With my family living out west, out east and in Taiwan, I spend a lot of holidays with my roommate’s family. Normally this involves a trip to the family house just down the street. This year, however, we spent Thanksgiving at The Keg, as the kitchen and bathrooms have been torn up for renovations. There were only six of us so we were seated at a 60 inch round table in front of a fireplace. What a great setting!
We had our dinner and lots of conversations about work, technology, diets, television, and our plans for the week and what we had accomplished the preceeding week. Everyone had a great time and the wine and conversation flowed freely.
When we got home, my roommate commented on how nice it was that we had a round table like that. Normally when we have a larger group for a get together, we get seated around a long rectangular table. These longer tables are not as conducive to conversation, and only rarely do you get a chance to speak to someone at the other end of the table. The last time we were at a restaurant, there were more of us and we were seated at a long rectangular table. That night, there were two or three conversations going on, and I only very briefly spoke with people sitting on the far end of the table from me.
It's not only at restaurants that round tables make a big difference. I've been to weddings where we were seated at round folding tables and weddings where we were seated at rectangular folding tables. At both weddings I was sat with the same group of people (gotta love your cousins) and I felt like I had a better visit with my cousins when we were seated around the round table.
If you've never worked with round folding tables, here are 4 things to keep in mind:
1. There are round plastic folding tables and round wood folding tables. Good-quality plastic folding tables can be just as strong as a good-quality wood folding table. Ask about weight ratings, and the materials used in the construction (plywood vs chipboard with a plywood veneer). Usually the big difference is in the weight of the table. Our 60 inch NES Reliable Round Plastic Folding Table weighs 40lbs. Our 60 inch NES Round Wood Folding Table weighs 58lbs.
2. A round folding table requires two feet of space around it for chairs and an additional 1 foot for aisles. When planning out how many tables you need, or how many tables will fit in a facility, it is important that you account for space around the tables for chairs and for an aisle. A 60 inch (5-foot) round folding table will require a 120 inch (10-foot) diameter circle of space. This is a standard guideline for round tables. Please note, however, that some jurisdictions may require more space between tables.
3. 60 inch (5-foot) Round Folding Tables are the most popular size of round table. 60 inch Round Folding tables are by far the most popular size of round table. They seat eight comfortably for sit-down dinner service and are not so large and unwieldy that they are difficult to move. Most tablecloths are designed for 60 inch Round Tables, as are most table skirts.
4. 48 inch Round Tables will seat 6-8, 60 inch Round Tables will seat 8-10, and 72 inch Round Tables will seat 10-12. If you are planning for a sit down meal, be it buffet or served at the table, you should use the smaller number as your guideline. If you are serving light refreshments, you can use the larger number as a guide. Keep in mind, if you seat 10 people around a 60 inch round table, you are giving each person 18 inches of table space. With 8 people around a 60 inch table, everyone gets 23.5 inches of table space.
Turkey Image courtesy of debspoons / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
If you'd like to talk to someone about round plastic folding tables or round wood folding tables, please don't hesitate to ask us a question!