Today, there are many types of food service styles in the restaurant industry. From fast-food to family casual restaurants, the options are endless. If you are contemplating about launching your own restaurant, there is one major decision you need to make. Styles of service in restaurants determine the layout, restaurant furniture, inventory, menu, food prices, and décor theme of the restaurant itself. Different types of restaurant service are attributed to personal preferences, location and target market. Familiarizing with the characteristics of the various types of food service styles can help you select the right theme, style, and concept, and furniture for your restaurant.
Commercial Restaurant Furniture Design by Venue Type
Distinguishing between Various Restaurant Categorization Factors
A variety of elements differentiate one type of restaurant from another. The broadest and most common factors people use to categorize styles of service in restaurants are:
- Spectrum of Formality: Layout, restaurant furniture, décor along with the attire in which guests are expected to wear, determines whether a restaurant is casual or upscale. Counter service versus table service as well as the attentiveness and efficiency of wait staff are also strong indicators.
- Price: Restaurants fall under a price range of affordable to expensive. You may notice that Google and other online search engines use dollar signs to denote the average price of a meal served to provide a convenient way to look at prices. (i.e. $ = inexpensive, $$ = moderately priced, $$$ = pricey, $$$$ = very expensive).
- Food/Menu: Furthermore, restaurants differ from each dining establishment’s presentation, quality and type of food they serve. Menus can be based on the theme of the restaurant or on a cuisine from a certain region. Sometimes, they exclusively feature innovations from the chef. At other restaurants, menus are devised on specific items as they are at pizzerias and steakhouses. Or according to specific dietary preferences, menus may feature as plant-based dishes.
Common categorization factors differ restaurants from one another. So does each one’s unique brand, types of food service styles and restaurant furniture.
| Venue | Furniture |
|---|---|
| Fast Food | Metal chairs, reversible tables, Industrial style furniture |
| Family Friendly | Dining booths, laminate tables, resin tables, metal chairs with vinyl seats |
| Fine Dining | Solid wood tables, solid wood chairs with padding, wood arm chairs, wood bar stools, button tuft booths |
| Steakhouse | Wood chairs, wood tables, wall benches and booths |
| Banquet / Event Halls | Stacking chairs, banquet chairs, Chiavari chairs, folding tables, wood tables |
Fast Food / Quick Service
Fast food or quick service restaurants provide the most rapid food service and food at the cheapest prices. The décor at these fast food establishments are simple. As are the laminated restaurant tables and metal chairs. Fast food restaurants are largely franchises of a brand with many locations such as McDonalds, Burger King, and Taco Bell. These quick-service restaurants are typically chains. Largest chains tend to operate globally.
Casual Restaurant
Casual / family dining spots are typically furnished with quick ship booths in black or wine vinyl paired with resin tables or reversible tables. Because these dining venues generate high foot traffic, quality sanitation for these items must be prioritized. Purchase restaurant furniture that is low maintenance and easy to clean. Additionally, upholstered seating should be stain-resistant and colorfast. Selecting materials and fabric patterns that will highlight your décor is also recommended.
Fine Dining Restaurant
As implied by the name, fine dining is described as a more upscale restaurant than a fast-casual space. The term itself evokes images of crisp white tablecloths draped over sturdy wood restaurant tables, finest china, and waiters in tuxedos. Fine dining restaurants offer high quality service and an elegant atmosphere to patrons with varnished wood chairs and luxuriously cushioned restaurant booths. Chefs at these fine dining establishments are more professionally trained. Fine dining is also the most expensive restaurant you can operate.
Many fine dining establishments include a waiting room which is normally separate from the dining area while others keep it open. Among other restaurant designs, the layout of the foyer is overlooked resulting in long table waits. Implementing a coak check is one of many ways to show your restaurant’s commitment to hospitality. Many full service restaurants, including fine dining establishments have bars which can double as a waiting area with wood or upholstered restaurant bar stools or counter stools.
Steakhouse
Certain material and design components have become common touch points for steakhouse restaurants nationwide. For instance, wood, and brick have been widely used to express comfort, modernity, and durability in both the interior design and furniture. The design and furniture should synchronize with your rustic style concept and layout. Wood tables, wood chairs and dining booths maximize seating spaces which is a crucial aspect in a high foot traffic dining establishment.
Banquet and Event Halls
A banquet hall has multi-functional uses and can hold large gatherings of people. But each function has different furnishing needs. Business meetings held at event/banquet halls need large rectangular shaped wood tables and multi-media equipment. A wedding party is looking for a room that is a festive place for dancing. Naturally, you’ll see tables covered with white table cloths accented with Chiavari chairs and various floral centerpieces. A Conference/lecture event needs to plan a platform with rows of stacking chairs. To accommodate multiple uses, a floor plan for a banquet hall needs to be flexible yet able to provide enough space to host all different purposes.
