Mr Bankes - Award winning Restaurant, Cafe & Alfresco

Bring your cafe dream to life with a cafe Melbourne diners will love and excite.

Differentiate your cafe with clever cafe design planning with a great presentation of your food and coffee.
Successfully integrate staff operations and customer flow.
Full project management service available.

Melbourne cafe interior design service

Are you wondering how to design your own cafe?
Wondering what makes the perfect coffee shop?
How do you attract customers to a cafe?

The good news is:
You’re in the right place for a cafe.

What better place could there be to open a cafe than in Melbourne? Cafes are a daily mission for Melbournians who value the quality of their interior design as much as their coffee. No matter where you are in Melbourne, you’re sure to spot a local with coffee in hand. We adore our coffee and our vibrant coffee culture is world-renowned.

Add to that, this is the foodie capital of Australia. You’ll find at least a handful in every suburb. Melbournians are fussy about their cafes – making it more challenging to get it right.

The right cafe design knows who it’s enticing, and welcomes them in – for an early morning coffee before work – for an energised lunch, for a cosy, relaxed Sunday brunch with friends and family – or a convenient meeting spot to meet clients during the week.

Most aspiring cafe owners understand these are what customers want and look for – yet they often struggle to create this experience.

Let us help you.

What’s the best cafe theme?

Great cafes are bustling, vibrant places with friendly staff and a comfy, chilled vibe. They’ve got a strong identity that’s carried through from their decor to their plates. Great cafes are Instagrammable. They make people want to share. They invite curiosity. And they never fail to satisfy.

How is your cafe going to be different from the others – and tick every box your customers are after?

You’ve got to bring your theme to life so it excites and enthrals your customers, themes such as:

Classic Industrial
Minimalist
Vintage
Garden cafe
Brutalist
Chic

Collect photos of the best cafe design ideas you love in your chosen theme – together we’ll design a unique look for you considering your customer, your competitors, your niche, and your brand.

Together we’ll help you succeed in Melbourne’s bustling cafe culture, with good coffee, food and design merging to create the ultimate cafe experience.

We’ll help you design not just a layout – also ways to enhance that layout through branding, lighting, furniture, textures, fabrics, graphics and more.

Interior and exterior design with function and style in mind

Think about what you love about your favourite cafe:

Is it the enticing aromas of freshly brewed coffee intermingled with breakfast favourites?

Do you love the draping cool green ivies and the alluring natural lighting flooding through?

Perhaps you love the cosy, eclectic booth seating, or the scrumptious display of pastries elegantly displayed at the counter?

How will you create the type of space your customers love?

How does the correct balance of all these items come together in a harmonious ambience?

The heart of a strong cafe design: well-planned work systems

How will your team efficiently serve customers and offer them a relaxing, comfortable experience?

The heart of a successful cafe interior design is operations designed to seamlessly work with the flow of customers. Your design must consider every aspect of customer and team flow, from the moment they step in with anticipation until they leave.

Expect a cafe with clever kitchen functionality and beautiful food displays based on your envisioned menu and cafe style.

Knowing what equipment is needed and the role each person plays in and around the kitchen is vital to designing a kitchen that allows food to be prepped, cooked, and delivered to customers as efficiently as possible.

A well-planned, creative cafe design will set you up for long-term success

A poorly designed cafe will repel customers and their 1 or 2-star ratings will drag your business down – substantially. A well-designed cafe will bring you loyal customers – ensuring you run a profitable business.

A strong cafe design goes beyond the aesthetic. A great cafe design promotes brand loyalty.

By delving deep into your niche, your customers, competitors as well as future trends, your cafe design will be unique, relevant, and memorable to your customers.

Get valuable design insights from an experienced Melbourne cafe designer

Award-winning Melbourne cafe designer, Michael Bankes understands the tastes and preferences of coffee-loving Melbournians. He has 25+ years of knowledge, insight, and in-depth experience in the hospitality industry.

Michael understands Melbourne’s bustling cafe culture, with its great coffee, food and design all merging to create the ultimate cafe experience. He uses proven customer insight when designing your space. He pays special attention to how cafe customers interact and use spaces.

He works closely with you to create designs that stimulate your customer’s senses, complement your food – and leave them hungry to come back for more.

All this will give your cafe the best opportunity to succeed in Melbourne’s competitive cafe market.