Furnishing a café or pastry bar in a modern style: the costs involved

One of the most important costs to be borne when opening a business is furnishing: here is how much it costs to furnish a bar and a pastry bar.

How much does it cost to furnish a bar? Are there sites where to buy bar furnishings at low prices? These are the first questions asked by those who have to open a new business.

In the overall project of opening a bar, the furnishing and renovation of the building are central. One is faced with a new adventure to embark on, with costs to be incurred in building, furnishing and renovating the venue.

Here is a mini-guide on the costs to be faced.

How much does it cost to renovate a bar?

When you open a bar you are often faced with a property that needs to be renovated, so there are certain costs to be incurred before thinking about furnishing the premises.

In general, the costs of renovating a new bar include work for:

• Overhaul of electrical, gas and plumbing systems
• Revision or new construction of toilets/bathrooms
• Sanitisation of wet/dry areas
• Masonry work necessary for the activity.

These rules generally apply to any commercial activity.

Broadly speaking, we can say that the cost of renovating a business premises is €300/500 per square metre.

We are talking about an average price, which can vary depending both on the materials used and the contingencies that a job in which you demolish can present. From the edilizia365.it platform, a reference point for construction and renovation, we take this table, which can help us to better track the cost of renovating the premises.

The Patisserie Bar: the most popular format in recent years

The Pastry Bar is one of the most popular venues in recent years: the bar has become a meeting place with friends or work colleagues, where one can enjoy a break from the hustle and bustle of the day in style. A sweet pampering adorned with elegant style is all that is best to offer the public, who are increasingly attentive to design and excellent flavours.

The costs of furnishing the Patisserie Bar:

The Pastry Bar has on average higher costs than the classic bar, because:

• The bar cabinets must be long and temperature-controlled: the cost is around €2000-3000. A four-metre counter will cost around €7000 with a 1-metre long display case, while it will cost €8500/9000 in a pastry bar with a long drop-in display case.
• Large workshops must be available.  The ASL requires, among the standards for a pastry laboratory, an area dedicated to preparation.
• Dedicated pastry machines must be provided. Professional mixers, planetary mixers, professional pastry ovens and dough sheeters, worktops, refrigerators, freezers and refrigerated areas can cost on average between 50 and 80,000 €.
• The furnishings should have an elegant and design-conscious look, with luxury furnishing elements.

We can summarise the costs of opening a bar as follows:

COST TO OPEN A CLASSIC BAR: 70/90,000€ – Includes work on installations, painting, basic furnishings and equipment, espresso machine
COST OF OPENING A PASTRY BAR: 155/180,000€ – Compared to the classic bar, the additional 3 metres of shop windows, more valuable furnishings and the cost of the patisserie workshop (65,000€) have been calculated

In both cases, a 100-square-metre room was considered, which was completely empty, but with up-to-date installations and little work on fixtures and fittings. In the case of the pastry shop, however, we added the 10 square metres required by the ASL for the pastry area.

How much does it cost to furnish a bar in a modern style?

The cost of furniture to furnish a modern style bar can be higher than a classic one, but the choice of furniture materials can be made wisely.

The modern style is undoubtedly the most popular for trendy venues: a bar that can attract the attention of customers must be design-oriented and attentive to new furnishing trends.

Certainly, the modern style reflects the new design requirements well: clear lines, strong and bold colours, quality materials. However, the modern bar counter continues to be, for many bartenders and entrepreneurs, the look to focus on for bar success.

But what are the prices of furnishing a modern bar?

When furnishing a bar, there are a few things to take into consideration. The first is the style of the bar. A modern style bar will require different furniture and accessories than a classic style bar. The second consideration is the size of the bar. The amount of furniture and accessories needed varies depending on the size of the bar.

For a modern style bar, the main furniture is a bar counter, bar stools and a cocktail table.

In addition to the main furniture, a modern-style bar will need a variety of accessories: bottle racks, wine and beverage cabinets, glasses, stemware, pictures, plants and other decorative elements.

The total cost of furnishing a modern-style bar will vary depending on the size of the bar and the quality of the furniture and accessories. However, the average cost for complete bar furnishings, per square metre, for a bar built from scratch, for the part open to the public (not the kitchen therefore) and including equipment is €600/800 per square metre, but some companies go as high as €1200.

Summer furnishing trends 2022: modern ideas for bars and restaurants