Seating capacity and covers for a brewpub that makes money

Covers are the unit that matters

A cover is one guest served. Revenue on a given day is covers multiplied by average spend per head. Covers in turn come from seats multiplied by how many times each seat is used, the table turn. So seating capacity sets the maximum covers you can serve in a sitting. Everything else follows from it.

Write the core equation on the first page of your plan: daily revenue = seats x turns x average spend. Then fill it in honestly for each day of the week, because a Monday and a Saturday are different businesses.

How much floor each seat takes

Restaurant planners commonly allow somewhere around 1.2 to 1.7 square metres per seat in the dining area, including aisles and service stations. Bar seating and high tables sit at the tighter end. Comfortable dining with sofas sits at the looser end.

A brewpub has a large non-seating footprint. The brewhouse, cold room, kitchen, stores and toilets can take half the floor or more. On a 4,000 square foot (about 370 square metre) site, if 45 percent is front of house, that is about 165 square metres. At 1.4 square metres per seat, that is around 120 seats. Your layout will set the real figure, but this gives you a starting point before the architect starts drawing.

Size the room against the rent

Rent is the fixed cost that seats have to pay. Work out the covers you need just to cover rent, then the covers to cover rent plus staff and other fixed costs. Our guide on working out the break-even point shows the method.

If break-even needs 70 percent occupancy every night of the week, the site is too expensive or the room is too small. A healthy plan breaks even on a modest weekday and makes its money at weekends. Covers needed per week divided by seats tells you the turns you are relying on. If that number looks heroic, it probably is.

The mix of seats changes the trade

Not all seats behave the same way. Bar stools turn faster and suit solo drinkers and couples. Four-tops suit groups who eat. Long communal tables fill well with office groups and families. A brewpub that wants to sell beer and food in good proportion needs a mix.

Watch group sizes too. If most of your groups are two people and every table seats four, you are running at half capacity while turning people away. Tables that can be pushed together or split apart give you flexibility on a busy night.

Weekdays and weekends are different rooms

Most Indian brewpubs see their heaviest trade from Friday evening to Sunday. Weekday lunches depend on nearby offices. Weekday evenings depend on after-work groups and regulars. Plan covers for each day separately. A room sized for Saturday at 9 pm will be mostly empty at 4 pm on a Wednesday. That cost has to be carried.

One answer is a layout that can shrink. A section that can be closed with a screen or a curtain on quiet nights keeps the room feeling lively and saves on air conditioning and staff. Another is private dining space that earns from corporate bookings on weekdays. Both are easier to build in at fit out than to add later.

Do not plan for a full room

Even a busy brewpub rarely fills every seat at once. Two people at a four-top leave two seats empty. A reserved table waits for a late group. Planners often think in terms of practical capacity, a share of theoretical seats that can be used at peak, which is lower than the seat count.

Plan revenue on that practical figure, not on the number in the fire NOC. Then add realistic weekday trade, which is usually far below the weekend peak.

Occupancy limits come from safety, not ambition

The maximum number of people allowed in the venue is set by fire and building rules: exit widths, staircases and floor area. That limit includes staff and standing guests, not only seats. Your architect and fire consultant will calculate it. Check it before you plan a launch party with standing room for 300.

Outdoor seating can add covers but needs its own approvals. Read our guide on outdoor seating permission before you count those tables in the plan.

Check the plan against the POS

Once open, the POS will tell you covers by hour, average spend and table turn time. Compare them with your plan every month. If the weekday room is a quarter full, you have too many seats for that trade, which may be a cue to close a section on quiet nights and save on staff.

The Brewery Business Management course covers site sizing, break-even and revenue planning as one model. Start this week by filling in seats x turns x spend for each day of the week, with numbers you would defend to a bank.

Common questions

How many seats should a brewpub have?

It depends on floor area, rent and expected trade. Start from front of house area at roughly 1.2 to 1.7 square metres per seat, then test the figure against break-even.

What is a cover in a restaurant?

A cover is one guest served. Revenue is covers multiplied by average spend per head.

Who sets the maximum number of people in a brewpub?

Fire and building rules, based on exits, staircases and floor area. Your architect and fire consultant calculate it.