What's your restaurant's furniture say about your style?  Is it laid-back?  Is it elegant? 

 (photo of turnkey restaurant: see Serv-U's Flickr photos)

Besides the style of furniture, the spacing of your seating affects the way your restaurant is perceived.  Sometimes I'm in the mood to sit elbow-to-elbow with a group of friends, and sometimes I want a quiet table well away from other patrons while enjoying a romantic evening with my sweetie.  To this end, I found a helpful spacing guide in SEFA's Reference Guide book and thought I'd pass it along:

Spacing Consideration for Furnishings

• 14 sq. ft. per person for spacious dining
• 12 sq. ft. per person for cafeteria or restaurant
• 10 sq. ft. per person for banquet, instituational, or close seating
• Allow 18” for person seating from edge of table to back of chair.
• Diagonal seating saves floor space.  Deuce tables and wall spacing save the most space.
• Allow 42” between squared tables for chairs back to back—leaves 6” to push out.
• Allow 60” between squared tables for chairs back to back –leaves 26” service aisle.
• Allow 24” between corners of diagonal table for customer access—no aisle.
• Allow 30” between corners of diagonal tables for customer access—narrow aisle.

 Note: Where space is limited, booths require only 8 sq. ft. per person, including aisle allowance.

Estimating Seating Capacity per Square Foot

For Banquet Seating:  When using oblong tables, divide the room area (sq. ft.) by 8.  When using round tables, divide the room area (sq. ft.) by 10.  These figures are for maximum seating.  If space is available for more comfortable seating, allow an additional 2 sq. ft. per person.

For Seminar Seating:  Divide “attendee” seating area (sq. ft.) by 8.  This formula allows for chair and passage aisle, but not for wide traffic aisles, doors, exits, posts, or other obstructions.  It is useful for a quick approximation.

When planning seating several factors must be considered:

• Cost per square foot per person. 
• Approximate tables for the best usage of space. 
• Ease of providing service to tables