Opening a Cafe (Coffee Shop) Checklist
Launching a café has many moving parts: permits, build-out, equipment, vendors, and people. This checklist turns that chaos into a clear, step-by-step plan so nothing slips through the cracks before opening day. From business registration and health inspections to seating capacity and ADA compliance, you’ll have a single source of truth to track progress and capture proof.
It also covers the technical heartbeat of a coffee bar: espresso machines, grinders, brewers, water filtration, refrigeration, and food-safety controls. You’ll log calibration values, temperatures, and TDS/hardness, confirm sanitizer levels and handwash readiness, and document SOPs for cold brew, allergens, and shelf-life labeling — making compliance simple and inspection-ready.
People and revenue operations are built in: hiring and onboarding, training schedules, skills matrices, service scripts, POS configuration, payment processing, inventory, time & attendance, security, and marketing. You’ll plan supplier contracts and pars, configure menu and pricing, set COGS and labor targets, and schedule a soft opening to validate throughput, ticket times, and guest feedback before the public launch.
Use the checklist on paper or in a mobile app. Answer types keep records clean and useful: [Flag] for pass/fail tasks, [Number] for temps, counts, and budgets, [Text] for notes and issues, and [Media] for photo evidence (permits on display, equipment gauges, setup). The result is a time-stamped audit trail, smoother handoffs among owners, managers, and contractors, and a confident, on-time opening with fewer surprises.