Remember when skiers used to drive to the area with their ski boots on? In those days, even the Fancy Dans who had “car shoes” would make all essential changes before leaving their vehicles. The base lodge served three functions: 1) a warming hut, 2) a hot drink station and 3) a restroom (not necessarily in that order). Under those circumstances, the only furniture required in the lodge proper was wooden benches and picnic tables.
Hood shell parkas with belly pockets, hickory skis with bear traps and cable bindings have given way to more functional equipment. So too, the picnic table is in its waning years. The reason for its demise is the fact that today’s base lodge serves many functions for many people and it does this in an economy in which the cost of construction has, at least until the wage-price freeze, escalated by 1 per cent a month. Consequently, today’s lodge, and especially the seating in today’s lodge, must be more efficient.
Seating functions
Ski area customers are looking for seats in which to put on their ski boots, seats in which to relax, seats in which to leave their picnic baskets, seats in which to leave a mother, seats in which to have a coffee break, seats where they can have a full-course meal and seats for taking off their ski boots. It is a remarkable seat that can fulfill all these functions, and perhaps the wooden bench came closest. But with only one seat being allowed to every five customers per day, according to NSAA’s Economic Study, clearly specialized seating will be required to meet the efficiency required. Thus area operators should think in terms of fireplace seating, cafeteria seating, picnic lunch seating, spectator seating and perhaps seating near the lockers or storage areas where customers are encouraged to change their boots and store excess baggage.
How many?
The number of seats available for eating should be a function of the type of area and the comfortable capacity of the area. Yardstick values such as one seat for every three customers are not very meaningful since customer profiles vary considerably from area to area. A destination resort that caters to a customer who stays for four days or more will need more seats relative to comfortable capacity than a weekend area where customers are trying to get in all the skiing possible on an all-day ticket. This is because a higher seat turnover rate (the number of times a seat is used in an hour) at the weekend area allows more people to be seated.
Seating mix
The efficiency of the total number of seats depends to a great degree on the mix of table sizes employed. For example, when four customers sit at a picnic table designed for six, only 66 per cent of the capacity is being utilized. For this reason, restaurant operators and planners attempt to mix an optimal number of different-sized tables—to seat four, six and eight—into a seating plan. Table service restaurants also arrange their tables so that large parties can be seated by joining tables together.
The optimum mix for a ski area will vary considerably depending upon the type of area. Your marketing department should be able to come up with statistics which would suggest a possible mix. For example, if 40 per cent of your customers are represented by family groups with an average of 3.5 children, then at least 40 per cent of the tables should seat six. On the other hand, if statistics reveal that each car entering your parking lot has 3.5 customers, then a preponderance of four-seaters would be more appropriate.
The need for the proper mix increases or decreases with the norms of the specific market. In some locations, two strangers entering an empty seating area will sit in the two seats which are spatially the furthest apart. A third stranger will select a seat which is the greatest possible distance equidistant from the other two customers. In other markets, where crowds are the rule, the three may be forced to sit at the same table rather than selecting separate tables. In the first instance, the proper mix is of prime importance while in the second situation, banquet seating is possible. For banquet seating, long rows of tables with perhaps 32 seats can be set up and customers will fill in as necessary. This type of seating offers advantages not only in terms of efficiency, but also in terms of seating density.
Seating density
Seating density relates to the amount of square footage allocated per seat. The concept is an extremely important one since the optimum seating density for a particular establishment should reflect the economics of paying for variable and fixed costs with the revenue generated per seat. Thus, the cost of construction, furnishing and decor should reflect and be consistent with the quality of menu and service. The resultant productivity per seat (annual sales per seat) will reflect the number of times each seat is used. For a given quality level, there is a density at which maximum turnover is reached. Below this optimum point, the seats are too congested and both patrons and service personnel may find it difficult to get to and from the seats. Thus, turnover is reduced. Above the optimum point too much room is allocated per seat and the customer becomes too comfortable and lingers unnecessarily. Excessive space per seat can also be prohibitively expensive.
The art of turnover
In addition to the more mechanical aspects for determining the number, mix and density for a seating plan, the food service industry relies on several “tricks” to improve turnover. Interior design elements, for example, may affect one’s sense of sight, hearing and touch. In general, the darker the room, the slower the turnover. The converse is also true. (Ever notice how fast a cocktail lounge empties when all the lights are turned on?) The amount of light intensity in a ski area lodge is generally quite high and there is generally little benefit in adding additional candle power to the lighting scheme. The psychic intensity, however, could usually be improved. Hot colors such as reds, yellows and oranges make people move (thus improving your turnover) while cool colors such as blues and greens slow them down.
Sound is similar to light. The louder and more abrasive the sound, the quicker your seating turnover will be. If your customers are paying $7 for dinner, give them Bach, but not too loud. If they are buying 50¢ hamburgers, give them acid rock.
Touch also comes into play when considering turnover. The softer your floorcovering, seating and accessories, the slower the turnover; conversely, the harder they are, the quicker your turnover. Thus rugs, cushions and tablecloths slow the turnover.
A last word
No matter how well your seating is planned, there is always going to be some area in the total scheme where the seats are less desirable. In a restaurant, these are usually the seats closest to the kitchen. In a ski area, they are likely to be the ones farthest from the windows and fireplace. An operator desiring to get full utilization from his seating would do well to reserve these for his employees.
