Pricing and Costs of Counter Tops and Cabinets for Restaurants

Figure out how much you should budget for counter tops and cabinets for restaurants

Having proper restaurant counters and restaurant cabinets is essential to any successful restaurant business. You don't necessarily have to have custom cabinets and counter tops, but you do want to have cabinets and counters that give your employees enough room to prepare meals and store food, utensils and supplies.

The pricing and costs of counter tops and cabinets for restaurants varies greatly, depending on what type of commercial counter top or cabinet set you purchase. Size, material and installation will all impact the final price. So before you start to look for restaurant cabinet and counter top suppliers, take a moment to decide if you need:

1. Commercial counter tops for restaurants that can be cut to size;

2. Custom or stock restaurant cabinets;

3. Or freestanding units that combine a restaurant counter and restaurant cabinet.

Purchase restaurant counter tops

When you start to look for a restaurant counter top, you will quickly learn that the final price depends on the material and style that you choose. Custom edge treatments will add to the price. And finally, prices vary depending on what part of the country you are in. In general, you will pay about $40 per linear foot for laminate and $60 to $100 per square foot for natural or engineered stone. (Note that laminate is sold by the linear foot and stone is sold by the square foot.) If you are hiring someone to install your restaurant counter, installation is usually a little bit more than the cost of the counter itself.

Purchase restaurant cabinets

Good restaurant cabinets are not cheap, and specialty cabinets are even more expensive. For example, heated holding and proofing cabinets can cost you anywhere from $1,500 to $4,000 each. Custom cabinets can cost just as much, if not more.

Purchase freestanding units that combine restaurant counters and restaurant cabinets

Serving stations, storage counters, coffee bars and cash register stands can all be purchased as a single unit. This saves you the cost of having to buy restaurant cabinets and restaurant counters separately and put them together. Prices vary by piece, but generally, a small cash register stand, storage counter or condiment station will cost you less than $500.

• When calculating the pricing and costs of counter tops and cabinets for restaurants, don't forget to include the cost of maintaining your counter tops and cabinets. For example, the counter tops may have to be sealed on a regular basis.

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