How to get pawns to use the dining room instead of a bedroom table without using mods

[RC-1128]

https://imgur.com/a/Rh9sCj2

Pawns keep using the room on the top left corner instead of the dining room.

[Vintorez]

You can select the table and deselect it as a 'gather spot', but I think this only prevents it being a spot for parties and social relaxation.

If you mean for eating, deconstruct it.

[M.K.]

Table+chair in bedroom may look nice, but is counterproductive.
Bedroom then counts as "dining room" for mood evaluation, plus the pawn misses on a lot of social interaction. Removing either the table or the chair will prevent eating in bedroom.

[corisai]

Pawns trying to use closest avaiable dinning hall.

So:
1) remove table / chairs from their bedroom (as already mentioned).
2) get mod that add COSMETIC tables/chairs.

[Morkonan]

Originally posted by 󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡󠀡Rob:

https://imgur.com/a/Rh9sCj2

Pawns keep using the room on the top left corner instead of the dining room.

As others have said, it's the closest table, more or less. You don't have to remove the table/chair, though that would certainly help force them to eat where you wanted them too. (Dining Room)

Take a look at your base with the intent to channel pawns where you want them to go. IOW, where is your dining room relative to where most of them are working Jobs? How easy is it for them to get to the main dining room? Do pawns have to take a long path to get there and can you shorten that path for some?

Forbidding Doors can help you figure out how routes will work without you having to engage in a lot of deconstruction/rebuilding. Placing a door here/there is also easy and quick if you need to test a possible new path. Also, in the devtools, you can examine a pawn's pathing to see where it's going and it's path preferences, IIRC.

Note: Channeling all traffic through the Dining Room area is not a good idea unless you are certain you can keep it clean. Heavy traffic through just one spot tends to pile up Filth quickly and allow it to be more easily.

Pawns should, IMO, have at least one mandatory recreation period before bed. For myself, this will generally put them in my Dining Room, depending on what they feel like doing. Also, including at least a couple of hours of Free/Recreation time when they first wake will generally cause them to head directly to get a meal and that is also accessed in the Dining Room. It also helps cranky pawns who aren't yet satisfied with their bedroom work off their frustration by using the recreation items in the Dining Room. My goal with this is to get everyone happy, fed in the Dining Room, and then out the Dining Room door to work. How they get back in doesn't concern me that much, but there are plenty of access points to get them back to the Dining Room for meals/rec.

IOW - I "controlled" using Bedrest as a known operator and manipulated what they do and where they go from the point at which they wake up. The only control I use after that point is Recreation before Bed, which generally move them to the Dining Room.

PS - Atm, every bedroom in my colony has a table and a chair as well as bed, end-table, dresser, etc... Sometimes I still see pawns grabbing a meal in a bedroom. I don't mind as long as it's a pleasant room. I also have several big "bunkhouse" rooms for Hospitality Mod's "Visitors/Guests." Those have very good recreation items in them, too, as well as a good environment score, so I don't mind my own pawns eating in there. All my pawns will eventually end up in the Dining Room at some point during their Recreation phase or after they first wake due to the scheduling/pathing choices I made. (ie: Every pawn will usually eat at least one meal in the formal Dining Room after they wake and before heading out for work.)

[RC-1128]

Thanks, everyone!

[believor in Prawn]

Originally posted by M.K.:

Table+chair in bedroom may look nice, but is counterproductive.
Bedroom then counts as "dining room" for mood evaluation, plus the pawn misses on a lot of social interaction. Removing either the table or the chair will prevent eating in bedroom.

however they may just eat on the floor

[LIMP BISQUICK]

Morkonan gave a nice tip.

IMO It's best to just deconstruct or relocate tables if they get in the way from other preferred dining locations. It's not as simple as pawns choosing the closest or fastest path. They also don't consider which table would be better to eat at.