If you have a family restaurant or any kind of eatery where younger customers might be dining, you need to provide them with appropriate seating. That means seats where the kids can sit comfortably, safely, and at table height.
Basic Requirements of Restaurant Chairs for Kids
Easy to Clean: Kids’ restaurant chairs tend to get dirty, and covered in food more often than adult seating. This means that the children’s chairs need to be cleaned more often. If you want kids’ restaurant chairs to remain hygienic, aesthetic, and last a long time they need to be wiped down and cleaned after every young diner.
Safe: Restaurant seating for children needs to be sturdy, and strong. Children tend to move around a lot, try to stand up during the meal, and start rocking in their chair until it falls over. Not only will the child get hurt but it could mean an unpleasant lawsuit and the loss of your good name.
Table Height: Parents want high chairs that place their children at table level so the kids can feel part of the dinner party. No one wants a chair that doesn’t reach the table.
Types of Restaurant Chairs for Children
Booth Family Dining: If you don’t want to invest in high chairs at the moment, or you only have a few high chairs, then booths may be a good solution. A booth provides seating for families with kids of all ages. With one parent at either end of the booth, the little ones can’t “escape”! Of course for toddlers and babies booths are no replacement for a high chair. But for families with slightly older kids, a booth can be a perfect solution.
Stand-Alone High Chairs: Stand-alone high chairs are perfect for infants up to 2-3 years old. It allows a child to join the rest of the family at table level. High chairs have a safety harness to keep kids safe in the seat, and a post between their legs to stop them from slipping out of the chair under the tray table.
Wooden stand-alone high chairs that reach table level are probably your best option. They come with adjustable straps to secure the infant in the seat. Wooden high chairs are sturdy and won’t fall over easily. They are also light enough to be moved around the restaurant as necessary. Wooden high chairs can be stained to suit the restaurant decor and they can usually be stacked for storage.
Plastic stand-alone high chairs are slightly less stable than wooden high chairs, and they get dirty, scratched, and damaged a lot easier. However they are less expensive than wooden high chairs, and lighter to move around. Some plastic high chairs are stackable and come with casters for easy portability.
Attachable Infant Seats: Although we hardly ever see attachable infant seats anymore there are still a few on the market. The positive things about infant seats that attach to the edge of the table are that they are lightweight, easy to store, and easy to move around. But the negatives outweigh the positives. Attachable infant chairs are not as safe as stand-alone high chairs. They can be knocked off of the table and come unattached. If an infant moves around too much or tries to stand in a chair it can be very dangerous.
Boosters: In addition to high chairs for infants you will need a few booster seats for toddlers and young customers up to the age of about 7. It is not safe to sit a 1-2-year-old on a booster seat. Kids need to know how to sit up and hold themselves in a sitting position before they can use a booster. Booster seats can be easily moved and stored. They are simply placed on or attached to a regular restaurant chair. Booster seats need to be secured onto a restaurant chair with straps and the child is secured onto the booster with a safety belt. If the family is sitting in a booth, the booster can simply be placed on the booth seat. Booster seats come in a variety of materials and colors.
Chair and Booster Seat Add-Ons
If a part of the restaurant high chair or booster gets broken, old, or just too dirty to use anymore then you may be able to purchase replacement parts. Usually, it is possible to get add-on food trays that attach to high chairs; seat belts; and booster stands for stacking boosters conveniently. Ask your commercial furniture supplier about seating options for infants and children.
