Buying Guides
Folding vs Fixed Tables: Which Works for a Multi-Use Venue?
Buy folding tables for function rooms that change layout more than twice a week. Buy fixed tables where the layout stays put and guests eat off the surface uncovered. Most multi-use venues need both.
Banquette Seating Dimensions: A UK Specification Guide
A dining banquette seats at 450mm high with a depth of 450 to 500mm, measured to the top of the finished cushion. Back height runs 850 to 1000mm. Allow 91 to 97cm of run per table at minimum spacing, or 137cm where guests need privacy.
Commercial Table Top Materials Compared: What Actually Lasts
There is no single best table top material for commercial use. Compact laminate wins on durability, solid wood on refinishability, sintered stone on appearance, and HPL on MDF on budget. The material that fails first is the one paired with the wrong edge and the wrong base.
Banqueting Table Sizes and Seating Capacity: A UK Buyer’s Guide
A 6ft rectangular banqueting table measures 183cm x 76cm and seats six to eight. A 6ft round measures 180–183cm across and seats eight to twelve. Most banqueting table sizes in the UK are still quoted in feet, and the seating figure you see advertised assumes no side plates and narrow chairs.
Are MDF Table Tops Good for Restaurants? An Honest UK Buyer’s Guide
MDF table tops are good for restaurants indoors, and wrong outdoors. UK specs, MR MDF grades, August 2026 trade prices, and the seven things to put on your purchase order.
Crib 5 Fire Regulations Furniture Guide for UK Hospitality Venues
Crib 5 is not a law. It is Ignition Source 5 in BS 5852, referenced by BS 7176 as the medium hazard standard for non-domestic seating. Here is what UK restaurants, cafés and hotels actually need, what paperwork to demand, and what the 2026 reforms change.
