How about a proposal that meets people in the middle. Fine leave stuff on the chairs, if you're gone more than an hour the staff has the green light to move it. I just hate seeing chairs go unused for the vast majority of the day because they were reserved early in the morning.
Why don't they have a mix of chairs and loungers? If I recall years ago when it was BBG they had tables and chairs outside the restaurant Chairs also take up less room and you could fit more