Table turnover

Table turnover is how many times a single table is seated during a service period. Higher turnover means more sales from the same floor space.

It improves with faster ordering, prep and payment. A kitchen display and a fast POS cut the dead time between seating and paying.

How table turnover is measured

Table turnover = number of parties (or covers) served ÷ number of tables over a given period, for example the lunch service. It is also measured as the average time from seating a guest to clearing the table.

Raising it without hurting the guest

The goal is to cut wasted time, not rush the guest: speed up order-taking, serving and collecting the bill, clear tables quickly, and distribute orders across the kitchen intelligently.

• Use a kitchen display to cut delays
• Accept payment quickly and in several ways
• Have the bill ready on request
• Analyse peak times and adjust the schedule

A numeric example

A restaurant with 12 tables served 30 parties at lunch: turnover = 30 ÷ 12 = 2.5. If seating time drops from 60 to 50 minutes the rate rises without adding tables. (Illustrative figures.)