I had to stop eating at the Chameleon cafe because the meal for my senses includes my tush. I left a hot spot in SF (Bocadellos) because they gave us bar stools and literally 1.5 sq. feet of space to eat a meal. The demise of Hampton's has me longing for table 101 with its cushioned chairs.

Is that a picture of Fogo de Chao?

yes

I used to hate the chairs at Vespa. They hit my in the wrong place on the back of my legs, and the backs were the wrong angle. Every time I ate there, I was so uncomfortable.

When you first showed the photo of Woodberry a few weeks ago, my comment was that it looked like it was all hard surfaces (read: cold).

The pic is at Fogo and they want clients to be as comfortable as possible with wide, warm, wood (the 3 W's) chairs - clients who got some serious dough to burn, for some serious meat to eat.

Maybe the "hip" places have uncomfortable chairs to keep us old geezers out.

What do the chairs say about the restaurant's clientele? Or what do chairs say about the kind of clientele the restaurant hopes to attract and keep? Unfortunately one diner's comfort will also be another's bane of existence. Some may carry their own padding and not require cushiony chairs (or banquettes) while I imagine there are customers who prefer softer perches. Frankly I am easy to please: as long as the chair is level and doesn't threaten to toss me to the floor, I am a happy boy.

Whatever happened to chairs for Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear? Most places are now one size fits all, or you know you're not welcome. (Don't even think of asking for a booster seat or a highchair where you know that will mess up the hip design!)

I hate to bring up the dreaded Charleston (there, I said it), but last time I was there the restaurant was out of pillows for use on the booth/bench side of the tables. For those who haven't been, much of the seating has a free standing chair on one end with an upholstered, shared bench on the other - I'm at a loss for words to describe it. Anyways, they were out of pillows to place at the sacral/lumbar region of the back so I had to sit without any support. It is the only occasion I can think of where I was cognizant of how uncomfortable the seating is at the restaurant. I felt like I was seated far away from the table and couldn't really relax without slumping down in my seat. Seemed like a major oversight during the remodel. Ahhh....those pesky details. I must be getting crotchety in my old age.

My wife and I went to dinner @ Dogwood this past Friday. The food was great, as usual. But, we opted to sit at the bar, since we didn't have reservations. Our only complaint about the evening was the seating at the bar. The bar top didn't come out at all, so trying to eat at the bar wasn't the most pleasant experience. Basically we found ourselves leaning forward into the bar while our knees kept knocking into the bar. We'll know to either make reservations or call ahead next time, so we don't have to sit at the bar. Galen and Bridget are doing a great job, though, the place has come along nicely!

My husband and I were at Dogwood last Friday and saw you struggling at the bar. If that wasn't bad enough- there was a party who tried three different tables (all around ours where were we already comfortably seated) and finally decided on one. Reminds me of that children's fairy tale... The hosts struggled with the tables after that- I guess a lot of folks showed up with extra people in their parties.

I second the uncomfortable seating at Woodberry Kitchen. We were a party of 5 sat upstairs in a booth-type table, that was very long and skinny. So long that I couldn't hear anything my Dad was saying at the other end of the table or what the waiter was saying if he wasn't close to my end. And yes I'm pregnant, and pretty much uncomfortable all the time, but the hard wood of the booth and awkward sitting angle were just awful.

The food was absolutely great though.