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[TigerHunter]

I've been making my communal area a dining hall because that's what was recommended by the quickstart guide I used. However, is there any benefit to this? Could I not simply have a meeting area activity zone in say, a statue garden, with chairs and tables to prevent the "complained about the lack of chairs" negative thought?

The only thing I think would be different would be the lack of the "ate in a lovely dining room" positive thought.

[weenog]

They're gonna eat in the dining room and react to its grandeur or lack thereof, regardless of whether it's also a meeting hall.  It doesn't need to be your meeting hall for long, although it's handy to do that early.  Keep the dining room when you make another meeting hall, just turn off the meeting hall option for the dining room.

[TigerHunter]

Will do, thanks.

[daveralph1234]

As said above.
I think the reason it is recomended in guides and largely done anyway is simply because there is little point in making a legendary diningroom and a seperate room full of tastefully arranged, valuable furnature (assuming you want your dwarves to be happy).
I don't think seating should be nessesary in the statuary, but I've never bothered with one.

[Dunamisdeos]

If you have emtpy chairs, dwarves will sometimes pass up the legendary dining hall to eat in the statuary, and then promptly complain about the lack of tables.

[slink]

I have an 11x11 zoo and a dining room that from recollection is about 27x27.  The dining room is also a meeting hall.  The zoo is based on an artifact cage.  More Dwarves gather in the smaller zoo than in the larger dining room.  I am not sure why they prefer it.  All of the animals displayed are vermin.

[Torrasque666]

Artifacts have a massive multiplier by themselves, enough to make the crappiest room legendary from one artifact, and the base value of the materials affect it as well. But even so, if I remember correctly, a legendary low-value stone whatever is still worth way more than the same object made of candy and masterwork quality. Its practically impossible to make them prefer the dining hall now, as you would need an artifact in there to counter the quality of the zoo.

[vertinox]

I have an 11x11 zoo and a dining room that from recollection is about 27x27.  The dining room is also a meeting hall.  The zoo is based on an artifact cage.  More Dwarves gather in the smaller zoo than in the larger dining room.  I am not sure why they prefer it.  All of the animals displayed are vermin.

Do dwarfs get happy thoughts from looking at caged animals? Say goblins? So if I put them in my legendary dining hall the should take a look at them?

And to the op: I would highly recommend a legendary dining hall. Seems to be the only thing keeping my forts from a tantrum spiral.

[greycat]

They get happy thoughts from looking at caged animals that are listed on their preferences screen.  Not sure about other animals.

[Niyazov]

As said above.
I think the reason it is recomended in guides and largely done anyway is simply because there is little point in making a legendary diningroom and a seperate room full of tastefully arranged, valuable furnature (assuming you want your dwarves to be happy).
I don't think seating should be nessesary in the statuary, but I've never bothered with one.

You get the tasteful arrangement bonus from furniture in a designated statue garden, which can also be a meeting hall (it is also generated from memorial halls). If you have your dining room and statue garden overlap, the value of each will be halved although I'm not sure if this is done on a blanket or per-item basis.

[Xenogenic]

I tend to have legendary dining rooms but not designate them as such. Sure the happy thoughts keep everyone happy up front, but then when everyone becomes best friends with everyone it only takes a very small accident to set off a tantrum spiral due to lost friends.

Just lost a fort due to that combined with tantruming naked kids.

[NTJedi]

Could I not simply have a meeting area activity zone in say, a statue garden, with chairs and tables to prevent the "complained about the lack of chairs" negative thought?

I've never had the "complained about the lack of chairs" or "complained about the lack of tables"...  I typically have one dining room where every table(32) has a chair(32).  Eventually I create a second dining room further deep down for when I start digging deep deep into the earth. 

... when everyone becomes best friends with everyone it only takes a very small accident to set off a tantrum spiral due to lost friends.

Just lost a fort due to that combined with tantruming naked kids.

It seems dwarf kids usually are the first to become naked and start with bad thoughts.  I had this problem once yet didn't lose my fort only lost 3 kids.  I resolved this problem for all future forts by having my leatherworker always producing robes, dresses, (top variety), cloaks, gloves, hoods(military), trousers(lower & military), and shoe(feet).  My tailor only makes socks and sew an image.

[weenog]

It's not so much that kids become naked, as naked (and totally fine with that) babies become kids.  They start accumulating bad thoughts from that if they can't find clothes, you don't notice because kids never do anything interesting unless it's a one-year-old entering a strange mood and becoming a legendary stonecrafter, then they draw attention to themselves by going insane.

[NTJedi]

It's not so much that kids become naked, as naked (and totally fine with that) babies become kids.  They start accumulating bad thoughts from that if they can't find clothes, you don't notice because kids never do anything interesting unless it's a one-year-old entering a strange mood and becoming a legendary stonecrafter, then they draw attention to themselves by going insane.

As long as a supply of new clothes are available kids don't have bad thoughts due to lack of clothes.  My current fort has 39 children and the worst thoughts they generate is about wearing old clothes, but even with this they all remain ecstatic or happy with good thoughts.

[Xenogenic]

I reclaimed that fort and now all is fine. Obviously the problem won't repeat itself for a while as the 100 previous inhabitants all left their cloths lying around after horribly slaughtering one another. 

Oh yeah, and no more wild parties in the legendary dining room! Didn't designate it and now every now and then a few dwarves quietly slip in there to eat a meal and continue on.

I wish you could get a fortress guard that breaks up conversations and such... no talking no socializing... something draconian-like.