Like anything, I think benches sometimes work and sometimes don't. To me, it often looks unfinished or like part of the dining set is missing -- it really depends on which view you have of the dining room table. The entry/initial view to the dining room or dining area makes a bench a hit or miss.

More often than not, though, I think it's a miss. I'm probably in the minority, though.

Not for me -- I enjoy long dinners, and I enjoy back support.

I definitely like the idea for all the reasons you mentioned and also for informal meals, like breakfast and lunch. But for long dinners, as a previous commenter said, I need back support.

We have a long, narrow dining table with a bench on one side, stools on the other and Windsor chairs on the ends. I love the setup, as it can accommodate our large family without looking too crowded and makes cleaning a breeze (slide the bench over and stack the stools to vaccum). Also, it was an economical choice - a set of six dining chairs in a design that I could live with were way beyond our means.

Comfort-wise, we're happy with the arrangement, though when in-laws and other guests visit they are offered the chairs at the ends.

We have a bench at our dining table for our 3 year old, if something drips on it, it's easier to clean then our fabric chairs!

I just added a bench to our dining room, and it's really the perfect thing for adding extra seating without taking up too much space. When not in use, it fits nicely under the DR window.

My husband built me a bench (from Ana-White!) for my birthday. We have four chairs that we purchased when we got our dining table years ago, but the store we got them from is no longer in business. So we found a really simple bench plan, and he built it. It's been great for kids and grownups alike. I'm almost glad we cant get more chairs anymore!

I just purchased 2 dining room chairs from the DWR outlet, unfortunately I can only afford two, I'm saving for 4 more. anyway, I contemplated purchasing a mathcing bench for one side of the dining room table that way I'd only need to save up for 2 more chairs. but after Thanksgiving dinner, I'm glad I didn't purchase the bench. I'm old and just like Mid-C Frank said I need back support! Benches are great for quick dinners but if you intend to linger, you might reconsider.

But if you put a bench against a wall, isn't that your back support?

I hate benches for sitting. They are (sometimes) nice to look at but miserable to sit on. (This includes picnic tables with bench seats.) I always get stuck in the middle and if I want to exit the table, I either have to make other people get up or I have to gracelessly swivel on the seat and climb out. (OK for teenagers, maybe, but not so great for me!) Plus, I'm another fan of back support. If I can't have a chair, I'm not a happy person! So I try to provide them for my guests as well.

I'm with SherryBinNH about benches. While the idea isn't bad per se, they end up being and/or uncomfortable, at least for many of us over 25 or so. And some settings just look strange with benches (including my craftsman dining room with the oval table). Personally, I really want back support.

I like bench seating.. We had to do benches in our formal dining room b/c we wanted a large farm table and needed the benches to tuck under and not look too bulky. It's worked well so far b/c you can squeeze in a bunch of people, or spread out and it's comfortable either way.

I am on the Team Folding Chairs. I think benches are almost always uncomfortable.