I've never seen the attraction of trying to seat people at your work space. It makes the cook (me) crazy, and it is too tall to make a comfortable eating surface. It's a lose-lose proposition from my point of view. There are good reasons work benches and eating tables are different surfaces.

My work surface is 42 x 110" and is just about perfect-- I could easily get by with something shorter, but 40-42" deep is really nice to be able to have both a working and staging area in front of you.

I’m starting to wonder that. The good news is my kids are older and it’s not a necessity to have meals there. I not only have a table in the kitchen space but also a dining room near by.
I guess I’m wondering if I’ll regret not having it all just for prep space.

I'm not a fan of seating at an island, especially if there is a casual dining area adjacent. I'm short, so sitting higher is uncomfortable for me. Also, when eating, I'd much prefer to be able to look at others rather than sitting in a row. I recently build a new home and have island with storage and no eating area. I sometimes wonder if the island seating will be a short-lived trend.

66 inches is not really enough space for 3 adults on stools, especially if they are visitors. Getting in/out, and being that close would feel awkward.

There is the recommended 24” space per person/stool because only 2 will be side by side on the backside and one will be at the end.

I’ve never had island seating so I’m just not sure if I’ll like it or not. That is one of the reasons I decide to go with a shorter island and leave my small round table in the kitchen area.
One of my sons loves sitting there now even though we don’t have our countertop installed yet.
That’s also why I’m wondering if it may be better to have seating at the end of the island by making it longer and having 2 chairs on each side, sort of like a table attached to the island.
But if I go that direction o don’t really have room for a table too. Some people have told me they make it looks cleaner without the table, and I can see that, but I am certainly then locked in and cannot add a table back in later if I miss it.

@tarasmom without a floorplan it will be difficult to advise.

I think most people who have already responded on this thread have the minority opinion. In my experience most people like island seating. Personally, I love it - it means people can keep me company while I cook without getting in my way. DD also loves to eat up there, so that's where she usually has breakfast (DH and I as well, on weekends). Also, consider that just because you have seating doesn't meant you have to use it as seating. If you have people helping you cook, push the seats out of the way and use the entire island (low back or backless stools would be best if you plan on doing this often, but I would imagine that the multiple cook situations don't happen every day). Also it isn't convenient to prep on the back side of an island anyway, so you may find that it doesn't matter if people are sitting there when multiple people are prepping.

Here are the questions you need to ask:

1. Is there enough space for seating as you have planned it?

2. Where are the seats with respect to the rest of your kitchen? Will the locations interfere with any of the cooking zones?

3. How often would all 3 seats be used?

4. Do you LIKE having people visiting with you while you're prepping?

5. How much space do you think you need? Can you even reach across 44"? Personally I can't - my current island is about 36" and I don't use all of it when I prep.

Good luck with your decision!

Thank you so much anj_p
All your points are very helpful and thanks so much for giving me those questions to ask myself. I do have adequate walk space behind seaters at the island. My concern isn’t so much of layout, that’s already be addressed, it’s really just about countertop space. And you are so right that for the most part there won’t always be someone at the bar eating while I’m prepping. And very rarely will all 3 seats be used at the same time except maybe breakfast.

@anj_p, I agree that I am in the minority as many love island seating.