Coffee shop chairs

This is the chair a coffee shop goes through: pulled out, sat on, dragged to another table, pushed back, a few hundred times a week. The 29 chairs here are mostly on metal frames, with seats in vinyl, wood and fabric. Pick the back you like, then the seat that is easiest for your crew to keep clean.

Frames that take the trade

Twenty-one of the 29 have metal frames, five are wood and four are metal finished to look like wood. That leaning toward steel suits a counter-service room, where chairs get knocked by strollers, bags and the mop bucket.

The metal dining chair is 17" W x 20" D x 32" H. The metal dining chair with a smaller footprint is 15 1/2" W x 15" D x 31" H, the one to choose when the two-seat tables along the window sit close together. For a wood frame, the stackable wood dining chair runs larger at 20.25" W x 23.25" D x 35" H.

Backs and seats

Ten chairs have a curved back, which is the most common shape here. Four are ladder backs, three upholstered backs, three vertical slats, three cross-backs and two Tolix style. Three list a padded back for a room where people stay with a book.

Seats come in vinyl, wood and fabric, and 18 list upholstery options. Vinyl takes a wet cloth after a spilled latte. Wood can be wiped, scraped and wiped again. Fabric is the softest and needs the most care.

One seat height is listed, at 19 inches, which suits a dining table at 29 or 30 inches. Check the others on each product page if your tables run taller or lower than that.

A short opinion: pick one chair for the whole room. It looks tidier, a broken one is easy to replace, and the reorder is one line.

Stacking, patio and sizes

Only three of these stack, so if your floor gets mopped every night, plan where the chairs go while you clean. Two are listed for patio use; the rest stay inside.

Prices run from around $68 to $172.

Where to go next

Tables to match are in coffee shop tables, and the full set of chairs and tables is under cafe furniture. Opening a second shop? Save this room to a shop plan, copy it for the new address and order the same chair, because the regulars notice when the room changes.