How many times a table is reseated with a new party during a service period — higher turns mean more covers from the same seats.
Table Turns (Turnover)
How many times a table is reseated with a new party during a service period — higher turns mean more covers from the same seats.
Table turns (or turnover) measure how many separate parties a table seats during a service period. If a two-top is used by three different parties over dinner, that table turned three times. Turns multiply a fixed number of seats into total covers, so they directly cap revenue for a dining room of a given size.
Operators balance turns against guest experience: pushing turns too hard rushes diners, while slow turns leave revenue on the table during peak demand.
- What drives turns: kitchen pace, server efficiency, coursing, and how quickly tables are bussed and reset.
- How software helps: reservation and table-management tools like OpenTable and SevenRooms time seatings and track average dining duration to optimize the book.
Turns, covers, and check average together explain a dining room's revenue ceiling on a busy night.