Importance Of Seating In Food Court

Food court table and seating availability is essential to success. Seating is like parking; when you do not have it, it puts a lid on the amount of business that can be generated in the food unit. Seating demand is a function of mall activity; food court sales, the types of food units in the food court; the type of seating; peak hours, seating efficiency; seating turnover and the number of elderly who spend sitting time in the mall. Remember, all seats are never fully utilized.

Seating availability is a misnomer. Seats may be vacant at some tables; however is seating really available? How many people will sit at an already occupied table? In most parts of the country, not many! Therefore, available tables is more important measure than the number of vacant seats. Thus, it is necessary to compute table/seating efficiency. For example, if a table of four is occupied by two people, the efficiency is 50 percent. With one person, the efficiency is 25 percent. A duce, or table for two, with one person has an efficiency of 50 percent. With two people the efficiency is 100 percent. Efficiency plays a very important role in the adequacy of seating in a food court. Seating efficiency is never 100 percent, and more often, around 65 percent if the predominant seating is tables for

In my opinion, major food courts in malls should have at least 50 seats for each hot foods unit and 30 seats for each dessert food units. The 30 seats for dessert units is variable, depending upon whether the mall has a policy of not allowing the consumers to carry dessert foods out of the food court area. Thus, if a facility had six hot food units, a total of 300 seats is required for those units. Furthermore, assuming that there were four dessert-type facilities, they would require 120 seats, resulting in a total of 420 seats. Further, if the seating efficiency were 70 percent, a total of 600 seats are really required. Also, dealing in extremes of young or