Restaurant and cafe tables

A 24 inch square seats two. A 36 inch square seats four. Between those two numbers sits most of a small cafe's floor plan. These 88 tables show the top shape, size, and base material on each page, so you can count seats before you count dollars.

Count the party, then pick the top

Two guests fit a 24 by 30 inch top, and 30 by 30 gives them room to spread out. Four guests need 36 by 36 or a 30 by 48 rectangle. Round tops count differently: a 36 inch round fits four who don't mind elbows, 42 to 48 inches takes four to six, and 60 inches takes eight.

Say your dining area is 600 square feet and you plan 12 square feet per seat. That gives about 50 seats, or 25 two-tops. Code occupancy limits come first, so treat the arithmetic as a starting sketch.

Square tops are the most common shape, offered on 72 listings. Rectangles come next at 56, rounds at 37, and drop leaf at four. A drop leaf can fold down to hand an aisle back between the lunch rush and the lull.

What sits on the shelf

The complete table sets are the quickest start, 31 of them. Bar-height tables number 16 and want stools of 29 to 31 inches. Communal tables number 12 and seat strangers along one edge, so give each person about two feet of it. There are also five folding tables and a single booth table.

Tops, bases, and the mix

Solid wood is the top material you will see most, on 20 listings, with aluminum close behind at 18 and synthetic teak at 15. Steel is the base material you will see most, on 31 listings, ahead of cast iron at 22 and aluminum at 16. To mix and match, shop table tops and table bases on their own, and give a round top a base whose spread reaches two thirds of its width.

Inside, outside, and the code

73 listings are for indoor use and 55 for patio use, and the patio line is the only permission a table needs to go outdoors. Single tables range from $67 to $515.

Counting accessible seats? The 2010 ADA Standards set dining tops between 28 and 34 inches high and want 5 percent or more of your dining seats at such surfaces. Your designer or local building office has the final word, so ask before you fix the plan. Try a solid wood butcher block table in the layout, or open cafe plans and draw the room.