When starting from scratch there are many things to consider to make your restaurant, cafe, bar or pub function the way you want.

Things to consider

• space available
• target number of covers
• the size of the plates which are being used vs the number of plate and sides etc
• the type of establishment i.e. cafe, bar, hotel, pub or restaurant

Table tops come in many shapes and sizes. Try these 3 easy steps to help you decide on the top size you may require  amount of space needed by your customer on a table

Step 1  -Working out how much space a customer will take up on a table.

We suggest choosing the size of the plates, sides, serving dishes, glasses, cups and condiments etc you will be serving the food or beverage to your guests.

Place them out in front of you on table this will help you estimate the minimum amount of space you need for two people sitting across from each other.

For two people opposite each other you’ll most come out with a size from 600-800mm across depending on how many sides/ serving dishes are allowed for, (that’s why you’ll see most of our stock table tops are around this size.)

Step 2 – Deciding how much space should be allowed for the customer to sit in.

Allowance per person, this is generally between 500-600mm per person but will depend on your chair choice, if you choose a side chair these can vary from 450-600mm wide as standard and if you choose an armchair it could be even higher. For banquette seating, you can generally squeeze more people on for large groups but a rule of thumb is 550- 600mm per person

Step 3 – Choosing the shape and style for your table

Now that you have ascertained your general minimum sizes that you need per person its time to apply it to the tables.  Generally, the quicker the turnaround the smaller the table will be but we can split this further into three areas

Informal – Coffee shops /cafes

Informal/formal – Cafes/ small restaurants

Formal – Restaurants