Excerpt
In examining the relationship between human dimension and dining spaces, the areas of most concern to the designer are the clearances around the table and the number of people a table of a particular size can accommodate. The clearance between the edge of the table and the wall or any other physical obstruction must at the very least accommodate two elements: (1) the space occupied by the chair and (2) the maximum body breadth of a person of a larger body size as he circulates between the chair an the wall. In dealing with the space occupied by the chair, it should be noted that its position, relative to the edge of the table, will change several times during the course of a meal. Towards the end of a meal, perhaps while the person is engaged in informal conversation or in an effort to change body posture, the chair may be extended farther from the table. As a person leaves the table, the chair may be located even farther away. Comfortable clearance should assume the chair to be at its farthest distance from the table.