What does a latte really cost you?
Work out what each drink costs to make, and find the ones that hide a problem.
The 15-minute Monday review
Labor percent, the days that ran over, and one change for next week.
A 20-minute weekly inventory and waste routine
A daily waste log, a weekly count, and ordering to a par.
Labor cost percent: work it out before you post the schedule
The formula, a target, and pricing next week's schedule day by day.
Cash over and short: the closing count that finds the problem
The float, the variance, and what a pattern of small shorts means.
Opening and closing checklists people actually use
The open, the mid-shift reset and the close, station by station.
A new barista's first 14 days, from trial shift to a full shift
The trial shift, one skill a day with sign-offs, and the day 14 review.
The quarterly menu price review: three prices, not the whole menu
Cost percent by item, which prices to raise, and which to leave alone.
The one-page monthly P&L: five ratios, then one decision
What goes on the page, the five ratios to read first, and one decision.
The numbers to run before you sign a cafe lease
Fixed costs, sales per open day and per hour, and what a latte costs to make.
Six staff conversations most cafe owners put off, and what to say
Late, a short till, a no-show, a conflict, a raise and letting someone go.
Running the shift as the lead: the checks and the sign-offs
What the lead checks, the calls that come to the lead, and who signs the cash.
What it costs to open a small coffee shop in 2026
Startup costs line by line, the build-out swing, and the cash to keep in the bank.
Free guides
Free guides for running a small cafe
Short, plain how-tos with real numbers, written by someone who helps run the day-to-day at an independent tea house.