Evacuation Diagrams for Restaurants and Cafes in Australia

Restaurants, cafes, pubs, and bars face unique evacuation challenges. You have kitchens with open flames and gas lines. You have staff moving fast in tight spaces. You have customers who have never been in your building before and have no idea where the exits are.

That is exactly why evacuation diagrams matter in hospitality venues. Here is what you need to know.

Do Restaurants Need Evacuation Diagrams?

Yes. Any venue that has staff or receives members of the public needs evacuation diagrams under Australian Standard AS 3745:2010. This includes:

• Restaurants and fine dining venues
• Cafes and coffee shops
• Pubs, bars, and nightclubs
• Fast food outlets and takeaway shops
• Food courts and shared dining spaces
• Catering kitchens and commercial food prep facilities

It does not matter whether your venue is large or small. A 30-seat cafe has the same obligation as a 300-seat restaurant.

Why Restaurants Are Higher Risk

Hospitality venues have specific hazards that make evacuation planning critical:

• Commercial kitchens with gas cooktops, deep fryers, and open flames
• Grease buildup in exhaust systems (a leading cause of kitchen fires)
• Customers unfamiliar with the layout who may panic in an emergency
• Narrow corridors between kitchen and dining areas
• Outdoor seating areas that may or may not be on the evacuation route
• Alcohol service, which can slow reaction times
• High noise levels that can mask fire alarms

A clear, visible evacuation diagram near the entrance and in the kitchen gives everyone, staff and customers, a reference point when it matters most.

What Should a Restaurant Evacuation Diagram Include?

The same mandatory elements required by AS 3745, tailored to your venue:

• Floor plan showing dining area, kitchen, storage, bathrooms, and any outdoor sections
• All exit doors clearly marked (including kitchen fire exits and rear doors)
• Location of fire extinguishers (kitchen should have a wet chemical extinguisher)
• Location of fire blankets (mandatory in commercial kitchens)
• Manual call points (fire alarm break glass)
• Assembly area, away from the building and not blocking the street or car park
• "You Are Here" marker accurate to each installed location
• Emergency contact numbers

Where to Display Diagrams in a Restaurant

Placement matters. For a typical restaurant, you should have diagrams:

• At the main customer entrance (so guests see it on the way in)
• Inside the kitchen (near the pass or staff entrance)
• Near bathroom corridors (a common dead-end in older buildings)
• At any secondary exit (rear door, patio exit)
• In staff break rooms or offices

Each diagram must be oriented correctly for where it is installed. The diagram at the front door should face a different direction than the one in the kitchen.

Common Mistakes Restaurant Owners Make

These are the issues we see most often:

• Using a single diagram for the whole venue instead of location-specific ones
• Forgetting to update diagrams after a renovation or fit-out
• Not including the kitchen as a separate area on the floor plan
• Placing diagrams behind furniture, menus, or point-of-sale displays
• Missing the fire blanket location (required in all commercial kitchens)
• No diagram in outdoor dining areas that have a separate exit path

What About Food Trucks and Pop-Up Venues?

Food trucks generally do not need formal evacuation diagrams, but they do need a fire safety plan and appropriate extinguishers.

Pop-up venues and temporary event spaces are a grey area. If the venue is operating for more than a few days and receiving the public, evacuation diagrams are strongly recommended. Check with your local council or fire authority for specific requirements.

How to Get Diagrams for Your Restaurant

The process is simple:

• Send us your floor plan (even a rough sketch of the dining area and kitchen layout works)
• Mark where your fire equipment is located (extinguishers, blankets, alarms)
• We create AS 3745-compliant diagrams for each required location
• You receive print-ready PDFs in 3 to 5 business days

Most restaurants need 3 to 5 diagrams. At EvacPath, that falls under our Basic Package at A$280 (up to 4 diagrams) or Standard Package at A$420 (up to 8 diagrams). No site visit required.