Restaurant Seating Types
Restaurants, bars, and other venues with a dining space need restaurant seating for customers to enjoy their meal in comfort, and the type of seating provided can impact their dining experiences. From booths to high tops, there are many elements to consider when purchasing seating for your restaurant; it's important to choose a style that matches your dining room's concept. Below, we cover the types of restaurant seating to help you determine which options best fit your establishment.
Restaurant Chairs
When purchasing restaurant chairs, operators should consider their style, seat material, and placement in the restaurant. There are several styles of restaurant chairs available, with some styles featuring armrests or cutouts on the back. Restaurant chairs feature seats made of various types of plastic, metal, wood, or fabric. While chairs with fabric and vinyl seats tend to be the most comfortable, other materials may be more suitable for outdoor use, which is ideal for restaurants with patios.
Ladder-back chairs are a popular choice among restaurant operators and are commonly seen with a vinyl or wood seat. Available with wood or metal frames, ladder-back chairs typically don't have armrests. These chairs come in several wood shades such as mahogany, beechwood cherry, and dark walnut. Metal frames may be silver or black, and some chairs even have both metal and wood accents. Ladder-back chairs with vinyl seats may feature a pop of color to match your restaurant's decor. These chairs can hold between 250 and 1,100 pounds.
Vertical-slat chairs are another popular seating choice. They come in yellow, orange, blue, purple, and other colors and are made of steel, metal, or wood. Steel and metal chairs typically have one vertical slat to support your customers' backs while wooden ones usually have more slats to encourage proper posture. While steel and metal vertical-slat chairs usually have the same material on the seat, some may have wooden seats instead. Wooden vertical slat chairs either have wooden or vinyl seating, and these chairs hold anywhere from 250 to 800 pounds.
Solid-back chairs provide the most support for your customers and are often stackable, which is ideal for closing-time cleaning duties. They are typically made of steel and have plastic, vinyl, or fabric seating. Solid-back seats are a popular choice among banquet halls and event spaces, but they aren't usually for outdoor seating, as the chairs don't have any openings for draining water when it rains. Most solid-back chairs have rectangular or square backings, though there are round backs available. Solid-back chairs can hold from 250 to 880 pounds.
Cross-back chairs usually have a wood seat but can also have fabric, steel, or vinyl seats. Steel and wood are the most common frame types on cross-back chairs, which may look uncomfortable, but the cross provides ample back support for your customers. Cross-back chairs go well in restaurants with a farmhouse or rustic concept, and because they don't take up as much room, this style also maximizes your space better than some other chair types. These chairs can hold from 200 to 500 pounds.
Restaurant Booths
If you want to purchase restaurant booths for your restaurant, it's important to know if they make the most sense for your front-of-house layout. Operators need to ensure there's enough room to accommodate your guests and the booth itself. Most booths are upholstered, though unupholstered options are also available. While the most common booth types are single and double booths, there are several styles including half circle, three-quarters circle, and wall benches. For more information on the different booth types available, check out our restaurant booth buyers' guide.
- Single booths go great against walls, corners, and walkways.
- Double booths optimize more space than single booths by providing seats on either side of the backing.
- Three-quarters-circle and half-circle booths are ideal against walls and in corners.
- Wall benches can go up against walls or create a walkway behind the booth.
Commercial Bar Stools, Seats, & Bases
Whether your customers are sitting at the bar or at a high-top table, bar stools are a great way for operators to maximize space. Operators can buy bar stool bases and seats separately for a more customized look.
Backless bar stools don't take up as much room as other options and promote good posture, however your customers may prefer other options. Backless stools encourage people to engage with each other, keeping them in your establishment longer and increasing your revenue. These stools enable people to have a full range of motion and are great for establishments with a lively crowd. Operators are likely to fit more backless bar stools around a table than stools with backs.
Bar stools with backs provide more support to your customers, though they tend to take up more space. Customers tend to think these bar stools are more comfortable, but they don't encourage conversation or promote good posture like bar stools without backs can. Bar stools with backs come in various styles that tailor to any restaurant's theme.
Commercial bar stools have several frame options: metal, steel, aluminum, wood, plastic, and more. Each frame includes a foot rest to help customers get on and off the chair. The seat material on bar stools ranges from various types of metal and wood to vinyl and fabric, and some are approved for outdoor use. Bar stools can hold anywhere from 250 to 800 pounds.
Restaurant High Chairs & Booster Seats
Providing high chairs or booster seats for customers with children is a great way to show your restaurant is accommodating to families. Booster seats can be placed on existing chairs and booths for toddlers to reach the table. However, high chairs are typically sturdier than booster seats, so operators should offer these seats to customers with small children and babies.
Providing high chairs or booster seats for customers with children is a great way to show your restaurant is accommodating to families. Booster seats can be placed on existing chairs and booths for toddlers to reach the table. However, high chairs are typically sturdier than booster seats, so operators should offer these seats to customers with small children and babies.
