Starting a Cafe

Consider a cafe franchise.

Learn how to run a cafe business.

Obtain the necessary business licenses.

Put together a business plan.

Set up a business bank account with your local bank.

Keep your coffee business and personal finances separate.

Arrange a meeting with an accountant to discuss tax strategies and ways to maximize your business tax deductions.

File your business name with the county clerk.

Meet with an insurance agent to discuss insurance you may need for your cafe.

Find a suitable business location.

Acquire equipment.

Set up your business phone system.

Find a coffee bean supplier.

Get a website.

Cafe Marketing

Order business cards.

Advertise in your local yellow pages.

Place ads in newspapers and neighborhood mailers.

Send a press release or "letter" to your local paper announcing the grand opening of your new business.

Hold an event and tie it in with your grand opening.

Offer coupons in neighborhood mailers or local newspapers to attract new customers.

Download or Print this Cafe Startup Checklist

Get a printable version of this checklist in your preferred format: PDF, Word, Excel, or print directly from your browser.

Who it's for

This Cafe Startup Checklist is for teams that want consistent execution, less rework, and clear ownership.

Standardize quality - run the same Cafe Startup steps every time, regardless of who executes
Save time - reuse a proven Cafe Startup workflow instead of rebuilding processes from scratch
Improve accountability - assign owners and see what's done vs. what's pending
Onboard faster - use the Cafe Startup checklist as the SOP and training guide
Coordinate across roles - handoffs are clear and everyone works from the same source of truth

How to use this Cafe Startup Checklist:

Start by saving it - save as a Template if you'll reuse it, or as a Checklist if it's a one-off project.
Customize it once for your workflow - remove what doesn't apply and add your team-specific steps.
Assign ownership and execute - set owners/due dates where needed and track completion as work happens.
Reuse without rebuilding - when Cafe Startup comes up again, start from your saved version and run it with clear ownership.

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