Author: George Webber

How big should your booth table top be?

Start with a table top that gives each diner enough usable edge from the fixed seat, then test the base and route around it. A compact two-person booth can start at 60 x 60cm, while four-person and six-person booths need the seating direction checked before you order.

Booth sizing goes wrong when the top is treated like a loose restaurant table. With a loose chair, the diner can move. With a fixed booth or banquette, the table has to meet the diner in the right place.

A top can be the right length but too deep to use well, or it can fit the seats but clash with the base below. Service routes matter too, especially where staff pass behind one side of the booth.

A good restaurant booth table size is a working fit. It has to suit the number of diners, the fixed seat position, the table base and the way the table gets used through service.

Sizing starts with seat count and table edge

A booth table is sized from the fixed seat and base, not from a generic dining chart. Seat count gives you the first number to test, then the real booth decides whether that number works.

The table below compares booth use with useful table top starting points.

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For a quick planning rule, allow at least 50cm of table edge per diner. In busier restaurant clearance planning, 60cm per person gives more working space for plates, glasses and elbows. That difference matters when you are choosing between a tight two-top restaurant booth table and a roomier eating table.

The Metric Handbook gives useful eating table references, including 750mm square for two diners, 900 x 950mm or 1500 x 750mm for four diners, and 1400 x 950mm or 1700 x 750mm for six diners. We use those as design references, then check them against the fixed seat, because booth table dimensions in cm only help if the person can use the edge comfortably.

At Tablemaker, we make commercial tops in 1cm increments, which is useful when a standard booth table size almost works but leaves the booth tight, off-centre or awkward on the base.

Match table depth to fixed booth seats

A four-person booth can look right on plan and still feel wrong in use. The length may seat four people, yet the depth can leave diners reaching too far across the table or sitting too close to the edge.

The useful measurement is the space a diner can use from a fixed seat, not the full width of the room. Booth table depth has to be judged from the seat front, because the diner cannot pull the bench closer after the top is fitted.

Straight booths need usable depth

In a straight booth, begin with the seat run and the number of covers, then test how far the table projects from the back seat. A deeper top gives more space for plates, shared dishes and laptops, but it also takes space from the person getting in and out.

For table size for banquette seating, we look at the relationship between three points: the seat front, the table edge and the base. If the top sits too far into the gap, customers slide along the seat awkwardly. If it sits too far away, the table feels like it belongs to the wall rather than the diner.

Commercial solid oak restaurant table tops are available from 60cm to 280cm in length and from 35cm to 115cm in width, so the depth can be chosen to suit the booth rather than forced into a stock size. The better question is how wide should a booth table be for this menu and this seat position.

Corners and banquettes need shape discipline

Corner booths create a different problem. A square top can make the corner usable, but it can also leave dead space where nobody can sit comfortably. A rectangular top suits longer banquettes, especially where diners sit along one side and loose chairs sit opposite.

Shape choice has a practical job. Rectangular, square, round, oval and custom contour tops all exist, and the right booth table top shape depends on the seat line, the base and the customer route into the booth. A round or oval top can help with corners in some layouts, but the base position still decides whether the table works.

Made-to-measure sizing in 1cm steps helps when a corner booth or alcove is just off a standard size. That small adjustment can be the difference between a booth that looks planned and one that needs staff to keep shifting chairs out of the way.

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Photograph the booth from both ends before you measure it. A simple record of leg positions, corners and access gaps helps when the plan is checked later.

Oliver Founder of Tablemaker

Aligning bases and routes protects the booth layout

A replacement restaurant table top can be the correct length and still create a new problem below the table. If the existing base stays in place and the new top has a larger overhang, knees, feet and cleaning access all change at once.

Central bases can work well with smaller booth tables because they leave the corners open for people sliding in. Four legs need more care around fixed seating, since a leg in the wrong spot can block the only easy route into the booth. We check the restaurant table base position early because it affects comfort as much as the top size.

Overhang also needs a practical check. A little overhang gives the table a usable edge, but too much can make the top feel unstable on a small base or push into the access space. On refurbishments, the safest approach is to measure the existing base, the fixing position and the usable table edge together before changing the top.

Mixed booth and loose-chair areas need another clearance check. Where a chair has to pull out, allow 90cm between the table edge and the nearest wall or furniture, with 100cm to 120cm better where people walk behind seated diners. A fixed booth seat does not pull out, but the route beside it still has to work for staff and customers.

Approved Document M Volume 2, under Building Regulations Part M, says restaurants and bars should be designed so they can be reached and used by all people independently or with companions. It also says public areas of refreshment facilities should be accessible. For booth planning, keep that point simple: fixed seating should sit within a layout that leaves usable public routes.

Base, overhang and clearance should be checked on the actual plan before the top size is signed off.

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Ask the venue team where trays, high chairs and clearing runs usually pass. Those movements often reveal a clearance problem that the drawing misses.

Oliver Founder of Tablemaker

Check the final specification before ordering

Final booth table measurements need to be checked against the real booth, the real base and the way service runs. A restaurant table top specification that looks tidy on a drawing can still fail if the underside or route has been guessed.

Use this order before you approve production.

• Confirm the number of diners and the table edge each person gets. Start from the cover count, then check whether each diner has enough usable edge for your menu.
• Measure the fixed seat position, booth width and usable table depth. The dimension that matters is the space between the seated person and the table edge.
• Check the base position, knee space and overhang. For replacement tops, measure the existing base as carefully as the new top.
• Check the route around the booth for staff and customers. Include any loose chairs nearby, because they change the working space around a fixed booth.
• Confirm the top shape, finish and any custom contour before production. Hardwax oil is our standard finish for table tops, and it belongs in the spec because cleaning and repair matter in daily restaurant use.

At Tablemaker, we make restaurant tops in 1cm increments, which helps when fixed booths, alcoves and existing bases sit between standard sizes. Once you know the seat count, the depth, the base and the route, the decision stops being guesswork. You know exactly what to check before a booth table is made.

Questions we get asked about restaurant booth tables

Do all booth tables in one venue have to be the same size?

They do not have to match exactly. Different booth runs can use different table top sizes if each one gives enough usable edge and still works with the base and route.

Can a smaller booth table still work for a full food menu?

A smaller table can work for a simple menu, but shared dishes, larger plates and extra glassware need more usable surface. Test the table with the actual items you expect customers to use.

How do solid wood booth table tops cope with daily restaurant marks?

Solid wood can be sanded and refinished, which gives it a longer working life than many surfaces that cannot be repaired in the same way. Hardwax oil is the standard finish we use, with a minimum of two coats.

Can a booth table top be changed later if the seating layout changes?

Solid wood gives you more scope for later repair, resizing or refinishing than a top made from board with a thin surface layer. The safest route is still to measure carefully at the start, because made-to-measure orders depend on the approved dimensions.

Should every booth use a square or rectangular top?

Straight booths often suit rectangular tops, while compact two-person booths may suit square tops. Curved or awkward seating can need a shaped top, so the seat line and base matter more than the shape name.

What size shared table should you order for your venue?

A good starting size allows at least 60 cm of usable table edge per diner, then adds chair movement and service space before you choose the final top size. In most cafés and restaurants, the size that works seats the cover target and still leaves clear routes around it.

Most sizing mistakes start when the tape measure stops at the timber. A top can look right on a drawing, then become awkward once chairs are pulled out and people start moving around it.

We look at a communal table as part of service. The cover count matters first, but the real question is how that table behaves at the busiest point of use. That means checking the chairs, the route past the table, the menu style and the base before the size is approved.

A shared table also asks more of the room than separate small tables. People arrive at different times, staff need access from more than one angle, and one tight pinch point can make the whole layout feel wrong in use.

Covers set the table length

An operator planning an 8-person shared table needs enough edge space for all 8 diners before looking at the final footprint. The right communal table is sized around seated covers and working clearance, not the empty floorplan.

At Tablemaker, we use 60 cm of usable edge per person as the commercial starting point for communal table size. That gives you a quick way to turn covers into length. A 60 cm by 60 cm square café top is a common two-person size, so the same allowance also helps when you are comparing small modular tables with one long shared table.

The table below compares covers wanted with starting communal table length.

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End seats can add useful flexibility, but we would treat them as a bonus in most restaurant communal table dimensions. A table size for 8 people should work as 8 proper places during service, without relying on the ends to make the maths look better.

A 10-cover calculation is a useful warning point. Once the table length moves to around 300 cm, the room, base and access routes become the deciding factors, because a long café shared table size has to work for staff as well as customers.

The working footprint decides whether it fits

The working footprint is larger than the wooden top because chairs, seated customers and service routes all take space. We start with the proposed top, then measure the table as it will be used.

A practical commercial check is to allow at least 75 cm clearance from walls or other furniture. That does not mean every room works automatically at that allowance, but it gives you a clear first pass before you reduce the top or change the seating.

• You mark the proposed table top size on the floor.
• You add the chair depth in its pulled-out position.
• You walk the main service route around the marked area.
• You check pinch points beside walls, counters and nearby tables.
• You recalculate the table size if the route becomes awkward.

Approved Document M Volume 2 says refreshment facilities such as restaurants and bars should be planned so they can be reached and used by all people independently or with companions. We use that as a useful access check when judging restaurant table clearance, especially where a communal table sits near a route through the dining area.

Outdoor shared tables need a separate look. If the furniture sits on a public highway in England, GOV.UK pavement licence guidance applies to removable furniture used for serving, selling or consuming food and drink. That check belongs before the order size is fixed, because pavement seating can lose usable space once the required route is protected.

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Take a quick photo of the room with the proposed table marked out on the floor. It is easier to spot pinch points and weak routes later when you can compare the photo with the final order.

Oliver Founder of Tablemaker

Menu style changes the width

Width is a service decision. A quick coffee setup places a different demand on the surface from full plates, shared dishes, water bottles and payment devices.

For coffee and pastries, a slimmer communal table can work well if customers use the surface briefly and the place setting stays simple. The café communal table width still needs to suit the chairs, because people need enough room to sit without edging into the next place.

For full plates, the centre of the table starts to matter. Sharing dishes, condiments, menus and table numbers use space even when each diner has enough edge. We would judge restaurant table width by what sits on the table during a normal service, because the surface has to work at its busiest point.

For laptops and daytime café use, depth becomes a different question again. A shared dining table size that works for lunch can feel crowded if people open laptops opposite each other. Benches can tighten the footprint because they tuck in differently from chairs, but chairs give customers more individual movement, so the right choice depends on how long people stay and how often they move.

The base decides usable knee space

Say you want to keep existing bases and fit a larger table top over them. The top length may look fine, but the base can still block knees, make chairs hard to tuck in, or leave the table feeling poorly balanced.

Existing bases need measurement

Restaurant table base compatibility starts with the parts under the top. We check the base footprint, fixing plate, arm spread, screw positions, top weight, overhang and finished table height before making a larger table top on an existing base.

No single overhang works for every restaurant table. A central pedestal behaves differently from a pair of end frames, and a long communal table base has to support people leaning, moving and sitting down from several points along the edge. The fixing plate matters as well, because a commercial top needs a secure fixing between the timber and the understructure.

For a complete commercial table, BS EN 15372:2023 covers strength, durability and safety requirements for non-domestic tables. That standard is useful for specification, but the comfort check still comes back to knee space, overhang and whether the base suits the top you want to use.

Wide solid wood tops need underside planning

Solid wood moves across its width, so a solid wood communal table top needs proper underside planning. Cupping means the board edges lift or drop across the width, which can happen when a wide top is restrained badly or built without enough control.

At Tablemaker, we fit straightening bars underneath wider solid oak tops to help keep them flatter, and those bars are standard on tops wider than 40 cm. Straightening bars sit across the grain underneath the top, so they help control movement without changing the working surface.

A good restaurant table top overhang is only useful when the base, fixing and underside detail all work together. We would rather adjust the size before making the top than leave you with a table that looks right and feels wrong once people sit down.

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Ask for the seat width and chair arm width as well as the cover count. A table can meet the numbers on paper and still feel cramped if the chairs are broad.

Oliver Founder of Tablemaker

Made-to-measure sizing protects daily service

The final size should come from the way your room works under service. Once the cover target, footprint, surface use and base have been checked, the table size becomes a controlled decision.

Our restaurant table tops are available from 60 cm to 280 cm long and 35 cm to 115 cm wide, including large communal dining table tops. Sizes can be built in 1 cm increments for length, width and height, which helps when a few centimetres decide whether the service route still works.

Shape can solve problems that a plain rectangle leaves behind. Café table tops can be ordered as rectangular, square, round, oval or curved-edge options, so a custom restaurant table top can follow fixed seating, soften a corner or suit a tighter route through the room.

Material matters after sizing because a commercial communal table has a hard working life. Solid wood can be refinished, and our hardwax oil finish is water resistant, food safe and repairable. A made-to-measure communal table gives you control over covers, clearance and base fit, rather than forcing the room around a stock size.

The best ordering decision is to keep the working footprint with the dimensions, so the table is made for the room in use.

Questions we get asked about communal tables

How long does a made-to-order commercial top take?

Most orders are made and delivered within two to four weeks, depending on workload. That timing applies because the work is made to order in our workshop.

Can you order wood samples before choosing the finish?

Wood samples and finish swatches are available, which helps when you are matching a top to existing furniture, flooring or a wider fit-out scheme. Samples are especially useful where several tables need to look consistent in one space.

What happens if you approve the wrong size?

Made-to-measure orders cannot be returned for a size misjudgement. Order confirmations list the measurements for approval before work starts, so the final check matters.

Do complete tables arrive fully assembled?

Tables usually arrive with the legs detached so they fit through doorways. The fixings are included, and assembly is kept simple.

When should you place your restaurant table order?

Order once the seating plan, table sizes, bases and finish are signed off, and before final snagging. For many made-to-order solid oak tops, production averages 2 to 4 weeks, but your real deadline also has to allow for approval, delivery, storage and the soft opening.

A good table order starts with the date you need the room to work, which may be staff training or a soft opening before the public launch. If the tables arrive on the launch day, the timing is already too tight.

Many first-time operators treat tables as a finishing touch. In practice, restaurant table order timing sits closer to procurement because the tops affect layout, service routes, bases and delivery planning.

We look at the order date as the point where the specification is safe to make. That gives the workshop enough detail to build accurately and gives your team enough time to receive the order properly.

Order before the room looks finished

The floor is nearly done, the walls are still being touched up, and the table sizes are still being debated. That is a normal fit-out moment, but it is a risky point to start making basic table decisions.

The table order belongs in procurement, not in the final snagging week. Procurement before site work can include furniture and bespoke joinery, and made-to-order items can take several weeks, so the table plan needs to sit inside the fit-out programme rather than trail behind it.

Production lead time covers the making of the table tops. It does not absorb every decision that has to happen first, such as checking the seating plan, confirming bases or approving the order details. New restaurant opening furniture also arrives into a live site, so delivery has to make sense alongside other trades and handover dates.

Work backwards from the first day the room must function. If staff need to practise service before launch, the tables need to be in place before then. If snagging is still active, the delivery window needs enough room for protection, access and any small adjustments on site.

For made-to-order restaurant table tops, the useful deadline is the signed-off order date. Once that is fixed, the restaurant fit-out table lead time becomes a planned part of the job rather than a compressed final-week problem.

Final measurements make made-to-order safer

Accurate measurements make custom restaurant table tops useful because the workshop can build to the room, the bases and the way you serve. At Tablemaker, we can make restaurant table tops in 1cm increments, which helps only when the working layout has already been checked.

Before approving the order, work through the sequence in a calm order:

• Confirm the working layout from the real room, including doors, counters and service routes.
• Fix the quantity and restaurant table sizes from that layout, then check the mix of two-tops, four-tops and any larger shared tables.
• Match each top to its base. Existing restaurant table bases need checking for fixing points, footprint and balance.
• Choose the shape, edge profile, corner shape and finish. These details affect both daily use and the final order confirmation.
• Check delivery constraints, including access through the building and where the tops will be held before use.
• Approve the order confirmation. Made-to-specification tables cannot be returned for a size misjudgement, and the confirmation lists the measurements and options before work starts.

Most people measure the room and forget the chair movement or the base footprint. That is where made-to-measure restaurant tables can go wrong if the order is rushed.

The approval step protects the opening schedule as much as the finished fit. Once the table size sign-off is done, production can start with fewer assumptions and less last-minute correction.

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Take a photo of each base with a tape measure beside the fixing points before you approve the order. It gives you a quick record if the same base is reused on a later site.

Oliver Founder of Tablemaker

Delivery needs a holding plan

A table can be ready before the site is ready. That sounds useful until the delivery team reaches a building with wet works still active, limited access or nobody free to receive the goods.

The table below compares tables arriving before the site is ready with tables arriving too close to opening.

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A proper restaurant furniture delivery plan covers access, secure storage, damage prevention and who signs for the goods. Suppliers can deliver before a restaurant site is ready, so delivery management and protection need agreeing when the supplier is chosen, not when the courier is outside.

Table delivery before opening also has to fit the way the product arrives. Tables usually arrive with legs detached, fixings included and simple assembly, which helps with doorways and tight routes, but someone still has to manage the delivery and put the right pieces in the right place.

Staged furniture delivery is useful when the room is close to handover and storage on site is limited. If the tables are needed for training, soft opening or final setup, the holding plan should say exactly where they go between arrival and use.

Outdoor and volume orders need extra slack

When the order includes outdoor seating, old bases or several sites, the table deadline needs more room. These parts of the job change the quantity, the fixing details or the approval chain.

Pavement seating can change the quantity

Outdoor restaurant tables on a public pavement can depend on the permitted footprint. GOV.UK pavement licence guidance says that in England a pavement licence can allow removable furniture, including tables and chairs, on certain highways beside eligible food and drink premises, subject to the relevant process and the local authority licensing team’s decision.

That matters for pavement seating tables because the approved space may change the size or number of tables that make sense. Order too early and you may own the wrong mix for the frontage.

Existing bases can change the top

Reusing bases is sensible when the frames are sound and fit the room, but the top still has to suit the base. Fixing position, table size and balance all need checking before production.

Commercial table tops can be made to fit an existing base, which is one reason final measurements matter. A small assumption can repeat across every table in the room.

Volume orders need earlier agreement

A bulk restaurant table order puts more pressure on approval because repeated details multiply fast. Finish, edge and corner choices need settling before the workshop schedule is fixed.

Samples and finish swatches can be ordered early, and trade pricing is available for commercial and volume orders. Those early decisions let your team compare finishes without forcing the final quantity before the layout is safe.

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Agree who has authority to approve any table change before suppliers are contacted. Keep that name with the order notes so site comments do not become conflicting instructions.

Oliver Founder of Tablemaker

A signed-off table plan beats a late scramble

Some teams wait until the room looks complete and then order tables under pressure. A better route is to sign off the table plan while procurement is active, after the layout is checked and before the fit-out reaches its last rush.

A signed-off table plan gives the opening team control, not another last-minute decision. It gives the workshop a clear specification, gives the fit-out team a delivery plan and gives the restaurant team furniture that matches the way the room has to work.

Made-to-order is strongest when the decisions are settled. With solid wood restaurant tables, the gain comes from ordering table tops made to the right sizes, for the right bases, with a finish that suits daily service.

At Tablemaker, we treat a commercial table order as a set of practical constraints to solve, including size, use, bases and delivery. The late scramble buys speed on paper; the signed-off plan buys fit, control and a calmer opening setup.

Questions we get asked about restaurant table orders

Can we order just table tops for a restaurant?

Yes. We make commercial table tops as products in their own right, so they can be paired with bases you already have or with bases chosen for the new layout.

Can solid oak restaurant tables be repaired later?

Solid oak can be sanded and refinished many times. A repairable surface matters in a restaurant because daily use marks furniture faster than a domestic dining room.

Is hardwax oil suitable for restaurant table tops?

Hardwax oil is our standard finish. It is water resistant, food safe, easy to clean and easy to repair, which makes it practical for solid wood tops used every day.

Should we choose samples before finalising the table sizes?

Yes, samples and finish swatches can be dealt with early. That lets you settle the look and feel of the finish while the fit-out team confirms the final layout.

Can you make tables in non-standard sizes?

Yes. We make sizes in 1cm increments, which is useful for awkward layouts, narrow rooms and existing bases where a standard size leaves wasted space.

How much space should be between your restaurant tables?

For a main gangway between tables, we work from 1300mm where accessible movement matters; Department for Transport Inclusive Mobility guidance allows 900mm only where space is very limited. That is not a universal edge-to-edge gap. Real restaurant table spacing has to include occupied chairs and service routes.

The gap on the plan is not the same as the gap in service

A dining room can look tidy on a plan and still feel cramped at 8pm. Chairs move, coats hang over backs, bags sit beside legs and staff need to pass with plates in both hands.

Empty-table spacing is different from service spacing. A neat gap between two bare table tops tells us where furniture starts, but it does not tell us whether a guest can stand up without knocking the next chair, or whether staff can reach a corner table without turning sideways.

Cover count matters because every restaurant has to make the floor earn its keep. Even so, a room packed beyond its working limit gives you a different problem: slower service, awkward movement and customers who feel squeezed before the food arrives. The useful distance between tables in a restaurant is the distance that still works once people are seated.

The measurement you choose changes the answer

One phrase, restaurant table clearance, gets used for several different gaps. We separate them early because each one answers a different planning question.

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Most people measure the room and forget the chairs. Chair depth changes the real gap fast, especially with padded dining chairs, loose armchairs or banquette seating where one side is fixed and the opposite side has to do more of the work.

Route width deserves its own mark on the plan. A small side gap beside one quiet two-top can be tighter than the route to the toilets, because the job is different. Pushchairs, assistance dogs, guests standing to leave and staff carrying trays all turn spare floor into working floor.

Before you decide the number of tables, label the routes that people will actually use. That makes the next decision clearer: which parts of the room need protection, and which gaps can be treated as local comfort space.

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Test the plan with chairs in their used position, because bare table tops hide the real pinch points. Door swings, banquette ends and corners usually reveal the first problems.

Oliver Founder of Tablemaker

Table size and shape can win back usable room

Two tables may fit on paper, then fail once guests sit down and staff need to pass behind them. In that case, the problem may be the table top, not the whole dining room.

At Tablemaker, we often look at table top size and shape as part of the spacing problem, rather than as a separate decision. A slightly narrower rectangular top can open up a tight staff route along a wall. Rounded corners can make a pinch point feel less awkward where people turn. Square tops can work well in compact dining rooms because they let you change the mix of two-tops and four-tops during service.

Round and oval tops can soften movement around corners, although they do not always pack as tightly along a straight run. Rectangular tops suit banquettes and wall lines because they use the edge of the room cleanly. None of these shapes is automatically better. The right choice depends on the route beside it and the seats around it.

Our commercial table tops can be made in 1cm increments, and we can specify rectangular, square, round, oval or custom shapes. That matters in a real restaurant dining layout because a few centimetres on several tops can recover a staff path without stripping the room of covers.

The table top has to match the room, the base and the way the dining room works when it is full.

Access and service routes need their own clear lines

Some gaps are comfort gaps and some gaps are route gaps. We treat them separately because accessible dining, staff movement and guest comfort all place different demands on the same floor.

Approved Document M Volume 2 says refreshment facilities such as restaurants and bars should be arranged so people can reach and use them independently or with companions. The Equality Act 2010 also sits in the background of commercial planning because disabled customers need reasonable adjustments. You do not need to turn your table plan into a legal manual, but you do need to take access seriously before sizes are fixed.

Service routes deserve the same calm attention. A waiter passing behind occupied chairs needs more than a decorative line on a floor plan. A busy route to the bar or toilets cannot be planned as if the room will stay still.

Fire risk assessment, licensing and building control sit beside comfort spacing, not inside it. We keep those checks separate from the question of how pleasant the room feels, then make sure the final layout is confirmed properly before production or fit-out decisions are locked in.

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Treat route width as separate from guest comfort space. A narrow side gap may work at a quiet two-top, yet fail on the path to toilets, exits or the bar.

Oliver Founder of Tablemaker

Test the layout with chairs occupied before you order

A table layout test should use occupied chairs, because bare tops hide the problem. The quickest way to test restaurant table spacing is to walk the room as if it is already full.

• Mark the actual table sizes. Use the sizes you plan to order, not a rough shape that is easier to draw.
• Pull chairs into their used position. Leave space for real chair backs, not just chair legs tucked neatly under the tops.
• Walk the main routes. Follow the paths to toilets, exits, the bar, service stations and any external terrace.
• Find the pinch points first. Corners, door swings, banquette ends and tight pairs of two-tops will tell you more than the widest part of the room.
• Adjust the table mix. A different split of square, rectangular, round or oval tops can solve a tight area without cutting the whole layout back.

For made-to-measure commercial tops at Tablemaker, we treat this test as part of choosing the size. A room does not have to accept standard tops if standard tops create an awkward gap. Existing bases, narrow wall runs and small changes in corner shape can all affect whether service feels smooth or squeezed.

The sharper question is not how many tables fit into the restaurant. The better question is how many tables still let the room work when every seat is full.

Questions we get asked about restaurant table spacing

Do round tables save space in a small restaurant?

Round tables can help movement around corners, but they do not always fit as tightly against walls or banquettes. We look at the shape of the room before deciding whether round, square or rectangular tops give the better working layout.

How much table width does each diner need?

As a rough seating guide, we allow about 50cm of table width per person, with more space for wider chairs. That figure helps with comfort at the table, but it does not replace checking the space between occupied chairs.

Can smaller table tops increase covers without making the room feel cramped?

Smaller tops can help, but only if the chair space and routes still work. A compact top that leaves staff squeezing between seated guests will usually cost you more in service flow than it gains in covers.

Are modular square tables useful for cafés and casual dining rooms?

Modular square tables work well where you need flexibility between pairs and small groups. We list 60 x 60cm modular tops as one option for compact dining areas, but the room still needs a layout test with chairs in place.

Should accessible tables be planned separately from the rest of the dining room?

Accessible tables need to be part of the main dining room plan, not treated as an afterthought. The approach route, chair position and table height all matter, so we plan access before the final table mix is chosen.

This is general information, not professional advice.