Why Are Low Tables and Chairs Common in Coffee Shops?

Camping-style furniture has moved indoors, and many cafés now seat guests on folding chairs around plastic crates. The setup looks relaxed and takes little floor space, but customers who want to work, read, or study for an hour or more report back pain, and some find the chairs so low they struggle to stand up again.

The debate splits along business lines. Cafés that depend on table turnover favor seating that discourages long stays, while others treat the room itself as part of what a customer pays for and try to fit the majority of guests. Positioning, floor area, and the mix of office workers, readers, and casual visitors usually decide which side a shop lands on, and street coffee culture keeps the argument alive.

In recent years, the camping style has swept through urban life, and many cafés have brought camping chairs and low tables indoors—a few folding chairs around a plastic crate make up a seating area. Sunbathing with a coffee in such a setup is indeed pleasant, but for customers who need to work, read, or study, sitting in low chairs and at low tables for long periods leads to backaches and sore waists, and some even find it hard to get up after sinking in. Netizens are divided on whether cafés should use low tables and chairs: some believe it's a deliberate move by owners to increase table turnover, while others feel that the café's environment is itself part of what customers pay for, and that owners should accommodate the experience of the majority. Front Street Coffee observes that behind this debate actually lies the difference in positioning and customer needs among different cafés.

▲

Click to follow | Daily specialty coffee culture magazine Coffee Works

For coffee consumers, the function of a café has long gone beyond just drinking a cup of coffee. Office workers handle their work or meet clients here, while artsy types like to pick a good book and read quietly. It's fair to say that different groups of people have different expectations of a café.

However, some consumers have noticed that since the camping trend took off, camping tables and chairs have become a common fixture in many cafés. A few camping chairs around a plastic crate make up a table spot. Sitting in a camping chair drinking coffee and soaking up the sun does have a certain charm. But for consumers who need to work, read, or study, these low tables and low chairs are quite unfriendly to sit in.

In recent years, some coffee shops have installed concrete seating to match their overall decor style, and some have adopted lower tables that take up less space in order to save room. These low tables and chairs may create a sense of relaxation, but for some consumers, the chairs are so low that once you sit down, you can't get up—not because you're too comfortable to want to, but because after sinking in, you simply can't stand up on your own.

Regarding the low tables and chairs that cafés provide for customers, netizens' views are not unified.

Some netizens believe that if café seating is too comfortable, some customers may linger and occupy a seat all day with just one coffee. As a result, the café's table turnover rate is too low, and a day's revenue may not even cover that day's utility bills.

"You'll only leave if you're not sitting comfortably—that way I can increase table turnover," "Is it possible they just don't want those people to spend a day sitting there after buying a coffee for just over ten bucks??" "It's precisely to reduce seat-hogging by people who bring laptops—there are those who buy one cup and sit all day, coming six days a week," "It's just to keep you from sitting too long."

Getting more consumers to spend in-store is what café operators hope for. So using less comfortable tables and chairs for profit—discouraging customers from lingering and increasing table turnover—is not hard to understand. Moreover, compared with sofas and long tables, such furniture takes up less space, is more flexible, and costs less, making it more suitable for coffee shops with smaller premises and limited investment.

But some netizens believe that consumers go to a café sometimes not just for a good cup of coffee, but more for the café's environment. Comfortable tables and chairs can both meet the needs of some consumers for working, reading, and studying, and make consumers fall in love with the café's environment, turning them into regulars.

In addition, some netizens say that of the price consumers pay for a cup of coffee, part is for the coffee itself and part is for the café's environment. Therefore, shop owners should consider consumers' needs and provide more comfortable tables and chairs.

Every café has a different positioning when it first opens, so the tables and chairs provided also vary. Although consumers don't demand that every coffee shop provide comfortable tables and chairs, they still hope that operators will take into account the experience of the majority and provide fewer low tables and chairs that make customers physically "cramped."

Image source: Xiaohongshu

Disclaimer: Some images in this article are from the internet, and some content on the website, such as images, will have their sources credited in respect of the original copyright. However, due to the sheer volume, some images and texts may not have been credited in time; please forgive us. If the original author has any dispute, they may contact the website for handling, and once verified, we will promptly correct it. Compiled and edited by "Coffee Works"; please indicate the source when reposting. If there is any infringement, please let us know and we will delete it. Thank you~!

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.