Bar stools · 5 min
Backless versus backed restaurant bar stools for a cafe window ledge
A guest on a stool at 6:55 AM stays about as long as the espresso takes to cool.
Read this guideDaybreak Restaurant Furniture / Ideas & planning
Counter notes
Practical reference notes for furniture schedules, handoffs and the next location.
Explore the guides
30 guides · Page 1 of 3
Venue types · 5 min
Bakery cafe furniture planning around the case and the coffee queue
At opening, the room looks roomy. A little later, someone is choosing bread, another guest is waiting for coffee, and a tray is trying to get past both of them.
Read this guide
Bar stools · 5 min
Bar stool and counter fit below the edge of the ledge
The seat height looks right on the page. At the ledge, the guest's knees meet an apron and the stool sits farther back than expected.
Read this guide
Bar stools · 5 min
Bar stool spacing for dining and drinks at the cafe ledge
A mug fits on a narrow ledge. Add a breakfast plate, cutlery, and a second guest, and the same surface starts doing a different job.
Read this guide
Chairs · 5 min
Bucket restaurant chair fit and footprint in a small cafe
A curved back looks tidy against a small table. Then somebody pulls the chair out, turns sideways, and leaves a bag on the floor.
Read this guide
Venue types · 5 min
A cafe seating mix that holds up from the 7 AM rush to the 2 PM lull
At 7:40 AM, three laptops hold three tables, a family of four stands by the pickup shelf with their cups, and the line reaches the door. Nobody did anything wrong.
Read this guide
Venue types · 6 min
Choosing coffee shop tables for laptop use in a small room
At 9:40 AM the two-top by the window holds one person, one laptop, one cup and one empty chair. At noon it holds the same four things.
Read this guide
Bar stools · 6 min
A commercial bar stool buying guide for the window ledge and the counter
The ledge is built. The top sits 40 inches off the floor, the paint is dry, and the stool order is open in another tab.
Read this guide
Tables · 6 min
Custom restaurant tables for constrained spaces need a full-size check
The awkward corner beside the bakery case can look like a perfect place for a custom table. It can also be the space where customers turn with a tray.
Read this guide
Venue types · 5 min
Choosing day to night cafe furniture for a room that changes at 5 PM
At 6:45 AM the room belongs to the espresso machine, the mop bucket and whoever got there first.
Read this guide
Room layouts · 5 min
Narrow restaurant furniture layouts that keep a 36-inch lane open
Stand in the doorway of a shop ten feet wide and you can see both walls, the register and every table at once.
Read this guide
Venue types · 5 min
Pop-up restaurant furniture selection starts with what you can carry
The freight truck pulls up, the driver slides a pallet to the tailgate, and you have about 30 minutes to get it unloaded. That is day one of a pop-up.
Read this guideTry the layout before you buy
Cafe plans
Save chairs, stools and tables with their options and counts. Copy the plan for a second shop or a quick refresh.
Pick a place to start
Walk your cafe plan through to the order.
Chairs and stools first
Open chairs for tables, bar stools for the counter or window ledge. Read the configured price and listed dimensions before you order a dozen of one.
Look through the chairs →Count the top and the base
A table can be one finished piece, or a top and a base listed separately. Read what each listing includes, and whether the two parts go together, before you compare prices.
Browse whole tables →Watch the total as you go
Save each configured piece into a named zone of your cafe plan, change the counts as you go, and keep your own allowance apart from the furniture total.
Cafe plans →