[freebeard]

I keep 4 folding chairs for similar situations, mainly outdoor neighborhood potlucks. They stack in ~1ft of space, but they have flat wooden seats. They would fit in the corner of the dining space. Corners need a triangular cabinet anyway.

My brother has an expandable dining table with IIRC three (maybe two?) drop-in sections. So it can be three or four different length. Each leaf is maybe 1/2 a seating space.

I doubt you'll get two people on the end of a 3ft table.