9 Small Coffee Shop Design Best-Practices

Learn 9 small coffee shop design best-practices to create the perfect coffee shop layout and floor plan to optimize sales and attract customers. 

The Coffee Industry: A Look at What’s Brewing

The allure of opening a coffee shop is irresistible for many entrepreneurs. And why wouldn’t it be? According to a report by IBISWorld, the market size for the coffee shop industry reached $55 billion in 2023 and employs almost a million people. The National Coffee Association’s 2023 National Coffee Data Trends Report says 65% of Americans drank coffee in the past day and 35% of those daily drinkers consume their cuppa joe outside of the home. Sounds like a good time to go into the coffee business.

How can you attract those coffee lovers to your shop? After offering great coffee, pay attention to your small coffee shop design. When space is at a premium, the dynamics of a small coffee shop floor plan become crucial. A well-crafted and thoughtful design can make your coffee shop the cozy neighborhood hangout as well as the place to grab a quick and convenient cup of coffee and a snack.

Coffee Shop Design Inspiration: What You Need to Know

Here are 9 best-practices for small coffee shop design, ensuring you make the most of every square foot:

  1. Understand coffee shop size: The size of your small coffee shop needs to fit your budget. You’ll need space for equipment and storage, counter space and display cases, room for comfortable seating for customers who wish to linger, and room to move freely for those who need to make a hasty exit. Your profitability relies on optimizing your design for function and appeal.
  2. Streamlined flow is key: An efficient coffee shop layout guarantees safe movement for customers and staff. Strategic positioning of the counter, seating, and storage can help avoid congestion, facilitating safer workflow for employees and quicker delivery of service for your customers.
  3. Atmosphere matters: A smaller footprint doesn’t mean compromising on ambiance. Use soft lighting, warm hues, and inviting decor to create a cozy environment. An inviting atmosphere can be a game-changer, encouraging customers to stay longer, spend more, and return frequently.
  4. Embrace multi-functional furniture: With limited space, each piece of furniture should serve multiple purposes, enhancing the utility of your small coffee shop design without sacrificing aesthetics. Hidden storage options, like under-counter cabinets or overhead racks, can be beneficial, decluttering your shop, making your cafe look spacious and organized.
  5. Source coffee shop design inspiration: Finding the right design inspiration can include online and offline research. Platforms like Pinterest and Instagram are rich sources of design inspo, as are touring local cafes or exploring design books. Drawing upon the creativity found in other coffee shops can offer you fresh insights.
  6. Coffee shop layout options: Consider your space, the vibe you wish to create and how customers might use the space. Incorporate aesthetics and functionality, ensuring your small coffee shop floor plan is optimized for success. Maintain a flexible design approach; trends change, and your design should adapt without extensive renovations. Whether it’s accommodating a new piece of equipment or seasonal decor, adaptable spaces can be invaluable.
  7. Prioritize customer comfort: Even within compact spaces, customer comfort should be paramount. Ensure ample legroom, provide seating and even workspace options, attracting a range of people. Consider noise levels and temperature. If customers feel relaxed in your shop, they’ll want to come back.
  8. Local touches make a difference: Don’t forget to infuse your shop with local color. Whether it’s displaying local artists’ work, learning customers’ names, or having a community board full of neighborhood happenings, these touches set your cafe apart.
  9. Stay updated and seek feedback: Regularly update your design, coffee house menu, and beverage offerings. Engage with your customers, get feedback, and be ready to make changes to improve their experience and keep them coming back.

Beans & Brews Coffeehouse: Designed for Success

Starting a coffee shop from scratch can be daunting. That’s why Beans & Brews Coffeehouse, a rapidly expanding coffee shop franchise, can simplify matters, giving you a distinct advantage over the competition.

You’ll benefit from our proven business model, training and support, wealth of industry knowledge, and small coffee house design plans. Our rapidly growing franchise specializes in High Altitude Roasting™ and offers breakfast, lunch, and snack dayparts. But Beans is more than a sit-down cafe; we’re also a drive-thru coffee shop.

A drive-thru coffee shop creates a convenient place to grab-and-go. Drive-thru customers are often in a hurry, needing a quick way to pick up their order. You can increase the volume of business you do, attracting busy customers with our drive-thru design.

While Beans & Brews has thoughtfully planned standard design elements for all our shops, our flexible prototypes recognize every location is different. We’ll assist you with the design process based on your location, adding common elements of the community, crafting a shop that’s functional and welcoming, perfect for grabbing a quick coffee or tea, energy drink, avocado toast, burritos, pastries, and more. Our designs include easy to see menus and display cases, comfy seating, and soft lighting for customers, plus efficient workspaces for our employees.

Every Beans & Brews is a proud community partner, caring about what we do and making human connections one cup of coffee at a time. If you’ve got an adventurous spirit, a passion for leadership, meet our financial qualifications, are community minded, and just love coffee, we want to hear from you. Get started today.

The Beans & Brews Franchise Opportunity

Investing in Beans & Brews Coffeehouse means you’re a part of a rapidly expanding business and can be the first to bring our High-Altitude Roasting™ to a new market. We offer two coffee shop franchise models: a standard model with a lobby and drive-thru, and an express model.

Our steps to franchise ownership include an FDD ReviewOur FDD provides you with information about us, our franchise system, our respective roles, and general agreements that will need to be signed. Learn more about your potential franchise investment with this breakdown of estimated coffeehouse franchise costs. Get started today!