Banquette Cushions
Booth Seating and Banquette Cushions for UK Cafés and Restaurants
A practical guide for café and restaurant owners on measuring, specifying and ordering made-to-measure booth and banquette cushions in the UK.
On this page
Quick answer: For café and restaurant booth seating, order separate seat and back cushions made to measure, with a firm high-resilience foam and a fabric that wipes clean or has removable, washable covers. Measure every booth individually, agree fabric with the fire requirement for your venue, and approve a spec sheet before anything is cut.
Booths and banquettes earn their keep. They seat more covers per square metre than loose chairs, and guests love them. They also take more wear than almost any other seat in the room, so the cushions on them need to be planned properly. Our pub and restaurant cushions service is built around exactly this kind of order.
This guide covers sizing, foam, fabric, cleaning between services and how to re-cover a dining room in phases without closing. If you are working on fixed booths specifically, see our page on restaurant banquette and booth cushions for shapes and examples.
Seat and back cushions: get the pair right
Most booth seating uses two cushions per section: a seat cushion on the base and a back cushion against the wall or booth back. Ordering them as a matched pair keeps the depth and comfort consistent.
- Seat depth. Measure from the front edge of the base to the back panel, then allow for the thickness of the back cushion. If the back cushion is 8 cm thick, a 55 cm base gives a usable seat of about 47 cm.
- Seat thickness. Most dining booths sit well with 7.5 cm to 10 cm of foam. Too thick and guests sit too high for the table.
- Back cushions. These can be thinner and softer. Check the top edge lines up with the booth back so there is no gap to trap crumbs.
- Table height. Sit down on the bare base with a cushion of the planned thickness (or a folded towel) and check elbow height at the table before you order.
Measuring a whole dining room
Booths that look identical rarely are. Joiners build to the room, and walls are seldom square. Measure every booth on its own and give each one a code, such as B1 to B12, written on a simple floor plan.
- Measure width at the front and at the back of each seat. If they differ by more than a centimetre, note both.
- Measure depth at both ends.
- Note any angled corners, curves or cut-outs for pillars and pipes. Make a paper or card template for anything that is not a rectangle.
- Photograph each booth with a tape measure in shot.
- Record how the cushion will be fixed: ties, Velcro, or simply sitting in a framed base.
Our guide to measuring cushions in centimetres walks through each step with diagrams.
Foam for heavy turnover
A café booth might be sat on dozens of times a day. Soft foam flattens quickly and the room starts to look tired within months. For commercial seating, ask for a firm, high-resilience foam on seats and a slightly softer grade on backs.
For UK orders our foam is made and cut in the UK by GB Foam in High Wycombe and meets the UK fire safety regulations for upholstered furniture. Because covers are zipped and foam can be ordered on its own, you can replace tired inserts later without buying new covers.
Choosing fabric: wipe-clean or upholstery weave?
| Fabric | Best for | Cleaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ultraleather by Ultrafabrics | Busy cafés, family restaurants, anywhere with sauces and spills | Wipe clean between services |
| Sunbrella Horizon marine vinyl | Covered terraces, seaside venues, high-spill areas | Wipe clean |
| Sunbrella upholstery fabrics | Restaurants wanting a woven, softer look | Spot clean; covers are machine washable |
| Velvet or Gabriel ranges | Bars and evening dining with a softer, richer feel | Spot clean; follow maker's guidance |
You can see the faux leather options in our Ultraleather cushions collection. With more than 10,000 colours across our ranges, matching an existing scheme is rarely a problem.
Fire safety for booth seating
Restaurants and cafés usually fall under a fire risk assessment that sets the standard for upholstered seating, and many ask for fabrics with Crib 5 test data. Ask your fire officer what is required, then tell us. We match fabrics to the requirement and attach the maker's test reports to your quote. We do not certify the finished installation; the fire officer has the final say. Our UK fire safety fabrics guide lists the test data for each range.
Cleaning between services
- Wipe-clean fabrics: a damp cloth and mild soapy water after each sitting, then dry.
- Woven fabrics: blot spills straight away, never rub. Remove and wash covers on a schedule rather than waiting for stains.
- Crumbs: a quick vacuum of seams and the gap at the back of the seat at close.
- Spare covers: ordering a few spares lets you swap a stained cover mid-shift and wash the other later.
Phased re-covering without closing
You do not have to re-cover the whole room in one go. Because every cushion is made to measure with no minimum order, you can work section by section:
- Order the full room on one spec sheet so fabric and sizes are fixed.
- Split production into batches, for example window booths first, then the back wall.
- Swap each batch in before opening, a section at a time.
Order the same fabric for all phases at the start if you can, so every batch matches.
Mistakes to avoid
- Measuring one booth and assuming the rest match.
- Choosing seat thickness without checking table height.
- Picking a pale woven fabric for a busy brunch spot.
- Forgetting the back cushion takes up seat depth.
- Leaving fire paperwork until after delivery.
Ordering for a business
Send your floor plan, booth codes, measurements and photos through our bulk cushion enquiry form or to operation@fabricakraft.com. We reply with fabric suggestions and a quote. Swatches carry a small charge, credited back on your order.
Once you choose, we send a spec sheet with a drawing for every booth. Nothing is cut until you approve it. Standard shapes take 2 to 3 weeks and custom shapes from your template 5 to 6 weeks, with rush production available at extra cost. Each cushion is made to within 6 mm (maximum ±2.5 cm) of the ordered size, or we remake it free. Delivery across the UK is free and shipped DDP, so there is no duty or VAT to pay on arrival.
Restaurant groups, designers and fit-out firms who order regularly can join our trade programme for 10%, 15% or 20% off, based on rolling 12-month spend. To start, visit our pub and restaurant cushions page and send us your booth list.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a minimum order for booth cushions?
No. You can order one replacement cushion or every booth in the building.
How thick should booth seat cushions be?
Most dining booths work well at 7.5 cm to 10 cm. Check against your table height before ordering.
Can I replace just the foam later?
Yes. Covers have zips and foam can be ordered on its own, so tired inserts can be swapped without new covers.
How should booth cushions be fixed?
Ties in matching fabric are standard and Velcro is available on request. Many fixed booths have a framed base that holds the cushion in place without either.
What warranty do commercial cushions have?
Fabric carries a 5-year warranty from the fabric partner and workmanship is covered for 2 years. Foam warranty depends on the grade.
