In certain segments of the restaurant industry, family-style dining is an emerging trend as more people seek out unique social dining experiences.

Family-style dining is more than just food; it's a perfect fit for people who crave genuine social interactions and the pleasure of sharing a meal with their friends and loved ones. And it's a win-win for hospitality operators, as it offers guests a different type of dining option than traditional sit-down lunches and dinners, leading to more customer satisfaction while unlocking a fresh revenue stream for their business.

What is family-style dining?

Family-style dining offers a relaxed atmosphere similar to traditional sit-down service but with a more formal feel compared to buffet dining. Large servings of food are placed on the table and diners serve themselves individually and share the food. Imagine a table adorned with generously portioned dishes, where guests share meals in an atmosphere of togetherness.

Here are some key characteristics that make this type of dining attractive to guests:

• It facilitates genuine social connections and provides people a chance to truly connect

• It helps create memories, transporting diners back to cherished family gatherings, and the comforting embrace of familiar cuisine

• It caters to a broad range of tastes, ensuring reasonable prices and swift service

• It helps restaurants showcase their signature dishes and offerings in a unique way

Benefits of family-style dining for restaurant owners

1. Increased revenue potential

Larger group sizes translate to higher per-table revenue. As guests sample a variety of dishes, they end up ordering more, leading to more revenue for the restaurant. Guests also stay longer so there are more opportunities to upsell additional items like desserts and extra beverages.

Many family-oriented luxury hotels and resorts operate a portfolio of restaurants that cater to family and group dining to boost their bottom line.

2. More marketing opportunities

The communal and welcoming appeal of a family-style setup offers a lot of marketing opportunities. It can be a powerful tool to highlight a restaurant’s versatility and unique selling points. As guests enjoy meals together, it has the potential to create buzz on social media platforms and drive word-of-mouth recommendations.  

3. Simplified menu and efficient servicing

Family-style dining often involves a streamlined menu with standardized portions. Instead of cooking individual plates for guests, restaurants serve shared dishes, which optimizes food preparation, simplifies kitchen operations, and reduces wait times. Staff also don't need to do staggered service as dishes are served all at once, giving them more time to focus on delivering great service to guests.

4. Effective staff rota and more optimized inventory management

Group reservations are often booked in advance, providing a stable stream of business even during lean periods while allowing for advanced preparations for peak times. This helps the restaurant plan ahead for staffing and inventory much more efficiently, reducing food waste and effort.

Learn more: How to choose the right POS system for your restaurant

5. Flexibility in pricing and cost-efficiency

Restaurants can offer fixed-price menus and seasonal promotions (special deals for Halloween, Christmas, Easter, etc.) to boost sales. In addition, buying supplies and ingredients in bulk as a result of standardized menu preparations is more cost-effective and can help boost profitability.

Learn more: 6 restaurant pricing strategies to maximize profits

Family-style dining tips: Creative ideas and inspiration

For establishments looking to adopt the family-style dining concept, it requires a thoughtful combination of physical layout, ambiance, and service style. Here are the steps to consider when creating and incorporating family-style dining in a restaurant:

1. Create a shareable menu

A carefully curated menu designed for shared enjoyment is a key component. This includes a delectable selection of appetizers, main courses, and desserts, all with ample servings and options to accommodate varying group sizes and dietary preferences while factoring in children and seniors. For instance, an Italian restaurant offering family-style dining options should consider incorporating antipasto boards into generous servings of pizza and pasta, creating an atmosphere that fosters connectivity.

Some examples of family-style dishes:

• Grilled meat or seafood platters

• Tacos with side dishes

• An assortment of Spanish tapas

• Korean BBQ

• Sushi boat

• Tagine with couscous or bread to share

2. Design a comfortable place to dine

The restaurant's physical layout should be designed to provide ample seating and spacious tables to encourage comfortable group dining. Diners should have enough space to have a degree of privacy while staff should be able to move about and serve without any physical obstruction. Child-friendly amenities and flexible seating arrangements for different group sizes are also beneficial.  

Learn more: Success means an excellent restaurant floor plan | From play area to dining table – Why restaurants need to be kid-friendly

Additionally, restaurants should create an appealing ambiance. This could include incorporating family-friendly decor, providing comfortable seating, choosing warm color palettes, and, when seasonally appropriate, introducing themed decorations to improve the overall dining experience. Adding elements like wood provides comfort and a warm aesthetic to the restaurant and good lighting creates a great ambiance. Hospitality operators should ensure that the acoustics are balanced by using materials that will reduce restaurant noise so that families or even business clients have pleasant conversations.

Learn more: Private dining: The next level of hospitality experience | 7 easy design ideas to give your restaurant a new lease on life

3. Invest in serving-ware

Platters, bowls, and utensils designed for sharing can significantly elevate the presentation of dishes and foster a sense of togetherness among diners. Dishes that come in beautifully designed serving ware create an authentic visual and gastronomic feast sparking conversations as well as Instagram-worthy moments for everyone.

4. Provide exceptional staff training

Staff must receive specialized training to deal with larger groups. While guests normally serve themselves, the restaurant still needs to have an inviting environment with staff showcasing the restaurant's unique style of hospitality. Good communication skills are also key to delivering great customer service. From greeting customers properly to being attentive to their needs, these are just some of the ways the front of staff can elevate the guest experience for larger groups.

Knowing customer preferences and other details in advance via the restaurant's booking system will help staff to prepare and even though serving a large group, can still provide a more personalized experience. A booking system like TableCheck helps hospitality operators create rich guest profiles to enhance customer service.

Learn more: Fuel your success with your own restaurant data | Streamlining Front of House operations: A blueprint for hospitality success | How to train staff to deliver an exceptional guest experience

5. Boost digital engagement

Digital customer experience will be critical to retaining current customers and capturing next-generation loyalty. The communal atmosphere of family-style dining already offers huge opportunities for social media buzz and word of mouth. Because of this, restaurants need to maintain an active social media presence and leverage digital email marketing tools like TableCheck EDM to attract repeat diners and build brand loyalty.

Learn more: How to run successful EDM marketing campaigns

A successful family-style environment necessitates meticulous planning and execution. With innovative solutions and a commitment to excellence, restaurants can offer memorable experiences that keep diners coming back for more. 

TableCheck helps restaurants, hotels, and enterprise F&B maximize online reservations, optimize outlet operations, and elevate guest hospitality through features like TableCheck EDM, Customer Survey, and TableCheck Insight. TableCheck is used by more than 10,000+ hospitality operators worldwide.

This article was originally published in October 2023 and updated in September 2024.