Choosing Restaurant Booths

RESTAURANT FURNITURE GUIDE: CHOOSING RESTAURANT BOOTHS

Popular among restaurant owners and patrons alike, booths for restaurants offer a comfortable seating option, pleasing aesthetics, and a private dining experience, making them an alluring addition to dining venues. There are a few major factors that should influence your decision regarding which restaurant booths to choose. Creating an effective booth layout will help you maintain the look of your restaurant, whether you have a small cafe or a large franchise. You want customers to feel comfortable while also allowing your servers to move around freely in this fast-paced environment.

WHY CHOOSE RESTAURANT BOOTHS FOR YOUR RESTAURANT?

At your bar or restaurant, how many times have customers asked to be seated in a booth? Booths are a great choice for any bar or restaurant for a variety of reasons:

  • Reduce traffic and eliminate the need for servers to walk around all four sides of a table
  • Have a more comfortable feel and aesthetic than traditional table seating
  • Provide your customers with more privacy

There are a few major factors that should influence your decision regarding which restaurant booths to choose. Our expert team has compiled a list of top tips for choosing the best booth seating for your venue in the section below.

5 TIPS FOR CHOOSING RESTAURANT DINING BOOTHS

When choosing booth seating for your restaurant, you should consider the style of the booth, the materials of the booth, and the shape of the booth.

1. MATCH THE STYLE OF THE BOOTH TO THE STYLE OF YOUR RESTAURANT

Restaurant booths serve to express and enhance your existing décor. They range from plain back, country style, button tufted, bead board, V-back, channel back and fan back. Each style fits best with different interior designs. For example:

  • V-back booths work well in a retro-themed diner.
  • Button-tufted booths provide a more elegant look at a fine dining establishment.
  • Beadboard dining booths are perfect for churches and other communal gathering locations.

2. MATCH THE MATERIAL OF THE BOOTH TO THE DESIGN AND TYPE OF YOUR VENUE

Not only the style of the booth is important to consider; the material the booth is made out of also affects the ambiance of the restaurant.

Booths are mostly made out of wood, laminate and upholstery. These different kinds of materials are used for enhancing the booths’ aesthetic and comfort level.

  • Classic wood booths are made of easy-to-clean wood and give a more contemporary and rustic look to your establishment.
  • Laminate booths feature an easy to clean trim over a strong wood frame and are most commonly used in diners and bars.
  • Upholstery, such as vinyl or fabric, is used to cover the foam padding on both the seat and back on the wood frame of the booth to create a comfortable dining experience. For example, for a family friendly restaurant the best choice is to go with vinyl padded booths. Vinyl is easy to clean and impervious to stains which are more likely to occur with children.

3. UNDERSTAND HOW MANY OCCUPANTS CAN FIT IN EACH BOOTH SHAPE

  • Single Booth– One booth bench. Sits up to two people comfortably side by side.
  • Double Booth – Sits up to 4 people with 2 people sitting side by side and 2 more back to back.
  • ½ Circle Booth – Standard dimensions are 48” x 90” x 48”. Can seat 4 people.
  • ¾ Circle Booth – Standard dimensions of 48” x 90” x 90” x 48” can seat 6 people.
  • Wall Bench – Available in various lengths, this booth is usually paired with restaurant table-and-chair sets allowing for comfortable seating and enough isle room for servers and patrons.
  • L-Shape Booth – Mostly used in corners and allows for optimal use of space.
  • Deuce Single Booth – Similar to that of a single booth but measures 30” instead of 48” long. Known as a single person booth (sits 1 person).
  • Deuce Double Booth – Measures 30” long, in contrast to the standard double booth’s 48” length. Allows two people to sit back-to-back.

4. CONSIDER THE AMOUNT OF AVAILABLE SPACE WHEN CHOOSING YOUR BOOTH SIZES

The amount of space in your venue is an important consideration when choosing the size of the restaurant bench seating you’d like to order.

Smaller Venues: If you’re short on space, consider wall benches, single and double booths. Wall benches combined with restaurant chairs allow you to save space and seat more clients in comfort. If you own a small café, purchase any of our single restaurant booth seats and place it against a wall to optimize your walk space. A double booth is a better solution if you have a high-traffic environment, since it has back-to-back benches and therefore can seat more people.

Large Venues: For big and popular venues that cater to large crowds, custom restaurant booths are the best choice. Half circle or even three quarters circle booths will allow you to sit large parties in comfort especially when using booth tables with a cut corner.

5. FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH BOOTH COMPONENTS AND THEIR TERMINOLOGY

  • Top & End Caps –The caps are placed on the sides and top of a booth to cover the frame. Upholstered caps are standard but you can also upgrade to solid wood / laminate caps. When measuring the booths dimensions the height and length include the top and end caps.
  • Head Roll – An upholstered padded piece at the top of the booth which is used for extra comfort.
  • Crumb Strip – The crumbs strip is a 1.5” strip placed between the back of the booth and the seat, allowing for easy cleaning.
  • Welt Cord – A durable and strong cord stitched to the sides of the seat for both strength and added style.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS THE ADVANTAGE OF USING BOOTH SEATS IN MY RESTAURANT?

Most customers prefer booths for their comfort and privacy. Booths don’t just have padded seats but padded backs as well. They also provide relatively more privacy and comfort as well as more room per person. Booths also aid in maximizing restaurant seating space by utilizing every available space to the max.

HOW MUCH SPACE IS NEEDED FOR A RESTAURANT BOOTH?

When placing two booths that are facing each other, the minimal spacing between booths from one end of a booth to the other should be 70” allowing for a table that’s 24” wide. The wider the table the more space between the booths will be required.

HOW BIG IS A RESTAURANT BOOTH?

A standard single booth measures 48” in length and 24” in depth. A double booth is 48” long and 49” deep. Dimensions vary by booth type. If you need more information and tips about restaurant booth types and shapes, visit our restaurant booths guide.

WHAT ARE RESTAURANT BOOTHS MADE OF?

Restaurant booths are generally made of wood with springs and high density foam seat and back upholstered in fabric or vinyl. Some booths come fully padded and upholstered whereas others have a partially padded back or un-padded wood seat and back.

Ultimately, booths are space-efficient, cost-effective, and the perfect addition to any venue. They are a very popular seating option designed to keep guests comfortable! If you have more questions our team can help you choose booths for any type of restaurant! We have helped a lot of restaurant owners find the right booths for their venues, and we are excited to assist you with your needs!