Why a restaurant furniture checklist should be built by zone
A clear restaurant furniture checklist is one of the first things to settle when opening a restaurant or café, long before the final decor. Commercial seating is never a single line item: the dining room, bar counter, window lounge, terrace and waiting area each need a different seating type, a different table size and a different level of durability. Working zone by zone keeps you from forgetting items and from overspending on the wrong ones.
Start with the floor plan. Mark the net area of each zone, columns, doors and the service route from the kitchen. Then decide how many guests each zone should hold and how long they typically stay. A quick-service café and a slow evening restaurant end up with very different furniture lists on the same floor area.
Seating and table checklist by area
| Area | Seating | Tables | Key point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main dining room | Side chairs, armchairs in corners | 70×70 and 80×80 cm square tops | Tables that can be joined |
| Bar counter | Bar stools | Counter or high tables | 55–60 cm of counter per stool |
| Window / lounge | Lounge chairs, armchairs | Low or small tables | Comfort for long stays |
| Terrace | Metal or wire chairs | Outdoor-ready tables | Weather-resistant finish |
| Entrance / waiting | Bench or stools | Usually none | Must not narrow the walkway |
List table bases as a separate line from tabletops. Pedestal table bases make it easy to push two-tops together for larger groups and leave more legroom for guests than four-leg frames.
How many chairs per square metre?
The practical way to size your order is to divide the net seating area by the space allowed per guest. These figures cover tables, chairs and aisles only; kitchen, restrooms and storage are excluded.
- Fast food and self-service: 1.0–1.2 m² per guest
- Café and casual dining: 1.2–1.5 m² per guest
- Fine dining: 1.7–1.9 m² per guest
A café with 80 m² of net dining space can therefore seat roughly 55–65 guests. Keep two-person tables in the majority: most parties are couples, and two-tops combine easily into fours or sixes. At the bar, divide the counter length by 55–60 cm to get the number of bar stools.
Budgeting tips for commercial furniture
- Prioritise seating: chairs take the most daily wear and are what guests feel first. Cheap, short-lived chairs quickly turn into a replacement bill.
- Add 5–10% spares: keeping spare chairs from the same batch is cheaper than hunting for a matching model later.
- Think total cost of ownership: solid metal frames, replaceable upholstery and easy-clean surfaces lower maintenance over the years.
- Buy direct from a manufacturer: wholesale orders from the factory give you more freedom on frame colours and fabrics and make repeat orders simpler.
Final checks before you order
Match seat height to your table height, decide whether you need stackable models for cleaning and events, and ask about floor glides that suit your flooring. If possible, test a sample chair at your actual table; comfort and fit only become clear in real use.
ASF Sandalye is a chair manufacturer with its own production facility in Sancaktepe, Istanbul, making chairs, armchairs, bar stools, lounge chairs and table bases, and shipping across Turkey and abroad. To build a furniture list from 100+ models and get a wholesale quote, contact us via WhatsApp or phone.
Common questions
What furniture do I need to open a café?
The core list is chairs and tables for the dining room, bar stools for the counter, lounge chairs or armchairs for a relaxed corner, outdoor-ready metal chairs for the terrace and table bases for every tabletop.
How many chairs fit in a 100 m² restaurant?
It depends on the concept. At 1.2–1.5 m² per guest a café or casual restaurant seats about 65–80 people; a fine dining layout at 1.7–1.9 m² seats about 50–60.
How many spare chairs should I buy?
A common rule is 5–10% of your total chair count. Spares let you replace damaged chairs immediately without searching for a matching model later.