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Restaurateurs seeking to maximize revenues should look carefully at how long their tables are occupied and at how much the average diner spends. This study examines two aspects of the restaurant environment-table type and table location-to determine whether the placement or configuration of a dining table (in particular, whether it has an architectural anchor) has measurable effects on duration and average check, which were combined to show average spending per minute (SPM). An analysis of more than fourteen hundred meal transactions at a 210-seat, casual Mexican-style restaurant found that the SPM for parties at booths was slightly higher than average, while the SPM for diners at banquette tables was below the average. Ironically, tables in poor locations in the dining room generated SPM values higher than supposedly good tables. These findings suggest that restaurant designers reexamine the use of banquettes and not be overly concerned about "bad" tables.
Keywords: restaurant design; revenue management; floor planning
Restaurant revenue management examines the most effective ways of balancing restaurant demand and supply to maximize revenue without compromising customer satisfaction.1 Important tools in the revenue management arsenal have been those that account for the amount of time and money spent at table and the rate at which money is spent. These three measures-duration, average check, and revenue per available seat-hour (RevPASH)are of key interest to any operator who seeks to maximize the revenue potential of a restaurant.2
A further element that bears examination when determining revenue potential is capacity in terms of the number and configuration of tables. A typical restaurant offers a mix of table sizes and types, including freestanding tables for different party sizes, fixed-seating booths, flexible banquettes, and perhaps bar seating at high-top tables or at the bar itself. The selected table mix is typically a function of the market segment that the restaurant hopes to attract, the environment that the restaurant designer and management hope to create, and the architectural limitations of the space. While the restaurant industry readily acknowledges that guests seem to prefer some table types over others-for instance, the romantic table for two in the window, the cozy booth in the corner-no formal research has examined whether table characteristics such as configuration and location have any real effect on how...