How to Determine Restaurant Seating Capacity

One extremely important decision about opening or owning a restaurant is determining a seating structure and seating capacity. No matter how your restaurant may be set up, determining the capacity of your restaurant is crucial for day-to-day operations, kitchen management and staffing. Whether you go with a large-scale or small-scale restaurant, its capacity could be the single greatest influence on the restaurant as a whole.

Calculate the square footage of your building. This will give you an accurate guide to the amount of seating you will need.

Once you have determined the tables, find chairs that match well with your decor. Your chairs should be durable and easily movable. Take measurements on the chairs.

Draw a floorplan for your restaurant's dining room, once you have taken all of your measurements. Try as best as possible to be exactly in scale. Place the tables, booths and chairs where you think they will fit best in terms of guest comfortability and maximum capacity. Once you have determined the number of tables and booths you need, as well as the number of seats at each, you'll know your restaurant's seating capacity.

Determine the layout of the restaurant. If you are starting a restaurant from scratch, you will need to pick out tables and/or booths for your dining room. Take measurements on the booths and tables you pick.

Difficulty: Moderate