RESTAURANT CHAIR DESIGNS, STYLES & TYPES

As far as restaurants, cafes, and other commercial dining businesses are concerned, the seating furniture and which mainly includes restaurant chairs is the single biggest contributor not only by way of accentuating the restaurant’s interiors and ambiance but also by providing unparalleled comfort and function to the diner

Also, unlike most tables, chairs are of a great deal of interest among designers and architects, so much so that several unique-looking chairs have specific names. And we’ve listed a few of them that are unique to the restaurant industry and that are unique to dining as well. Along with listing several other styles, shapes, and forms of restaurant chairs

At FurnitureRoots, we make all types of seating furniture especially for restaurant dining, and having worked across restaurant businesses with interior themes & styles [See some of them here], we have a good idea of the several different variations of chairs that restauranteurs like yourself demand

Before we begin, we must get some housekeeping out of the way and this namely includes;

THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF A CHAIR

The different bits and pieces of a dining chair are important to know, especially during the research phase of several different types of restaurant chairs. We list a few of them below.

1. THE SEATING – A no-brainer, this is the bit that holds the torso, budget options of restaurant chairs are often bare-bones without any cushioning and padding, mid-range ones come with performance foam padding, fabric upholstery & higher-end restaurant chairs come with the seating upholstered in premium grade leather (top-grain, full-grain) or even in velvet

2. THE LEGS – This bit does not even need an explanation. The only bit that some don’t realize is that not all chairs come with 4 legs, some come with 2 leg options as well which you will be able to see below

3. ARMRESTS– An optional accessory and only used in restaurant armchair seating options which are primarily used in restaurants that see a lot of footfall from senior diners.

4. LEG RAIL – This is the tiny strip of metal or wood that runs across the legs of the chair, they’re used only in some dining chairs.

5. BACK SUPPORT: The arched, declined, or straight structure that we lean on. Great for lumbar support and can also include several padding, upholstery and coating options

8 POPULAR RESTAURANT CHAIR DESIGNS, STYLES & TYPES

farmhouse design dining chairs with mild distressing

WOODEN (RUSTIC) RESTAURANT CHAIRS

Okay, we have to admit, we at FurnitureRoots are quite partial towards wooden chairs, and wooden furniture in general.

Although wood is by far the most widely used material in chairs, the number of designs, styles and types that haven’t been explored are way too many and when a blend of modern design philosophy is blended with traditional wood crafting techniques, the resulting design is simply jaw-dropping.

There’s another reason why wooden chairs are our top pick. Unlike modern materials, the crafting techniques and handiwork of wooden chairs simply stand out and they’re more welcoming to techniques like distressing and peppering rough sawn elements.

All of this results in chairs that look like this and how can you afford to not consider using them in your upcoming restaurant

FR Chairs Series Designer Patchwork Fabric Dining Chair in White Distress Finish

Rustic Industrial-Design Side Chair in Natural Finish

OUTDOOR RESTAURANT CHAIRS

There’s simply no missing out on outdoor dining. As a restauranteur, if you have the luxury of annexing the outdoor street sides, rooftops, balcony area of poolside areas then you definitely need to read further

You see furniture that is used outdoors is purpose-built to resist adverse conditions. This can include bad weather, unbearable heat, excessive moisture, and so on. Standard indoor furniture simply cannot handle these conditions and they reduce the lifespan to around 1/4th its original.

Outdoor chairs, (both armchairs, accent chairs & so on) are typically made out of stainless steel, mild steel, cast iron with epoxy coating, rattan (wicker), cane, plastic or engineered outdoor-grade ply

Cafes typically opt for our outdoor furniture and yes, they may look a bit flimsier but selecting the right ones as per the outdoor setting will certainly ensure that the furniture set-up is as aesthetically pleasing as possible

outdoor plywood chair with rush rope weave seating for commercial outdoor dining

Bentwood-Design Metal Bistro Chair in Blue Finish

Victorian Cast Iron Garden Chair in White

Metal Bar Height Chair with outdoor grade Leather Seat and Low-Height Backrest (Extra Large)

At FurnitureRoots, we sell our commercial wooden tabletops to these locations globally

contemporary restaurant armchair with brass feetcaps and handstitched upholstery

MODERN RESTAURANT CHAIRS

Sometime around the turn of the 1950s, the modern design philosophy began picking up some serious steam. It began with the mid-century styles, which later on evolved into what we call the Scandinavian and the danish furniture styles of today

Several Scandinavian & Danish designers, in particular, made chairs in modern styles and began naming them specifically. The model 42 dining chair & the wishbone armchair are chairs that are all excellent modern designs for a restaurant set-up

After the turn of the 2000s, deep contemporary chairs are all the rage, these are exquisitely tufted restaurant chairs with exposed nailheads, deep-colored velvet, glossy stainless steel, and sleek, minimalistic design.

Check out some of them we’ve listed here

Solid Wood Curved Back Dining Chair with Vinyl Upholstery

Exquisite Upholstered Dining Chair For Restaurant Use

mid century modern restaurant dining chair in gold plated mild steel frame

BANQUET STYLE CHAIRS OR BUDGET CHAIRS

If your restaurant is operating purely based on volumes and medium-range margins, you’re quite likely looking to procure chairs that satisfy certain hygiene factors. No more no less.

On one hand, you’d certainly want your diners to be seated in absolute comfort and on the other hand, you wouldn’t want to be too extravagant with the expenditure which can invariably cause a dent in your profits.

These medium-cost chairs are typically used in banquet settings and in restaurants with large seating arrangements (200+ covers). A typical chair in such a setting will cost ~$80 and will comfortably last for 4 years+

The Side Chair, the Windsor Chair are all examples of such chairs in addition to the folding & stacking style chairs that are popularly used in banquet halls

Curved Back Wooden Banquet Dining Chair in Natural Finish

Low Cost Square Back Dark Brown Fabric Stacking Banquet Chair with 1” Padded Seat

fabric upholstered butterfly chair for fine dining set-ups

FINE DINING RESTAURANT CHAIR DESIGNS

The fine-dining setup is something we are all quite familiar with. A formally hosted evening at a reputed local restaurant is an occasion most of us have etched in our minds with fond memories of our families & our significant others

Several cultures globally take formal fine dining arrangements quite seriously. The Italians, the Americans, the Japanese & the English are quite particular & meticulous of a fine-dining set-up and if you’re planning on building a restaurant that even remotely resembles this, you’re going to have to procure purpose-built fine-dining furniture

Fine dining chairs in particular, a solid robust structure in a must. Hand-stitched genuine leather upholstery is preferred but is not a necessity and can be substituted with fabric or rexine-based alternatives.

The parsons fine dining chair, the Hoffman side chair & wingback chairs are all prime examples of fine-dining restaurant chairs.

fabric stcitched chair for fine dining cafes

navy blue fabric stitched with exposed nailheads on a wooden frame

AUTOMOBILE THEMED RESTAURANT CHAIRS

Highway-side restaurants, automobile themed cafes for petrolheads, industrial-steampunk style restaurants and other youth-centric dining businesses often lookout for car-themed furniture or automobile furniture

These furniture pieces are widely used in commercial set-ups not only in restaurant dining businesses like this, but is also used in other hospitality businesses. It is a form of upcycled furniture which uses salvaged car parts, car equipment, components, and features without breaking them down and only cleaning and mildly fabricating them instead.

As far as chairs are concerned, automobile themed restaurants use car seat chairs, repurposed bonnets for a chair-style seating, and so on.

upcycled car seat for themed restaurants

counter height classic industrial restaurant chair in black metal & burnt barnwood

INDUSTRIAL RESTAURANT CHAIRS

The most widely adopted design theme, Industrial chairs are easily some of the most flexible in their applications. Mainly used in pubs, taverns, breweries, and clubs that are aimed at a young audience due to their rugged and unpolished appearance, which the youth of today dig for some reason.

That being said, variations of Industrial design, like Tolix chairs and Industrial tufted wingback chairs with Industrial style leather can also be used in budget restaurants and modern fine-dining establishments alike.

Modern Industrial, Vintage Industrial & Rustic industrial are all spin-offs that can trace their roots to the industrial era design philosophies.

low cost industrial tolix chair made from sheet metal

mid century modern restaurant dining chair (armless)

simple industrial metal chair for outdoor use

BAR LOUNGE CHAIRS

These are primarily designed for comfort, followed by aesthetics. They’re often quite expensive and quite a hassle to blend into the seating layout of the restaurant but they’re a necessity in the restaurant lounge area if you’re a mid to premium style restaurant.

Bar lounge chairs are a staple in airport resto-lounges, gaming cafes, nightclubs, the bar area near the hotel lobby and so on.

The butterfly restaurant chair, swivel restaurant chair and wingback restaurant chairs are all examples of restaurant & bar lounge chairs

elegant tub chairs for restaurant & bar lounge setups

tuxedo restaurant lounge chair with slanted black metal legs

Custom Navy Blue Velvet Upholstered High Back Wing Chair in Wooden Frame

Round Arm Chesterfield Lounge Chair in Green Velvet Fabric Upholstery