starting a coffee shop is hard

★★ signal-medium r/smallbusiness · ↑ 147 · 💬 91 · 2026-03-03 · kw: better way to · open on reddit ↗

Tool

none

Issue

Coffee shop owner lacks operational systems for inventory forecasting, supplier reliability, and staff scheduling, resulting in daily 14+ hour shifts with unpredictable stock levels and repeated health inspection surprises.

Cost

unstated

Recommendation

E-Myth (business systems framework); par levels for stock management; opening/closing checklists; process documentation (consensus from comments)

extracted with

anthropic/claude-haiku-4.5 · 2026-05-08

Body

so, I've started this small coffee shop in town, thinking it would be a dream come true. honestly, I didn't realize how much work it takes. I'm talking about waking up before the sun and heading to bed way too late. I swear, coffee isn't just for customers, it's basically what's keeping me alive right now. it's not just making coffee, it's the whole package. making sure the place looks nice and tidy, dealing with suppliers who always seem to be late, and those random health inspections that show up when you least expect them. also, figuring out the right amount of stock is like trying to predict the future or something. oh and, customer complaints. no matter how perfect you try to be, there will always be someone who’s unhappy about their latte. like, come on, sometimes I can't even remember if I had breakfast. anyway, hopefully it gets better or at least more manageable. I'm hanging in there, fueled by caffeine and a bit of stubbornness. if anyone's got any advice or wants to commiserate, I'm all ears.

Top comments (7)

[score=1] AutoModerator

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[score=277] Radicalist89

You never worked at a cafe before becoming a cafe owner???

[score=81] _lucid_dreams

All this users post history reads like AI. ETA: maybe it’s just a coincidence or my interpretation but I’ve become leery on here.

[score=46] Plane_Log7256

It does get more manageable once you build systems, the first 6-12 months are genuinely the hardest as you're figuring out your rhythms, suppliers, and customer base all at once. Par levels for stock and a simple opening/closing checklist will quietly save your sanity.

[score=20] drteq

I never understood it-like sign me up for the least scalable hardest working least grateful customer base so I can earn less than minimum wage business. Because I saw some romcom and it seems like a cute idea

[score=10] mangochilitwist

This reminds me of the E-Myth book. You just got yourself a job and one that sucks because you have to deal with everything, not just coffee. Read it and then create a system.

[score=8] Nightcoon3

It does get easier but don't forget to focus on operations too and streamlining processes that you think will help improve everyday running costs, systems and schedules. Good luck and enjoy the ride! It can be really rewarding and try not focus too much on the bad customer experiences, you'll always get those one or two customers that are impossible to please