Thinking about opening a restaurant or café? A meticulous restaurant floor plan for your venue can pave the way for a successful business venture. A floor plan involves more than simply rearranging tables; it must be developed thoughtfully to streamline restaurant operations. Several crucial elements need to be considered when designing your venue's layout.
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Restaurant Design Guide
Mapping Out Floor Planning Essentials
When designing your floor plan, you need to consider the following elements:
- Waiting / entrance area
- Dining room
- Bar / countertop area
- Kitchen and prep rooms
- Storage
- Restrooms
- Compliance with accessibility legislation
- Patio / outdoor dining spaces
To ensure smooth operations, it's important that the back of the house and patio space align with your restaurant floor plan. Lighting should also be factored into your layout, as it plays a crucial role in setting the ambiance for your restaurant. Positioning your restaurant tables too close to large lights can subject your patrons to an unpleasant glare.
Kitchen and Restroom Layout
A commercial kitchen layout typically consists of five distinct areas for meal production:
- Food prep station
- Meal cooking
- Service area
- Cleaning/washing
- Storage
This setup is intentionally designed to keep staff within their defined stations, minimizing movement between spaces.
Restrooms should be accessible but located away from the dining room. A restroom door that adjoins a dining area can create an uncomfortable situation for both staff and patrons. Once you’ve identified a kitchen space in your floor plan, consider restroom placement. Positioning your restroom near the kitchen (as shown in the diagram below) can save plumbing expenses by connecting it to adjacent lines. Restrooms should be spacious and easy to clean, featuring fixtures that are practical and hygienic.
The diagram also illustrates a typical floor plan for a casual dining restaurant, including the placement of the kitchen and restrooms. It provides technical information regarding proper spacing for aisles, booths, tables, and chairs. The seating capacity is calculated based on a restaurant design module elaborated on in our restaurant tables spacing article.
To facilitate efficient operations behind the scenes, a well-designed kitchen is essential. Clearly defined workstations for food preparation, cleaning areas, and service stations help make the chaos of a busy restaurant kitchen more manageable. Given sufficient space, the recommended layout includes a kitchen island, walk-in storage, refrigeration areas, and spacious aisles, as shown in the diagram below:
Allocating Primary Space
When considering primary spaces for your restaurant floor plan, a general rule of thumb is that the dining room should comprise the majority of the total space. The remaining area should be allocated to the kitchen, storage, and preparation areas. These dimensions may need to be adjusted if your floor plans include waiting or bar areas; however, the approximate percentages for each space should remain consistent.
| Space | Total Area |
| Dining Room | 60% total area |
| Kitchen, Preparation, Storage | 40% total area |
Floor and restaurant layout plans vary based on the type of venue and restaurant furniture used. It’s important to note that banquet seating may require as little as 10 sq. ft. per person, whereas fine dining necessitates at least 20 sq. ft. per person. Most restaurants and coffee shops typically average around 15 sq. ft. per person. Seating capacity should also consider the space needed for wait stations and traffic aisles. The general seating capacity regulations you should apply to your restaurant floor plan stipulate:
| Venue | Required Sq. Ft. Per Person |
| Fine Dining | 18 – 20 |
| Full Service Restaurant | 12 – 15 |
| Counter Service | 18 – 20 |
| Fast Food Minimum | 11 – 14 |
| Table Service/Hotel/Club | 15 – 18 |
| Banquet/Event Hall | 10 – 11 |
Restaurant Furniture Spacing Guidelines
To ensure safety and allow for the free flow of traffic for both customers and servers, there needs to be a minimum space allowance for pathways between various furniture items. Below are some guidelines to assist you in determining the ideal seating space and table height you should consider:
| Diagram | Setting | Space Between Each |
 | Occupied Chairs | 18" - 20" |
 | Tables Set in Parallel | 42" - 60" Between Sides |
 | Tables Set on a Diagonal | 24" - 36" Between Corners |
One important consideration when planning your layout and purchasing furniture is to match the table and seating heights:
| Table Height | Seating Height |
| Table Height: 29″ – 30″ | Chair Seat Height: 17″ – 18″ |
| Bar Height: 36″ – 42″ | Bar Stool Seat Height: 29″ – 30″ |
Patio/Outdoor Dining Service
Restaurant interior design concepts and floor plans extend to the patio area, assuming you plan to have one. Your aesthetic concept can be carried outdoors by applying the same layout style and proper space planning guidelines, as illustrated in the diagram below:
Restaurant floor plans for patio spaces should ensure adequate spacing between tables and umbrellas to prevent collisions between patrons and wait staff. Additionally, wide walkways and aisles running alongside plants should be included in your patio layout plans.
Once you’ve designed your restaurant floor plan, you can focus on the décor and the type of restaurant furniture you want to use for your venue. This largely depends on the type of establishment you have and the clientele you aim to attract. Depending on the size of the restaurant, there are many furnishing options to consider, such as restaurant booths, tables, chairs, or a combination of both—including diner booths and booth tables. Taking the time to meticulously design your floor plan should consider the available space, type of restaurant, and seating arrangements to help make your restaurant business successful.
The following diagram showcases an example of an efficient layout, including proper spacing and a variety of restaurant seating:
For more information about restaurant floor plans and layout designs, we recommend reading our guide on maximizing comfort and efficiency with a restaurant layout design plan.