The Second Manager Blog

Notes for coffee shop owners

Plain-English guides on the numbers behind an independent coffee shop — profit, labor, average ticket, and what your POS reports are quietly telling you.

Coffee shop economics

7 Numbers Every Coffee Shop Owner Should Check Every Week

You don't need a wall of dashboards to run a healthy café — just seven numbers, read consistently. Here are the weekly KPIs every independent coffee shop owner should watch, and what each one is really telling you.

Coffee shop economics

Coffee Shop Labor Cost: What Percentage Is Actually Healthy?

Labor is the biggest cost you can actually control. Here's what a healthy labor cost percentage looks like for an independent coffee shop — and why the headline number only tells half the story.

Coffee shop economics

Why Is My Coffee Shop Busy But Not Profitable?

A packed café can still lose money. Here's where profit quietly leaks in a busy coffee shop — labor ratio, afternoon hours, average ticket, and product mix — and the handful of numbers worth checking every week.

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