Hi everyone, I recently rented a space and I want to open a coffee shop. I haven't worked in F&B for about 10 years and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed (m41, remote sales job for the past 10 years, before that mainly bars).
Anyway, the one thing I was sure about was the counter layout. But then I used paper tape to map it out and now I feel it's off.
Now considering having two parallel counters instead of a U shape.
How would you design the layout?
Any advice appreciated.
by Early-Depth9232
5 Comments
Firstly i really like the space. i think youll be able to do something really cool with it.
Secondly i would encourage you to consider a few major details about the experience that you want your guests to have.
– does the ordering process make sense?
– is it clear from entering the door where a guest needs to go to order?
– where is a guest going to pick up their order?
Other things to consider
– where are cups going to live
-where are you going to put your syrups or sauces
– it looks like there is a lot of unused space on the left side of the photo, are you going to have a drip machine or a pour over station?
I hope this helps! Reach out if you need help figuring out logistics or talking this through more. id be happy to help!
Any way to keep your dishwashing area in another zone? That’s taking up a huge amount of real estate for something that you don’t really want customers looking at anyways.
For a cafe that’s mostly coffee/treats i would think you could get away with handwashing in a 3 compartment sink and nix the dishwasher (big savings too) but it would certainly depend on your volume of dishes/for here mugs or if you’re doing a lot of food prep
Please please please please PLEASE hire on a manager that knows their stuff. Starting a cafe with no cafe experience is like trying to run a marathon before ever running a mile. Nothing worse than a cafe that looks good but is run like shit.
+1 to figure out workflow and guest experience (walking in -> seeing a menu -> ordering -> receiving drink -> staying at a table/leaving).
You may want to think about smaller counter spaces. You’re left with a very tight layout that gives most of the footprint to cabinets/shelves versus humans to move around. You likely want your POS facing towards the entrance both so they can keep an eye on things but also so guests can clearly see where to start. Having drinks delivered on the side is usually more helpful to workflow and keeps folks who are just idling waiting for their drinks out of the way of traffic flow. You also don’t want to be taking orders next to the grinder/espresso machine because you’ll be yelling over them to talk with customers (and the cashier + barista will be shoulder to shoulder).
Think about where you’re storing any drink ware and cups to have on hand for serving drinks.
Also make sure to highlight the step for both folks coming to the area as well as folks leaving the area. They may be so enamored with your delicious drinks they’ll miss the small step downwards!
couple things stood out to me: the countertops are *very* narrow and short. i don’t know standards where you are but in the US you won’t be able to fit a standard undercounter fridge under a 75cm counter (which is less than 75cm underneath because something needs to hold the counter up, and most fridges need clearance in the back for ventilating). i also think you will end up with more stuff on top of the than you think: you are going to end up with a wall of equipment between your barista and customer.
you’re also going to lose undercounter space because you will need to run plumbing and electric all the way around from the wall to feed the espresso machine. not the right place for the machine atmo. is there a pitcher rinser? space for pitchers, scales, tools?
and i think you will find yourself short on refrigerator space. at very least leave room for expansion. current design will destroy you.
the space behind the bar is pretty cramped too. will you ever have 2 people working back there? can you do enough business to cover your expenses with only one barista?
most people agree that espresso needs to rest 10-14 days after roasting. do you have the space for storing at least that much coffee? what about cups and lids? In the USA they come in cases of 1000 and of course you can’t wait until you’ve run out to order more.
always build in wayyyy more storage than you think you’ll need.
good luck!