

These can cost as much as a small car, but you can cut your expense by buying a second-hand machine or even by leasing one. If you’re just redecorating, though, then your biggest expense is likely to be a commercial espresso machine. And if you need to do building work to get your cafe up to scratch, then costs become even higher. Commercial equipment doesn’t come cheap, and nor do contractors to fit it all. If you’ve not got a kitchen, though, then costs can add up fast. Once you’ve got this and pesky things like ventilation and access sorted, all you need is a lick of paint and some tables and chairs. Unless you’ve got a particularly vast space or really out-there plans for your cafe, fitting a kitchen will be your biggest expense by a long way. To be able to do this, you need to have a properly-fitted kitchen in your property already.

There’s a reason that so many cafes go for mismatched vintage decor, and it’s not just for aesthetics. It’s entirely possible to kit out a coffee shop on the cheap - sub-£1,000 cheap. The local property market has a huge bearing on this. Commercial estate agents are much like residential ones in that they’ll charge pretty much what they think they can get away with. An empty shell will tend to be less expensive than a fully kitted-out cafe, but putting your own stamp on a place can be costly, especially if you have to fit a new kitchen or ventilation. Unsurprisingly, properties in better nick are more expensive. Buildings with an up-to-date A3 license go for more, as getting one can be a pretty drawn-out task, and an expensive one, depending on your local authorities. That said, location isn’t necessarily everything, and you can create a good business in a less-than-optimal location. Locations with higher foot traffic command a higher price, as they tend to get more customers. There are other factors that affect how much you’ll pay for your lease: As you can imagine, freehold properties are far more expensive.Ĭommercial leases last for far longer than residential ones: the average length of a commercial lease is seven years. Leasehold means that you rent the property from a landlord, while you own a freehold property outright. The biggest factor is whether you opt for a freehold property or a leasehold one.

Your lease might be your biggest expense, but there’s a lot of factors that affect how expensive it will be. Leasing a cafe is always a daunting prospect.
