Real advice for specialty coffee shop owners

I’ve written a lot about what’s wrong in the coffee industry. The gatekeeping. The snobbery. The way home brewers get ignored. The way baristas get treated. The obsession with gear over people.

But you can’t just keep pointing fingers. You have to offer a way forward. So that’s what this is.

If you run a café, or plan to open one, this is for you. No theory. No vague advice. Just a list of things that actually help. Things I’ve seen work. Things you can start doing today.

Because complaining is easy. Doing the work is harder.

Know what kind of café you are trying to build

Not the vibe. Not the color palette. Not whether you use reclaimed wood or terrazzo. What are you actually trying to offer?

Fast, reliable coffee for people in a hurry? A space for regulars who want to feel seen? A destination for coffee lovers who care about technique and taste?

Be honest about what you want your café to be. Then make sure everything lines up with that. Your menu. Your team. Your playlists. Your signage. If it doesn’t fit, cut it.

You don’t need to be all things to all people. You just need to be clear.

Check your POS reports once a week

Don’t think of your point of sale system as a cash register. Think of it as a window into what is working and what is not.

Which drinks are selling? Which ones are dragging your margins down? When are your peak hours? Who’s the top seller on your team? Where are you losing money?

If you don’t know how to find that data, ask. POS companies want you to use their tools. Most will walk you through it.

Set a reminder. Once a week. No excuses.

Give your team something to work toward

Baristas get bored. They burn out. They leave. Not because they don’t care, but because no one gives them a reason to stay.

If you want to change that, you need to offer more than a paycheck.

Start small. A monthly cupping session. A staff latte art challenge. A rotating lead barista position. Training sessions where they can teach each other. A chance to run the Instagram account for a week.

You don’t have to promise a career path. You just have to show them there’s a reason to keep showing up.

Stop launching drinks like you’re just ticking a box

Every new drink is a chance to get people excited. But most cafés act like they’re being forced to add something new.

If you’re going to launch a drink, launch it properly. Let your team taste it. Teach them how to describe it. Tell your regulars about it before it’s on the menu. Post about it like it matters. Ask for feedback. Make a moment out of it.

Otherwise, why bother?

Do your own customer journey once a month

It’s hard to see these things when you’re in the middle of it all. But your customers notice them every time.

Visit your own café like you’ve never been there before. Walk in, order a drink, sit down. Watch what happens.

Is it clear where to order? Does anyone greet you? Is the menu easy to read? Does anyone explain it? How long does your drink take? Is it good? Can you find a clean table? Are the bathrooms fine?

Do this once a month. Then fix what needs fixing.

Fix one thing each week

Not a big thing. Not a five-year plan. Just one thing.

A broken shelf. A menu typo. A team member who keeps forgetting to refill the napkins. A lightbulb that’s been flickering for weeks.

Small things add up. And when you start fixing them regularly, your café starts to feel like it’s being cared for. Your team notices. So do your customers.

Build relationships before you need them

You don’t want your first call to your supplier to be when your milk delivery is late. You don’t want to meet your technician for the first time when your grinder stops working on a Saturday morning.

Relationships take time. Build them early.

Get to know your suppliers. Meet other café owners in your area. Show up to industry events. DM someone you admire. Buy your tech a coffee when they’re done with a job.

You’ll be glad you did.

Plan for your slow seasons before they hit

If you lose money every July, it’s not a surprise. It’s a pattern. And patterns are easier to manage than emergencies.

Set money aside in the good months. Use the quiet time for training, deep cleans, menu testing, or loyalty pushes. Create bundles for regulars. Run a paid tasting session. Do something you’ve been meaning to try.

Quiet months can be useful. If you plan for them.

Burnout is not a badge of honor

If you’re always tired, if you never take days off, if you dread going in, something is wrong. Not with you. With the way things are set up.

Look at your systems. Your shift structure. Your ordering routine. Your handovers. Your onboarding. Your delegation. Are you trying to do everything yourself?

Start fixing it. Slowly. One thing at a time.

You can’t run a café well if you’re running on empty.

Make your regulars feel like they matter

You don’t need an app. You need attention.

Learn their names. Learn their drinks. Ask how their trip went. Offer a free cookie now and then. Let them try the new single origin before it launches.

These are the people who bring their friends. Who post about you. Who keep you afloat when footfall drops. Treat them accordingly.

Be honest with your team

If your café is struggling, don’t pretend everything’s fine. If you’re raising prices, explain why. If you’re changing the schedule, explain how you made the decision.

You don’t have to justify every move. But you do need to treat your team like they’re capable of understanding what’s going on.

They probably already do. What they’re waiting for is for you to admit it.

Perfection is not the goal

If you wait until everything is just right, you’ll never try anything.

Post the reel that isn’t perfect. Launch the drink even if the name isn’t final. Host the event even if you’re not sure how many people will come.

Learn as you go. Get better as you do it. Keep moving.

This is the job

Some days are tough. Some weeks are worse. But then you get that one moment that reminds you why you started. A customer says thank you. A barista teaches someone else how to pour a heart. Someone tells you your café feels like home.

You can’t plan those moments. You just have to build the kind of place where they happen.

That’s the job.

Do it well.