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Design

ADA (American’s with Disabilities Act) compliance will In addition to the electrical work required for your cof-
also come into play when you are designing your coffee bar. In fee business-specific equipment, you may need to adjust existing
some areas of the country, this will only apply to those areas of electrical for additional or reconfigured lighting, HVAC (heating,
your store that will be used by customers. However, other bu- ventilation, & air conditioning), general-purpose convenience
reaucracies may require your entire store to be ADA compliant. outlets, and exterior signs.
Following are some of the basic requirements of compliance with Also, have your electrician run any needed speaker
the code: wires, TV/internet cables, and cash register remote receipt
All hallways and isle ways must be 5 feet wide (minimum). printer cables at the same time they are installing electrical wires.
All countertop working heights must be 34 inches high (instead Finally, make sure your electrician makes provisions for lighted
of normal 36 inch height). exit signs, and a battery-powered emergency evacuation lighting
18 inches of free wall space must be provided on the strike-side system, if needed.
of all doors (the side with the door knob). Plumbing Plan: A plan showing all plumbing features
All hand-washing sinks must be ADA friendly. will be necessary. At minimum, this should show stub-in loca-
All bathrooms must be ADA compliant (5 foot space for wheel- tions for all needed water sources (hot & cold), drains, your water
chair turnaround, handrails at toilet, acceptable clearance around heater, water purifications system, bathroom fixtures, etc.
toilet and hand washing sink, etc.). While a typical P-trap drain should be acceptable for
No steps allowed, ramps are OK with the proper slope. most fixtures and equipment, some will require an air-gap drain.
An air-gap drain does not go through the “S”-shaped twists of the
If your space has multiple levels, then no feature may P-trap. Instead, the drain line comes straight down from the piece
exist on a level where handicapped access has not been provided, of equipment or fixture, and terminates 2 inches above the rim of
if that same feature does not exist on a level where it will be ac- a porcelain floor sink drain. This porcelain drain basin is usually
cessible. installed directly into the floor. The air gap between the drain
Find the complete regulations for ADA compliance line from your equipment or fixture, and the bottom of the basin,
at the following website: www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/ prevents any bacteria in the sewer pipe from migrating into the
adaag.htm equipment or fixture. I drain the following pieces of equipment
The overall goal when designing your coffee shop is to a floor sink drain when creating a plumbing plan: espresso
to fit in all the necessary equipment, fixtures, and storage in as machine dipper wells ice maker ice holding bin food prep sink
small an area as possible, without sacrificing workability. This soft drink dispensing equipment
will allow you to maximize the area that will be left for customer To save on the life of your water filtration system, make
seating. The more seating you can fit in, the greater your income sure your plumber splits the incoming water supply line so that
capacity will be. only your espresso machine, coffee brewer, and icemaker are sup-
Beyond the basic Equipment Floor Plan, showing new plied by with treated water. Coffee is 98% to 99% water, so good
partitions, cabinets, equipment, fixtures, and furnishings, you’ll water quality is essential. There is no need to filter water that will
need to produce some additional drawings to guide your contrac- be used for cleaning mops, flushing toilets, and washing floors!
tors and satisfy the bureaucracies. Be aware that many bureaucracies are now requiring a
An electrical plan will be necessary to show the location grease interceptor on the drain line from your 3-compartment
of all outlets needed to operate equipment. Information such ware washing sinks and automatic dishwasher. A grease inter-
as voltage, amperage, phase, hertz, special instructions (like, ceptor is basically a box containing baffles that traps the grease
“requires a dedicated circuit”), and the horizontal and vertical before it can enter the public sewer system.
location of each outlet, should all be specified. Also understand that a typical retail space will not come
A small, basic coffee shop might get away with a 200 equipped with a water heater large enough to handle your needs.
amp service, but typically 400 amps will be required if your Unless your space was previously some type of a food service op-
equipment package will include items like an electric water eration, you will probably need to replace it with a large capacity
heater, high-temperature dishwasher, or cooking equipment. water heater.

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