Mar 05, 2025

10 Essential Tips for Opening a Café in 2025 – A Free Mini-Course by Margaret River Roasting Co.

Starting a café is exciting, but success requires more than just great coffee. Here are 10 expert insights from industry professionals to help you build a thriving café business.

Tip 1: Choosing the Right Coffee Equipment – Don’t Skimp Here

The wrong espresso machine or grinder can slow service, increase maintenance costs, and affect consistency. Consider:

Espresso machine: Buy a commercial-grade machine that suits your volume. Brands like such as La Marzocco, Steamhammer & Crem are popular among specialty cafés.
Grinder quality: Your grinder affects extraction more than your espresso machine. Opt for high-end burr grinders like Mazzer, Mythos or Mahlkönig
Milk jugs, tampers & workflow tools: Investing in consistent tamping tools like a Puqpress can increase speed and consistency.
Pro Tip: Lease your machine instead of buying if you want to manage cash flow better.

Tip 2: Batch Brew – The Secret Weapon for Faster Service & Higher Margins

Most new café owners overload their espresso machine when they could be serving better black coffee, faster, and for more profit.

Batch brew (filtered coffee in bulk) saves baristas from making every long black to order.
Faster service = more customers through the door. No more clogging up the queue with single extractions.
Cheaper to make, same price to sell. Lower cost per serve but still priced like a long black = higher margins.
Showcases the origin flavours more accurately. The filter roast style brings out a truly unique coffee experience.
Pro Tip: Train your team to recommend batch brew as the best black coffee option, and it will sell itself.

Tip 3: Sourcing Your Coffee – It’s More Than Just Price

Choosing a roasting partner isn’t just about price per kilo. A good supplier should offer:

Training & support – Do they provide barista training, dial-in help, or workflow advice?
Freshness & consistency – Are they roasting fresh for your café, or are you getting old stock?
Sustainability & ethics – Customers care about ethically sourced, specialty-grade coffee.
Pro Tip: Ask your roaster if they can recommend the best blend for your café or clientele.

Tip 4: Menu Strategy – Simplicity Wins

A well-thought-out menu will:

Keep operations smooth – Fewer items mean faster service and less waste.
Maximise profitability – Focus on high-margin items like coffee, toasties, and pastries.
Match your brand – Specialty cafés thrive on quality over quantity.
Pro Tip: Run a soft launch with a limited menu that can be made in under 1 minute. From here adjust based on customer demand before committing to a full offering.

Tip 5: The Unspoken Costs – What People Don’t Tell You

Hidden costs can break your budget if you don’t plan for them. Watch out for:

Council approvals & permits – Food handling, waste disposal, and signage can all cost more than expected.
Staffing costs & turnover – Casual wages + penalty rates add up quickly, and hospitality has high turnover.
POS & transaction fees – Every EFTPOS transaction eats into profits. Negotiate better rates with providers.
Pro Tip: Set aside at least 3-6 months of operating costs before opening.

Tip 6: Designing Your Café for Flow & Speed

Your layout can make or break efficiency. Key considerations:

Order & pickup area: Avoid bottlenecks—separate ordering from pickup.
Coffee workflow: Ensure baristas can move smoothly between grinding, extracting, and steaming milk.
Seating & customer movement: Too many tables = crowding, too few = lost revenue.
Pro Tip: A barista should be able to make a coffee in under 45 seconds in a well-designed workspace.

Tip 7: Pricing Strategy – Don’t Undercharge!

Many new café owners price too low, thinking it attracts customers. Instead:

Factor in all costs: Rent, staff wages, wastage, and take-away packaging.
Check competitor pricing: Position yourself accordingly but don’t race to the bottom.
Introduce value over discounts: Instead of undercharging, offer loyalty programs or bundles.
Pro Tip: Use a COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) calculator to ensure your coffee and food pricing maintains at least a 70% gross margin.

Tip 8: Marketing & Brand Positioning – Why Should People Choose You?

With cafés on every corner, you need a clear point of difference:

Brand identity: Is your café about community, sustainability, fast service, or high-end specialty coffee?
Local collaborations: Partner with local bakeries, artists, or businesses to cross-promote.
Social media presence: Instagram & TikTok drive foot traffic—focus on storytelling, not just product photos.
Pro Tip: Your first customers will be your neighbors—get to know them before worrying about social media.

Tip 9: Staff & Culture – The Make-or-Break Factor

A café’s success depends on its people. Build a strong team by:

Hiring for attitude, training for skill – A friendly, engaged staff member is more valuable than an experienced but disinterested one.
Offering progression & perks – Good staff stay when they feel valued (e.g., free coffee, development opportunities).
Setting clear expectations – Train all staff in consistency, workflow, and customer service from day one.
Pro Tip: A strong team culture will improve both customer retention and word-of-mouth marketing.

Tip 10: Opening Strong – Launch Strategy for Maximum Impact

Your first few weeks set the tone for your business. Plan your launch by:

Running a soft launch – Invite friends & family for feedback before going public.
Building hype online – Share behind-the-scenes content leading up to opening day.
Offering a launch promo – Something simple like $2 off the first week’s coffee can get people in the door.
Pro Tip: Opening a café is a marathon, not a sprint. Consistency will keep customers returning long after the hype fades.

We hope this helps!

Any questions along the way? Just reach out, we’re here to help! ☕

The MRRC Crew