Measure and mark what cannot move
Start with a scale drawing of the dining room. Mark the doors, windows, bar, kitchen pass, server station, restrooms, pillars and fire exits, because these decide where everything else goes. Check local rules for occupancy, exit widths and accessible seating before you plan seats; the fire code sets the maximum, not the number of chairs that fit.
Leave room for the things that are easy to forget: a host stand, a high chair or two, a place to park strollers, and the server station where water, cutlery and the till live.
Zones, sizes and walkways
Divide the room into sections that one server can cover, usually four to six tables each depending on size and style of service. Mix table sizes to match how guests arrive. Most restaurants seat far more parties of two than of four or six, so a room of only four-tops wastes seats every night. Square two-tops that push together give flexibility for larger groups.
Walkways matter as much as tables. Servers carrying plates need a clear path from the kitchen pass to every table, and guests need a path from the entrance to the host stand and restrooms that does not cut through the busiest aisle. Chairs pushed back take more space than a plan suggests, so leave generous gaps behind seats.
Number tables so staff can learn them
Table numbers should be learnable in one shift. A common pattern is by section: 10s along the window, 20s on the main floor, 30s at the bar, 40s on the patio, increasing left to right as you face the room from the kitchen. Avoid skipping numbers at random, and label tables physically if new staff will be on the floor.
Whatever pattern you choose, the till must match. If Table 23 on the floor is Table 7 on the screen, orders go to the wrong guests.
Mirror the room on the till
A floor plan on the POS is not decoration. It is how hosts see what is free, how servers open the right table, and how managers see who is still seated at closing. Draw tables in roughly their real positions, with the right shape and seats, and add a few landmarks (bar, entrance, windows) so staff can orient themselves at a glance. Then run a mock service and move anything that confuses people.
Doing it in SeroPOS
The Floor Plan Designer in the SeroPOS app is on the Pro plan and opens from the side drawer or from Table Selection with the Floor Plan Designer Access login. The saved plan is shared across server and client tills.
- Open Floor Plan Designer and use the Tables tab to Add Table.
- Double-click a table to open Table Properties: name, shape (Round, Square or Rectangle), seats, width and height.
- Use the Elements tab to add landmarks such as Cash Counter, Bar, Entrance, Restroom and Booth, or custom text.
- Use the Floor tab for the background and pattern colours.
- Move and Align objects, then Save Floor Plan.
- At the till, Dine-in opens Table Selection with each table shown as Available, Occupied or Processing, with seats and the waiter's name.