# Pantry and Cafeteria Fit-Out: Services Decide the Position

> Pantries and cafeterias are positioned by services, not by layout preference. They need drainage with continuous fall to an existing stack, extract to outside, water supply, and concentrated power — and of those, drainage is usually the constraint that fixes the location before any other consideration.

## Find the stacks before drawing the plan

The usual process is backwards: the layout is designed, a pantry is placed where
it suits the plan, and the services team is then asked to serve it.

The order that works is to establish where existing soil and waste stacks are,
where extract can be routed, and where water and power can reasonably reach —
and to place wet areas accordingly. Everything else on a floor is more flexible
than drainage.

## The four services, in order of constraint

| Service | Why it constrains | Flexibility |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Drainage** | Gravity; needs fall to an existing stack | Very low |
| **Extract** | Must route through the building and discharge | Low |
| **Water supply** | Pressurised, routes reasonably freely | Moderate |
| **Power** | Concentrated load; needs a dedicated circuit | Moderate |

Drainage is almost always the binding constraint. Floor build-up available for a
fall is limited, and a long run either runs out of fall or needs pumping — which
introduces equipment, noise, maintenance and something that can fail while
nobody is watching.

Plumbing provisions sit in **NBC 2016, Part 9**, with ventilation in
**NBC 2016, Part 8** and ventilation rates commonly referenced to
**ASHRAE 62.1**.

## Name what you are actually building

| | Tea point | Pantry | Cafeteria with cooking |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Water and sink drainage | Yes | Yes | Yes, plus floor drainage |
| Refrigeration | Sometimes | Yes | Yes, larger |
| Extract | Minimal | Moderate | Substantial, with grease management |
| Power | Modest | Concentrated | Heavy, or gas |
| Back of house | None | Small | Preparation, storage, wash-up, waste |
| Fire considerations | Standard | Standard | Suppression and dampers likely |

Briefs frequently say "pantry" and mean "cafeteria". The services difference is
large, and it is better established at brief stage than during coordination.

## What consumes the area

A cafeteria brief given as a seat count understates the space required. Also
needed:

- Servery and queuing space, which backs up at peak
- Circulation between tables that people can actually pass through
- Back-of-house preparation and storage
- Wash-up and equipment space
- Waste storage and its removal route
- Sometimes a separate route for deliveries

And the sizing driver is **peak usage**, not headcount — a single lunch sitting
needs far more seats than a staggered one, so the operating pattern belongs in
the brief.

## Construction details that matter

- **Impervious, slip-resistant flooring**, with coved junctions at walls in wet
  areas
- **Falls to drainage** designed into the screed wherever the floor is washed
- **Waterproofing** beneath wet areas, properly detailed at upstands
- **Ventilation** sized for the space's actual use, not the general office rate
- **Acoustic treatment** — hard, cleanable surfaces make these rooms loud, and a
  noisy cafeteria empties quickly
- **Access** to isolation valves, traps and equipment for maintenance

## Standards referenced

Plumbing provisions, including water supply and drainage, in
**NBC 2016, Part 9**; ventilation provisions in **NBC 2016, Part 8**;
ventilation rates commonly referenced to **ASHRAE 62.1**; fire and life safety
provisions in **NBC 2016, Part 4**. Drainage design, extract routing,
ventilation rates and any fire requirements for a specific facility must be
established by the project's consultants and the authority having jurisdiction.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why can't a pantry go wherever the layout wants it?

Because waste water moves by gravity. A pantry needs a drain run with continuous fall to an existing soil or waste stack, and floor build-up is limited by the slab and the finished floor level. Positioning far from a stack either runs out of fall or requires a pumped solution, which adds equipment, noise, maintenance and a failure mode. Find the stacks first, then place the pantry.

### What is the second constraint after drainage?

Extract. Cooking, or even substantial reheating, needs air extracted to outside along a route that exists or can be created, and that route has to pass through the building and discharge acceptably. On a leased floor the available extract path is frequently fixed by the landlord's provision, which limits what kind of food operation is possible regardless of what the brief wanted.

### What is the difference between a tea point, a pantry and a cafeteria?

Services, mainly. A tea point needs water, drainage for a sink and power. A pantry adds refrigeration, more power, more drainage and usually some extract. A cafeteria with cooking adds significant extract, grease management, gas or heavy power, floor drainage, and a different fire and hygiene picture. These are three different projects and the brief should say which one it means.

### What flooring is appropriate?

Something impervious, slip-resistant when wet, and easy to clean, with coved junctions at walls in wet areas so there is no dirt-trapping corner. Carpet does not belong in a pantry. Falls to a drain are needed wherever the floor will be washed, and those falls have to be designed into the screed rather than hoped for.

### How much space does a cafeteria actually need?

More than the seating suggests, because servery, queuing, circulation, back-of-house preparation, storage, waste and washing all consume area. A brief that states a seat count without those consumes has understated the requirement. Peak usage also matters more than total headcount — a single lunch sitting needs far more seats than a staggered one.

### Does a cafeteria change the fire picture?

It can, particularly where cooking is involved, affecting suppression, extract fire dampers, compartmentation and escape considerations. What applies to a specific facility is determined under NBC 2016 Part 4 and the applicable local rules by the fire consultant and the authority having jurisdiction, and it should be established before the layout is fixed.

## Sources

- [NBC 2016, Part 9](https://www.bis.gov.in/standards/national-building-code/?lang=en) — Plumbing services — water supply and drainage
- [NBC 2016, Part 8](https://www.bis.gov.in/standards/national-building-code/?lang=en) — Building services — ventilation
- [NBC 2016, Part 4](https://www.bis.gov.in/standards/national-building-code/?lang=en) — Fire and life safety
- [ASHRAE 62.1](https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/bookstore/standards-62-1-62-2) — Ventilation for acceptable indoor air quality

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Source: https://hagerstone.com/services/interior-fit-out/pantry-and-cafeteria-fit-out