indoor seating

Meaning

This phrase refers to the tables and chairs located inside a restaurant or cafe, as opposed to an outdoor patio, terrace, or garden. It is commonly used when hosts ask customers where they prefer to sit, especially during pleasant or extreme weather.

Examples

• Do you prefer outdoor or indoor seating tonight?

  Do you prefer outdoor or indoor seating tonight?

• Since it started raining, everyone rushed inside to find indoor seating.

  Since it started raining, everyone rushed inside to find indoor seating.

• The restaurant has limited indoor seating, so I highly recommend booking a table in advance.

  The restaurant has limited indoor seating, so I highly recommend booking a table in advance.

• We would like indoor seating, please, as it is a bit too windy out here.

  We would like indoor seating, please, as it is a bit too windy out here.

• The cafe offers cozy indoor seating with plenty of power outlets for laptops.

  The cafe offers cozy indoor seating with plenty of power outlets for laptops.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ We want inside seatings, please.

  ✓ We want indoor seating, please.

  'Seating' is an uncountable noun in this context. Do not make it plural by adding an 's'.

• ✗ Is there any indoors seat?

  ✓ Is there any indoor seating?

  'Indoor' is the adjective form used before nouns. 'Indoors' is an adverb used to describe an action, such as 'we went indoors'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• It's getting too hot out here; let's ask the host if they have any ___ available.

  💡 Tables inside the air-conditioned restaurant.

  Show answer

  indoor seating

• The bistro has a lovely patio, but the ___ is much quieter.

  💡 The dining area inside the building.

  Show answer

  indoor seating