How much square footage does a restaurant kitchen need?
A common planning rule is that the back-of-house kitchen is roughly 30-40% of the total restaurant area, or about 4-6 square feet of kitchen per dining seat. A 60-seat full-service restaurant often lands around 1,800-2,200 sq ft total with a ~600-800 sq ft kitchen. Menu complexity, storage and delivery cadence move the number; this tool estimates it from your seats and service style.
How many square feet per seat in a restaurant?
Dining-room space per seat varies by format: roughly 12-15 sq ft for quick-service, 15-18 for fast-casual, 18-24 for casual full-service, and 24-30+ for fine dining. Multiply by seats for the dining area, then add kitchen, storage and restrooms for the total.
What percentage of a restaurant is the kitchen?
Back-of-house (kitchen, prep, storage, dish, walk-in) is commonly about 30-40% of total floor area. Efficient QSR kitchens can be smaller; scratch-cooking and banquet operations run larger. This is a planning ratio, not a code rule.
Is this an exact size?
No - it's a planning estimate from industry rules of thumb. Your real layout depends on menu, equipment (use the equipment configurator), workflow, code clearances, restrooms and storage. Confirm with a kitchen designer or architect.