What is on each sheet
Both plans and their schedules follow. CF-1 is the compact takeaway format; CF-2 adds a kitchen line, a banquette run and the power provision that a work-friendly cafe needs.
| Sheet | Overall size | What is drawn on it | Key dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| CF-1 — 640 sq ft, 24 covers, takeaway-led | 32 ft x 20 ft | Counter at the door, 24 seats, compact back of house | 27 sq ft per cover |
| CF-2 — 1,320 sq ft, 46 covers, dwell cafe | 44 ft x 30 ft | Full kitchen, work-friendly seating, outdoor spill | 29 sq ft per cover |
Schedule — CF-1 — 640 sq ft, 24 covers, takeaway-led
- Service counter, 10 ft, with POS and display — 10 ft × 2.5 ft
- Espresso station — 4 ft × 3 ft
- Pastry and cold display — 5 ft × 3 ft
- Prep counter and sink — 10 ft × 3 ft
- Store and staff — 5 ft × 2.5 ft
- 2-tops, row of four — 2.5 ft × 2.5 ft
- 2-tops, row of four — 2.5 ft × 2.5 ft
- Window bar, 16 ft, 8 stools — 16 ft × 2 ft
- Communal table, 6-seat — 4 ft × 4 ft
Schedule — CF-2 — 1,320 sq ft, 46 covers, dwell cafe
- Service counter, 14 ft — 14 ft × 2.5 ft
- Espresso and brew bar — 6 ft × 3.5 ft
- Display and merchandise — 7 ft × 3.5 ft
- Back counter, grinders and water — 14 ft × 3 ft
- Kitchen line and pass — 12 ft × 6 ft
- Wash, store, staff — 8 ft × 6 ft
- 4-tops, row of five — 3 ft × 3 ft
- 4-tops, row of five — 3 ft × 3 ft
- Communal work table, 12 seats, with power — 22 ft × 3 ft
- 2-tops, row of six — 2.5 ft × 2.5 ft
- Banquette run, 14 covers — 24 ft × 4 ft
- Soft seating, 4 — 8 ft × 2.5 ft
How to use the plans
- Decide takeaway or dwell before drawing anything. They are different businesses with different seat counts, different power loads and different fit-out budgets.
- Put the espresso machine perpendicular to the queue. A barista with their back to the customer loses the interaction the format is built on.
- Count your power points against the seat count. A dwell cafe with power at four seats will have four occupied seats and a queue of people leaving.
- Size the back of house honestly. CF-1 gives 120 sq ft to prep, wash and store. Below that, deliveries live in the seating area.
Three mistakes in cafe planning
- The counter at the back. It reads as a restaurant, kills impulse walk-ins and lengthens every transaction.
- All 2-tops. A room of two-seaters seats one person per table by mid-morning and turns a 24-cover cafe into a 12-cover cafe.
- No dedicated bin and bussing point. Without one, dirty cups accumulate on occupied tables, which is what guests remember.
Download the templates (PDF) →
See commercial interior design and the restaurant layout templates.
Frequently asked questions
How many seats fit in a 600 sq ft cafe?+
Twenty to twenty-six covers with a working counter and back of house. CF-1 here gets 24 out of 640 sq ft by using a window bar and a communal table rather than filling the floor with 2-tops, which is also what keeps turnover up.
How much power does a cafe need?+
The equipment alone typically needs a 15 to 25 kW connection: a two-group espresso machine, grinders, a fridge line, an oven and the water heater. That is before any seat-side sockets. Confirm the available load with the building before signing, because upgrading a connection in Mumbai takes months.
Should I allow laptops?+
Decide deliberately and design for the answer. If yes, provide power and a communal table and price accordingly. If no, use hard seating, no power and small tables. What fails is allowing laptops by accident with four sockets, which produces the worst of both.
What does a cafe fit-out cost?+
₹2,200 to ₹4,500 per sq ft, ex-GST, excluding equipment. A 640 sq ft cafe at ₹3,000 is roughly ₹19 lakh, with another ₹8 to ₹20 lakh in machines, refrigeration and furniture depending on the specification.
Do I need an exhaust shaft for a cafe?+
For coffee and cold food, usually not. The moment you add a griddle, a fryer or a tandoor you need a duct to a shaft, and the availability of that shaft should be checked before the lease, not after the kitchen is designed.