Determining which kind of tables and chairs are best for your venue can be difficult. The following guide contains our recommended seating for Family friendly restaurants and diners:
How to choose the Ideal Furniture for a Family Style Restaurant
Family Venues
Like cafes and fast casual restaurants, family style restaurants typically experience heavy traffic. The rush hour tends to be in the evening or at lunch on weekends when families and couples dine out together, but they can also be busy all day long. Coffee shops also fit into this category. Customers to these establishments will usually stay longer than they will at fast casual restaurants, quick service restaurants or cafes, so it’s important to have comfortable seating.
Chairs
Family style restaurants and diners will usually feature wood chairs or wood and metal chairs. Wood Chairs are strong, comfortable and have a more natural warm appeal. Wood & Metal chairs are also popular with family style restaurants because the strong frame can withstand a lot of heavy usage without breaking or becoming wobbly.
Wood chairs have a natural beauty than cannot be matched by metal. They give the restaurant a more sophisticated look and create a warm, comfortable ambiance. When shopping for wood it’s best to avoid cheap Chinese imports and shop for well-built American chairs. Solid construction should include chairs built with mortise and tenon joints and L brackets for additional support.
Booths
Most diners and family style restaurants have a combination of tables and chairs with booths. Families and couples prefer those because they provide extra comfort and privacy. Plain booths, V Shape back booths and 6 channel booths are popular with diners. For more upscale look, 12 channel booths are also a good option. When shopping for dining booths it’s best to go with vinyl upholstery, which is more stain resistant than fabric. Wood booths or booths with wood benches are lovely and the wood can match the tables and chairs, but padded booths are more comfortable and customers that go to family restaurants and diners are looking for comfort and relaxation.
Tables
There is nothing like a solid wood table top to make a statement that you want to provide the best for your customers. The natural look and feel of solid wood gives off a calming vibe and shows that you have invested in premium quality. An advantage to buying the table and chairs from the same place is that you can make sure the finish matches. Some places like Restaurant Furniture. Net will create a custom finish for you to match your existing furniture. Look for wood table tops that are made in the USA and are FSC certified.
Solid wood table tops are not in everyone’s budget, so veneer table tops are also a good option for a much more affordable price. Be sure to shop for quality veneer table tops because the quality is not always the same, especially with cheap imports, so it’s best to buy American. You can also usually get a custom finish for a veneer table top for a small additional charge.