Guides
Coffee shop compliance checklist: questions to ask
Use this coffee shop compliance checklist to plan questions for local authorities, record approvals, prepare to open, and keep recurring checks on schedule.
Desk
Value Desk
What the spending buys, over what period, and when it does not pay back.
Guides
Markets for coffee shop: what to keep and what to drop
Coffee shop markets compared by demand cadence rather than by name: fifteen market types, what each asks of a shop, and how to test one before committing.
Guides
Coffee shop employee pay: formulas, not wage rates
Coffee shop employee pay as arithmetic, not a posted rate: the fully loaded hourly cost, the tip credit and overtime formulas, and the peak cover you need.
Guides
How to Negotiate a Coffee Shop Lease: Percentage Rent and Tenant Improvements
Coffee shop lease negotiation percentage rent and TI terms for US retail leases. Rates, breakpoints, TI allowances, guarantee limits, and audit rights.
Guides
Drive-Thru Coffee Shop Equipment Checklist: What You Actually Need
A drive thru coffee shop equipment checklist for US operators: what to buy first, what can wait, and the throughput threshold that justifies an upgrade.
Guides
Tipped wages and tip pooling for US cafes under IRS and Department of Labor rules
Coffee shop operations: how the federal tip credit, state tipped minimum wage rules, tip pooling legality and IRS Form 4070 reporting shape barista take-home pay.
Guides
Cafe Guide: Which Coffee and Food Sales Are Taxable
This cafe guide explains how states tax prepared coffee and food, which items stay exempt, who administers the permit, and how to set up your register.
Guides
Portland cafe market compared with Austin for independent coffee shop openings
Cafe barista training shapes the Portland versus Austin choice: compare Oregon and Texas permitting, startup costs, leases, and competition before you sign.
Guides
How US cafes can use SBA loans and state workforce programs to fund barista training
Barista training can be funded through SBA 7(a) loans, 504 equipment loans, microloans up to $50,000, state workforce grants and employer incentives.
Guides
Coffee shop KPIs: reading the peak from timestamped sales
Coffee shop KPIs worth tracking: seven questions, the six records behind them, typical peak and labor ranges, and how to read the stock and waste gaps.
Guides
Coffee shop lease costs without the filler
Coffee shop lease and site requirements: rent per open hour in named variables, the building capabilities to verify, and the clauses that decide what a site costs.
Guides
Coffee shop compliance: the licences, filings and checks
A coffee shop needs a certificate of occupancy, a health permit, a food handler card, a seller's permit and a sales tax account before it pours a paid drink.
Guides
A coffee shop plan: questions each section should answer
Use a coffee shop plan to test the offer, demand, staffing, cash, quiet hours, permissions, and follow-up, then apply seven checks to a draft.
Guides
Coffee shop menu changes: check bar capacity, test one item
Coffee shop menu changes without guesswork: read the size and add-on steps, check bar capacity first, test one item for two weeks and keep the records.
Guides
What a coffee shop keeps in stock, and who supplies it
A coffee shop stocks roasted beans, dairy, flavor syrups, pastries and takeaway packaging, each item with its own par level and its own supplier.
Guides
Attracting Coffee Shop Customers by Testing One Change in One Daypart for Two Weeks
Attract more coffee shop customers by testing one change in one quiet daypart for two weeks, counting customer objections, and checking permissions first.
Guides
How to rank coffee shop menu products for profitability by contribution per bar second
Profitable coffee shop products depend on your own numbers. This method shows contribution per bar second, the arithmetic, and how to rank your menu with it.