests.
FAQ What is restaurant booth seating? Restaurant booth seating is a type of bench seating designed in various configurations and sizes to accommodate certain number of diners. How much space is required for booth seating? When two booths are facing each other, leave a minimum space of 66” between one ends of the booth to the other to accommodate a 24” table in between.