Cafés and restaurants are an important part of Melbourne’s urban environment. Their seating capacity offers one way to examine how the city’s dining landscape has changed over time. However, a city-wide total can conceal differences between neighbourhoods, and changes in recorded seating capacity do not necessarily correspond directly to changes in the number of businesses. This report examines recorded dining capacity in the City of Melbourne between 2002 and 2024 using the City of Melbourne’s Café, restaurant, bistro seats dataset. The analysis focuses on records classified under ANZSIC code 4511, Cafes and Restaurants, and distinguishes between indoor and outdoor seating.