Also called Turn, Table turns
Table turnover is how many times a table is used during a service. It is calculated by dividing the length of service by the average time a table is occupied, including the reset between guests.
Turnover varies enormously by format. A counter-led venue may turn a table five or six times over lunch; a fine-dining room turning twice in an evening is doing well. Comparing against your own history is more useful than against an external benchmark.
Most recoverable turnover sits in dead time rather than dining time — how fast a bill lands and how quickly a table is cleared and reset. Rushing guests costs more in experience than it gains in covers.
Example
A four-hour service with a 75-minute average stay and a 15-minute reset gives 240 ÷ 90 = about 2.7 turns per table.
Related terms
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