Designing your seating plan will depend on what type of restaurant you plan to open. It’s important to remember that banquet seating may use as little as 10 square feet per person, while fine dining may require 20 square feet per person. It is common for most restaurants or coffee shops with that have a general menu to average about 15 square feet per person. This is taking into account space needed for traffic aisles, wait stations, cashier, etc.