The coffee machine is plumbed in, the floor is sealed and opening day is three weeks out. What is left is the room: how many covers it holds, which chairs survive a Saturday breakfast rush, and whether your chosen top sits flat on its base. Indoor cafe furniture is bought differently from office furniture, because chairs often come in packs and tables arrive as a separate top and base.
This guide covers chairs, tops, bases, bar seating and spacing for cafes, restaurants, canteens and staff kitchens, drawing on our cafe and hospitality chairs range. Outdoor seating is a different brief, so everything here is for indoors.
Cafe chairs: timber, moulded plastic or upholstered
Sit-down breakfasts need chairs that feel solid for an hour. A canteen that clears the floor nightly needs chairs that stack and wipe down fast.
The Florence Chair - Ply Seat (Pack of 2) ($540) has a solid European beech frame, a stain finish ply seat and a 120kg safe working load. Its seat sits at 460mm, it weighs about 8kg, and it comes in Chocolate or Natural for indoor commercial use. The price covers two chairs.
The trade-off is handling. Most timber dining chairs do not stack, so mopping at close means lifting each one onto a table. In return, the bare ply seat has no fabric to soak up spilt coffee.
Where chairs move every day, the CSO2 Solid Back Sled ($238) is easier to live with. Its wipeable polypropylene seat and solid plastic back sit on a thin black rod sled frame. It stacks 10 high on the floor or 20 on a trolley, carries 135kg and has a 10-year warranty.
Upholstered chairs suit longer meals, but fabric needs its own cleaning routine. Many cafe chairs are sold in packs of 2, 4 or 6, as the product title shows, so count covers in packs.
Table tops and bases: why they come separately
A commercial cafe table is usually two parts. The top sets the size, finish and cleaning routine, and the base sets the height and stability. Buying them separately lets one base style run across the room under two or three top sizes.
The SM France 700x700 Square (Pack of 2) ($483) is a resin moulded top made in France. Its jointless surface has no seams to trap crumbs, and it resists heat, wear and cigarette burns. It is 25mm thick, carries a 5-year structural warranty and is part of a range running from 600mm round to 1200 x 800mm.
The price covers two tops. Watch the finish on tables in a sunny shopfront window. Dark colours in direct sun can fade or make the core expand and bow, which the warranty does not cover, so put lighter finishes such as White in those spots.
Underneath, the Marlo XL Table Base (Pack of 2) ($271) is a cast iron star base with a 760 x 760mm spread. It takes tops from 600mm round to 900mm square, up to 16kg, at the standard cafe height of 720mm. Adjustable feet keep it level on uneven floors.
Matching a cafe furniture base to the top size
A base that is too small for its top makes a table tip when someone leans on the edge. Here is how five bases from the range compare, using the figures on their product pages.
| Base | Build and footprint | Tops it takes | Max top weight | Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square 40 Table Base | Cast iron, 400mm square foot | 600mm round to 800mm square | 12kg | 720mm |
| Marlo XL Table Base | Cast iron, 760 x 760mm star | 600mm round to 900mm square | 16kg | 720mm |
| Bistro Table Base | Cast iron, indoor use | Square tops up to 800 x 800mm | 15kg | 720mm |
| Astoria Twin Table Base | Aluminium, two poles 600mm apart | Rectangular tops up to 1200 x 800mm | 22kg | 720mm |
| Square 40 Bar Table Base | Cast iron, 400mm square foot | 600mm round to 800mm square | 12kg | 1050mm |
All five are sold in pairs. Weight matters as much as size, because a stone or thick timber top can easily pass a 12kg limit. Of these five, only the Marlo XL is rated for 900mm square tops.
A single pedestal leaves knee room on every side, so two-seat tables push together for a group of four. A twin base keeps both ends of a 1200 x 800mm top clear for chairs. Four-leg tables in our cafe and bar tables range are steady under long tops but put a leg at each corner.
Bar-height tables and stools
A high bench along the window adds covers in a narrow room and gives takeaway customers somewhere to perch. Aim for 250mm to 300mm between seat and tabletop. The Square 40 Bar Table Base stands at 1050mm, so it pairs with a seat of about 750mm.
The Florence Barstool - Ply Seat (Pack of 2) ($794) has that 750mm seat. Its beech frame and Chocolate or Natural colours match the Florence chair, so tables and window bench share one look. It carries 120kg and is made in Europe for indoor commercial use. Allow about 600mm of bench for each stool.
Spacing, covers and cleaning
Starting points for an indoor cafe or canteen:
- Two people: a 600mm round or a 600 to 700mm square top.
- Four people: 800mm square for coffee and cake, 1200 x 800mm for full breakfasts.
- Edge per diner: about 600mm of table edge for each seat.
- Clear routes: room behind each chair for staff carrying plates, a clear path from door to counter, and one table where a chair can move aside for a wheelchair.
Wipe-clean polypropylene chairs and jointless resin tops suit canteens that turn tables all through lunch. Timber keeps its finish longer with a damp cloth than with harsh chemical sprays.
Fitting out an Australian cafe or staff kitchen
In Melbourne, Hobart and Canberra, winter pushes trade indoors for months, while further north the air-conditioned room fills up through the humid summer.
Staff kitchens have their own benchmark. Safe Work Australia's model Code of Practice on managing the work environment and facilities suggests a separate eating area where 10 or more workers usually eat at the same time. That area should have tables and seats for each worker likely to use it at one time. It should also allow 1 square metre of clear space per person, measured free of furniture, so a room for 10 needs 10 square metres plus the tables and chairs. Several states and territories publish their own approved versions of the code.
The new financial year in July is when many venues and workplaces plan a refit. Most items dispatch within 3 to 12 business days, and made-to-order items take longer, as shown on each product page. Goods arrive flat-packed at the ground-floor entrance unless the page says assembled, so allow time to fix each top to its base before opening.
Hotels running a cafe beside the pool face a separate outdoor brief, covered in our guide to commercial sun loungers for hotels, pools and resorts.
Cafe furniture — frequently asked questions
What size table top do I need for a cafe table for two?
A 600mm round or a 600 to 700mm square top suits two people with coffee and a small plate. For full breakfasts, go to 700mm square so both plates fit without crowding.
Can I put any table top on any cafe table base?
No, each base is rated for a range of top sizes and a maximum top weight. The Marlo XL takes 600mm round to 900mm square up to 16kg, while the Square 40 stops at 800mm square and 12kg.
How high should bar stools be for a 1050mm bar table?
Choose a seat height of about 750mm. That leaves roughly 300mm between seat and tabletop, which is enough room for legs without sitting too low.
Are stackable chairs strong enough for a commercial cafe?
Yes, when they are rated for commercial use. The CSO2 Solid Back Sled carries 135kg, holds a CATAS strength and durability certification and has a 10-year warranty.
Shop the range
Browse the cafe and hospitality chairs range for timber, metal, upholstered and stacking options, and the table bases and tops range to build tables to size. For a steady base under larger square tops, start with the Marlo XL Table Base. Metro delivery is a flat $75 per order, and prices include GST.
