Types of Restaurant Chairs: A Specifier’s Glossary

Pictured: Morimoto at MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV

Most furniture conversations go sideways because two people are using the same word for different things. A "bar chair" means one height to an operator and another to a manufacturer. This is the vocabulary we use on proposals and cut sheets, and what each type is actually good for.

By where it sits

Side chair — a dining chair with no arms, at roughly 18" seat height for a 29–30" table. The workhorse of a dining room, because you can put four of them at a table without arms colliding. See side chairs.
Arm chair — the same seat height with arms. More comfortable, easier to rise from, and it eats more space per cover. Most rooms use them at booth ends, banquette caps and head positions rather than everywhere. See arm chairs.
Counter stool — 24–26" seat height for a 36" counter.
Bar stool — 29–30" seat height for a 42" bar. Getting this pair right is the single most common specifying mistake; our height guide covers how to measure a bar properly.
Lounge chair, sofa and settee — low seating for lobbies, waiting areas and soft-seating zones. Lower and deeper than dining seating, and not interchangeable with it. See lounge chairs and sofas.

By frame material

Material drives durability, weight, maintenance and price more than any other single decision.

Wood — the warmest look and the most repairable. Ours are American walnut, American white oak, American ash and European beech, built with mortise-and-tenon joinery and very few bolted connections, which is why they stay tight. Not for outdoor or non-conditioned spaces. See wood chairs.
Metal — the toughest for high-traffic rooms. Ours are welded rather than bolted, so there is nothing to work loose. Steel needs a coating to stay rust-free; aluminium does not. See metal chairs.
Upholstered — comfort and acoustics, at the cost of a maintenance regime. The material spec matters more than the frame here. See upholstered chairs.
Poly-molded — colour runs through the material, so scuffs do not expose a different colour underneath. UV-resistant and suited to year-round outdoor use. See the Poly-Molded All-Weather Collection.

By back style

These are the terms that show up in design intent documents:

Ladder back — horizontal slats climbing the back. Reads traditional or farmhouse depending on the profile.
Cross back — an X in the back frame. A bistro staple that has been in fashion for a decade.
Slat and spindle back — vertical members. Slats are flat, spindles are turned; spindles read more traditional.
Bucket or barrel back — a continuous curved back that wraps the sitter. Almost always upholstered, and reads more lounge than dining even at dining height.
Bentwood — steam-bent solid wood, usually in a curved loop back. The classic cafe chair silhouette.

Features worth specifying deliberately

Stacking. If the room is ever cleared for events, specify stackable seating from the start rather than discovering the problem later. Most of our stackable frames go 4 to 8 high. See stackable seating and our stacking guide.
Swivel. Some stools come standard with swivels and many more can be customised. Most backless swivel stools use a 360° mechanism; swivel stools with backs usually use an auto-return, so the stool faces the bar again when the guest leaves.
Ganging. We do not offer ganging hardware as standard, but we can customise a product to meet that need.
Arms that clear the table. Check the arm height against the table apron before you commit. An arm chair that will not tuck in costs you circulation space on every cover.

How to actually choose

Work in this order: height first (it is fixed by your tables), then material (fixed by traffic and environment), then style. Doing it in reverse is how rooms end up with a beautiful chair that cannot be cleaned, stacked or sat at the bar.

Then get one in the room. Our Sample Loan Program covers up to two complimentary chair or stool samples on projects of 10 or more pieces, with shipping both ways, on a 60-day loan.

Not sure which type fits? Contact your local sales rep or a project manager or administrator in our office. Tell us the table heights and the traffic and we will shortlist for you.