Furniture for coffee houses, basic designs and requirements for them

The organization of its own coffee shop begins with a business plan, which sets out all the preliminary costs that the enterprise will require at the start-up stage. Many nuances should be taken into account, but correctly selected furniture for a coffee house is an important factor, because it guarantees the comfort of visitors.

Primary requirements

Not everyone can afford the purchase of new furniture at the startup stage. Especially when it comes to thematic or elite, vintage design. Here it is worth paying attention to the sites where the furniture that was already in use is sold. You will know for sure that it meets the requirements of the institution, and a small cosmetic repair will allow you to return to tables and chairs a presentable appearance without a gap in the budget. The same applies to display cases, a bar counter: thermal, refrigerated display cases for baking, desserts can be found at affordable prices, bought from establishments that decided to close the business or rebrand. Furniture rental is suitable for those who wanted to open a coffee shop only for a certain period of time (winter or summer) and are not interested in further business continuation.

What should be the furniture for a coffee house to meet all the requirements of a catering facility? It must meet a number of requirements:

the part that is directly involved in the preparation of the product, the storage of semi-finished products - must be subjected to regular sanitization. That is why stainless steel is used in display cases and bar counters, as well as high-quality artificial, natural stone. Such coatings are not afraid of moisture, disinfectants. Also, such furniture should take into account the seller’s needs in placing items related to sales: cups, spoons, portioned sugar bags, paper bags for selling beans or take-away coffee. A coffee machine and a coffee grinder will be installed here, the capacity of which is selected based on the planned number of visitors;
The cash register is located in the service area. Showcases must maintain the required temperature, be convenient for display, presentation of goods;
the stand should be convenient for the seller, commensurate with its growth. If the coffee shop has high traffic, the counter can be supplemented with a high bar stool - this will allow the cashier to take off the load, while remaining on the same level as the client. For the client, a small shelf should be equipped in the checkout area where you can put a bag or bag for convenience;
the hall area is equipped with seats, which can be located both along the bar counters and around furniture, like classic coffee houses with round tables and Viennese chairs. Furniture should be comfortable and light for sanitation. For different types of catering establishments, there are certain standards for the dimensions of tables, chairs, based on the format of the institution and the average number of visitors.

Varieties

There are many varieties of professional furniture. Each allows you to supplement the institution, properly organize the work of staff, make the room as ergonomic as possible. When organizing a coffee shop, diverse options are used. The types of furniture for coffee houses can be divided into several categories:

for personal needs of staff;
furniture in the guest area (seats - tables, chairs, clothes hangers);
furniture of the sales area (bar, cash desk console, cabinets, shelves for dishes, goods, showcases, thermal, cold, a heating cabinet for storing semi-finished products).

Furniture for staff is for personal use and performance of official duties. If the coffee shop is small, the storage of staff outerwear becomes a matter of principle, since sanitary requirements strictly prescribe a separate closed cabinet, as far as possible from the storage area of food and utensils.

As for the guest area, here can be used as furniture of rigid construction (metal or wooden frame, plastic is involved), and upholstered furniture - sofas, armchairs, decorative pillows. Preferring the latter option, owners should remember that they must provide such a presentable appearance - have all the facilities for quick cleaning, take care of covers that can be quickly replaced if necessary.

Functions

Each type of furniture used in a coffee house has its own purpose, based on the zone it makes up. Furniture should be functional, that is, to fulfill its intended purpose - to contribute to increased profits, otherwise it becomes only an obstacle to work.

Coffee Shop Areas	Furniture	Function
Guest area	hangers; tables; chairs.	providing the guest with comfort while drinking coffee; the ability to comfortably accommodate yourself, with a companion or a child; an opportunity to place things, purchases.
Sales area	shop windows (refrigerated and heated, ordinary glazed); shelving; bar counter.	demonstration of goods, related confectionery; assortment placement; placement, storage of equipment and utensils; Demonstration of coffee to the client; identifying guest needs.
Cash zone	cash desk console with shelves; closed cabinet for storing daily revenue, safe deposit box.	payment for goods; storage of cash, supplies and money; ensuring customer convenience in the calculation; placement of a cash register, terminal for cashless payments.
Utility rooms	cabinets for staff; racks, cabinets for storing goods; cabinets for storing cleaning, detergents, items for sanitary treatment.	ensuring the correct storage conditions for the product; high-quality storage of used dishes, kitchen utensils; separate access to drugs, sanitary supplies.

Proper zoning of the area will allow you to effectively use the available space without violating the product proximity of the products used, ensuring high-quality storage of the funds used for cleaning. The latter is a frequent violation, the first what the inspection bodies look at.

Appearance

An integral part of attracting guests to the coffee house will be its interior. For a business practicing network development, the development of the brand concept will become the basis of appearance, first of all. Here designers will be connected, a standard will be worked out, which later applies to all coffee houses of this network. First of all, such establishments will order furniture to ensure corporate identity and recognition.

When it comes to a private coffee shop, where the owner does not think about a large-scale business, functionality, personal preferences and budget options come to the fore. The interior and furniture should be harmoniously combined with each other, if eclecticism in the design is not initially set by the design concept.

With an eclectic design, you need to be very careful so as not to create the impression of a commission, this will only push away the visitor.

Design options may be as follows:

Viennese coffee houses - using light and simple furniture (round tables, Viennese chairs, laconic design of the bar, shop windows and shelving);
Italian coffee houses - the motives of the terraces of Italian restaurants are used;
coffee shops a la Paris - here the sophistication of French establishments, a little pretentious and elegant;
Turkish coffee houses - sofas, pillows, multilayer curtains in the design of oriental flavor;
for mini format compact furniture and bar counters in pop art style using metal and plastic can be used. This design will be popular among young people, students.

Choosing the appearance of the coffee shop environment, you must first focus on your target audience - students, women, businessmen, retirees? Who do you plan to see in your hall? Remember that the interior can attract and repel customers if it does not meet their expectations or makes you feel uncomfortable.

Furniture should either facilitate traffic - that is, let the maximum of customers pass through; for this, furniture should not be conducive to long gatherings, too comfortable. On the contrary, an institution that wants guests to stay longer, increasing the average check, makes the situation as comfortable as possible.

Which is better to choose

Furniture for the HoReCa category is on the market. In order for your institution to be successful and keep its budget, you need to carefully study the proposals. It will be useful to consult with specialists and familiarize yourself with the literature. It is definitely worth buying furniture specially designed and created for the needs of a catering company - it takes into account the needs of doing business and meets the necessary standards that will provide the necessary conditions for the employees of your company and guests. In specialized forums you can get advice or get acquainted with the experience of other owners of similar enterprises. No need to grab the first sentence - the furniture should correspond to your concept and promote your coffee shop with the convenience and recognizability of the interior.

If furniture involves refrigeration and heating equipment, lighting, everything should be in good order. When deciding to purchase used furniture, carefully inspect it for defects - they may be minor, but can be very serious. Calculate whether it will be profitable to purchase furniture with subsequent repairs to restore aesthetic and functional qualities, who will do it?

The best option is to order furniture from companies specializing in furniture and equipment for coffee houses.

Professional project and specialist advice will help to comply with standards, which will further help protect the company from the sanctions of supervisory authorities. Are you planning to further develop a network of coffee houses? Then the interior should be easily reproducible and adaptive to various forms:

an island in a shopping center;
street mini-format;
a full-fledged coffee shop with a seating area.

The format is selected depending on the expected traffic, the area of the future coffee house and the specifics of the target audience. A coffee shop in a large center should be more respectable than at a gas station where drivers are the main visitors. For students, a coffee house is a place of communication and the opportunity to drink coffee at a reasonable price or even take it with you.