Designing a café around flow, from queue to cup

Plan the route before the finishes. A beautiful bar that slows service costs money every day.

A café is judged at the counter. If the queue blocks the door or cuts through the seating, guests feel it before they taste anything.

We plan the route first: entry, order, pay, pick-up, condiments, seat, exit. Each point gets its own space, so people waiting and people leaving do not meet.

Behind the bar the same logic applies. Grinder, machine, fridge and sink are placed so a barista makes each drink in as few steps as possible during the morning peak.

Only once the flow works do we choose materials and lighting.