In a restaurant, seating is architecture. A banquette sets the rhythm of the room, decides how many covers fit on a wall and takes more wear than anything else in the space. Built well, it lasts a decade. Built cheaply, it sags, splits and looks tired in two years. This guide covers what custom banquette and booth seating costs for Los Angeles restaurants in 2026 and what to settle before you order it.
What it costs
Published 2026 guides for restaurant seating put installed wall banquettes at roughly $300 to $550 per linear foot, depending on back height, upholstery grade, millwork detail and site conditions. Freestanding custom booths run about $1,500 to $3,500 per unit, while stock booths start around $950 to $1,400.
These are market ranges, not our quote. Curved and circular booths, tall channel-tufted backs, customer-supplied fabric and one-off engineering all push a project toward the top of the band.
| Seating type | How it is priced | Typical 2026 range |
|---|---|---|
| Wall banquette | Per linear foot | $300 to $550 |
| Single or double booth | Per unit | $1,500 to $3,500 |
| Curved, U or circular booth | Per unit, from drawings | Above the booth range |
What to decide before drawings
Seat height and depth
Most dining banquettes use a seat height around 18 inches finished and a seat depth near 20 inches, matched to a table height around 30 inches. Get these wrong and every guest notices, even if they cannot say why.
Back height
A low back keeps the room open. A tall back creates privacy and can double as a partition between zones. Taller backs cost more in material and in structure, because they have to resist people leaning on them for years.
The base and the wall behind it
The base takes kicks, mop water and chair legs. A hardwood or veneered base with a recessed toe kick holds up far better than an exposed fabric skirt. The wall behind the banquette is where millwork shows: wood slats, panels or a lit niche turn a bench into a feature. See the restaurant slat wall in our portfolio for how the wall and seating read together.
Upholstery
Commercial fabric and vinyl are rated for abrasion in double rubs. Choose a rating meant for hospitality use, and plan removable seat cushions so a stained or worn section can be replaced without rebuilding the run.
Code and access
Aisle widths, accessible seating positions and fire ratings for upholstery are set by code and by your inspector. Your architect or designer usually owns these numbers. We build to them from the first drawing.
How we work on restaurant projects
We start from your floor plan and the cover count you need, then draw the banquettes, booths and the woodwork around them as one package. You see it as a 3D preview before anything is cut. After drawings and a finish sample are approved, fabrication happens in our Chatsworth workshop and our own crew installs. Lead time is typically four to six weeks from approved shop drawings, and we can install at night or on closed days to keep a restaurant open.
For wall work alongside the seating, read our guide to wood wall panels for restaurants. For our own pricing on panel and partition work, see what custom built-ins cost in Los Angeles.
Common questions
Banquette or freestanding booths?
A wall banquette seats more people per foot and lets you push tables together for groups. Freestanding booths give more privacy and are easier to reconfigure. Many rooms use both.
Can the banquette include storage?
Yes, for residential and some hospitality uses. In busy restaurants we usually recommend a solid base, because lift-up seats get used as trash bins and loosen quickly.
Do you do residential banquettes too?
Yes. Kitchen and breakfast-nook banquettes follow the same rules for height and depth, with softer fabrics and storage drawers in the base.
How do I get a number?
Send the floor plan or a photo of the wall with rough dimensions through the project form. We reply with a budget range.
