What usually goes wrong
- The espresso machine dominates the room.
- Laptop workers cannot take calls.
- Music has to be turned up to cover chatter.
The main noise sources are machines, conversations and music. Sound bounces off hard walls, floors and ceilings, so it lingers and builds up. Absorbing panels soak up those reflections.
Where the panels go
- Hanging clusters over the seating.
- Panels behind the counter.
- Clouds over communal tables.
Mistakes to avoid
- Treating only the area near the counter.
- Choosing white fabric near the espresso bar.
Fire rating and codes
Assembly occupancy for most cafés; Class A finishes.
Blocking sound between rooms
Panels make a room sound better, but they don’t stop sound passing through a wall. For that you need a wall assembly rated around STC 45, only where the café shares a wall with offices or apartments. Read about STC ratings and soundproofing.
Recommended
Panels that suit cafés
Learning center
14 guides for cafés
Acoustic panels for cafés: the complete guideWhat makes cafés noisy, which panels fix it, and how to plan treatment from start to finish.How many acoustic panels does a café and coffee shop need?A worked Sabine calculation for a typical café, with panel counts for small, typical and large rooms.Where to put acoustic panels in a café and coffee shopWhere panels do the most good in cafés, in priority order.Wall acoustics for cafésHow walls behave acoustically in cafés and how to treat them with panels.Ceiling acoustics for cafésClouds, baffles and ceiling tiles for cafés, and how much of the ceiling to cover.Choosing panel thickness for a café and coffee shop1, 2 or 4 inches: which thickness suits cafés and why.Reverberation time targets for cafésThe reverberation time to aim for in cafés, and why it matters.What acoustic treatment costs for a café and coffee shopBudget estimates for treating a typical café, and where the money goes.Fabrics, colors and shapes for cafésFabric types, colors and shapes that work in cafés.Fire ratings and code requirements for panels in cafésFire ratings, occupancy rules and mounting requirements for panels in cafés.Installing acoustic panels in a café and coffee shopTools, hardware and step-by-step installation for panels in cafés.Common acoustic mistakes in cafésThe errors we see most often in cafés, and how to avoid them.Soundproofing and STC ratings for cafésWhen cafés need soundproofing, which STC rating to aim for, and how to get there.Café and coffee shop acoustics checklist and FAQA one-page checklist and answers to common questions about café acoustics.