The actual cafe reminds me a lot of the setup at the Monterey Bay Aquarium or the Cal Academy of Sciences, but with fewer options. You enter, grab a tray, and then hit one of four stations -- salad, grill, deli, and pizza. Choices are limited at each location, but SSM appears to be floating the idea of a seasonal menu.
The interior has approximately twenty four-top tables, with another twenty outside in various places.
@Arizona Docent I read somewhere that it has a total of ~290 seats. Depending on just how busy things get, it might not be enough. I suspect that dining will occur in waves though. I went in early (about 11), and business increased as it approached noon. It was slower later in the afternoon, but I forget exactly when.
There's also the restaurant adjacent to the entrance (now renamed Tusker's), but the dining options at Oakland Zoo are poor to limited to begin with. The menu at Tusker's has been revamped and pared down, so we'll see what happens with that. Table options there are also extremely limited. I don't even think they have twenty.
Yes but number of seats is misleading - I am going by your statement of number of tables, about 24 inside. Sure there may be empty seats at a table of four, but if a couple is already at a table I am certainly not going to walk up to them and ask if I can join them.
