c/cafe-owners-la

Honestly, I used to think those big chalkboard menus were a must-have for vibe.

Tbh, my spot in Echo Park swapped ours for simple printed ones six months ago and our ticket times dropped by almost 30 seconds on average. Has anyone else found that less 'aesthetic' stuff actually runs smoother?

2 comments

bettys51•1d ago

Shoutout to finally fixing our iced coffee tap line

The thing kept foaming and pouring flat for a solid month. Figured out it was a tiny crack in the line letting in air, cost about $40 in parts to replace. Anyone else wrestle with their draft system for way too long?

2 comments

kai_butler83•1d ago

Hot take: my espresso machine's steam wand clogged with what I think was a piece of almond milk skin, and it took me 45 minutes of poking with a paperclip and a prayer to get it flowing again.

Anyone else have a weird clog that turned into a whole morning project?

2 comments

wendy_jackson•3d ago

A regular at my place in Austin said they'd stopped coming in because our wifi was too slow for work calls.

They told me, 'I love the coffee, but I lost a client on a Zoom here last Tuesday.' It made me check our speed, and it was only 15 Mbps for the whole cafe. Anyone else had to upgrade their internet recently?

3 comments

haydenbutler•4d ago

Our espresso machine's pump gave out right at the start of the Saturday morning rush.

It happened last weekend. The line was out the door, and the machine just started making this awful grinding noise and then nothing. We had to turn people away for almost an hour while we got our backup machine set up. Lost about $300 in sales and a lot of good will. Has anyone else had a major equipment failure during peak hours? What's your backup plan?

2 comments

angelar57•4d ago

A regular customer pointed out our iced coffee was always watery by 3 PM.

She said she stopped buying it in the afternoons because the ice melted and diluted the brew. We started making a stronger cold brew concentrate to pour over fresh ice for each order. Has anyone else found a good way to keep iced drinks consistent all day?

2 comments

park.abby•5d ago

We sold out of our house-made almond milk for the first time

Yesterday, we went through our full 5-gallon batch by 2 PM. I make it fresh every morning, and we usually have a quarter of it left at closing. A regular came in and asked for three lattes to go, which used up the last of it. It's a small thing, but it felt good to see people actually choosing it. Anyone else have a simple, made-in-house item that took off unexpectedly?

2 comments

ryanh56•6d ago

Switched our cafe's playlist from chill jazz to 80s pop and saw a 15% jump in afternoon sales

We have a small spot in Echo Park and our afternoon slump was killing us. A regular joked that our music was making people sleepy, so as a test, I made a playlist of upbeat 80s pop and synthwave for two weeks. I didn't tell the staff about the change. The first day was strange, but by the end of the first week, our 2-5 PM ticket averages went from about $12 to nearly $14. People stayed longer but ordered more refills and pastries, and the energy in the room just felt different. I think the faster tempo subconsciously kept people more alert and social. It was a cheap fix that actually worked. Has anyone else messed with their cafe's background music and seen a real change in how customers act?

2 comments

patricialee•6d ago

Warning: I just hit 37% of my daily sales from a single online order for a local office.

It was a $285 order for a team meeting, which really showed me the value of having a clear 'catering' button on our website's homepage, so what's the best way you've found to promote that service without annoying your regular walk-in customers?

2 comments

the_betty•7d ago

Saw a cafe in Pasadena switch to a new coffee supplier last month and their sales jumped 30%

They went from a big national brand to a local roaster, and the difference in customer comments was huge. People kept asking where the beans came from. Has anyone else made a change like that and seen a big shift?

2 comments

patricia317•8d ago

Spent $800 on a fancy new coffee grinder that everyone said was a must-have

I bought the 'UltraGrind Pro' last month because all the forums said it would change my espresso. It's loud, it's messy, and the grind isn't any more even than my old $200 one. I feel like I got tricked by the hype. Has anyone else found that some expensive gear just isn't worth it?

3 comments

kelly_nelson95•8d ago

So I was reading this old cafe supply catalog from the 80s and the price of a basic espresso machine blew my mind

It was listed at $1,200, which is like $4,500 today, and I found it in a box of stuff from a closed cafe in Echo Park. Does anyone have old menus or receipts that show how much simpler the gear used to be?

2 comments

rubyschmidt•10d ago

Swapped out our old drip machine for a $2k pour-over station.

Customers noticed the difference right away, and our morning sales jumped 30%. Anyone else see a big return from a small equipment upgrade?

2 comments

claire_walker•10d ago

Changed my tune on the $5,000 espresso machine

I was dead set on a fancy Italian brand for the new shop, but my roaster in Tacoma told me to try a refurbished La Marzocco instead. Saved over two grand and it pulls a better shot, anyone have luck with other refurbished gear?

3 comments

-1

alice336•10d ago

PSA: I stopped putting the milk pitcher under the group head to warm it

A regular at my Silver Lake spot pointed out my espresso shots were getting too hot. I realized warming the pitcher with the group head was making the milk foam break down faster. Now I just use hot water from the tap for a few seconds. Has anyone else found a better way to keep milk stable for latte art?

3 comments

alice_palmer20•10d ago

Rant: A customer in my old Echo Park spot said something that stuck with me

I was chatting with a regular, Mark, who's been coming since we opened. He mentioned he missed the old chalkboard menu and the way we used to write the specials by hand. Said it felt more like a real place, not just a shop. It made me think about how much we streamlined things for speed, maybe lost a bit of the soul. Anyone else get a comment like that that made you pause?

3 comments

alice_palmer20•11d ago

Why does nobody talk about how long it takes to get a health permit sorted?

In my experience opening a spot in Glendale, the inspector flagged our hand sink for being two inches too far from the coffee machine, which started a whole new plan review. That single issue added about three months to our opening date because of permit revisions and re-inspection waits. Has anyone else faced a tiny code thing that blew up their timeline?

3 comments

the_tyler•11d ago

Remember when we used to just chat with folks at the counter for hours?

Last week, a guy came in, ordered on his phone before he even walked through the door, and left in under five minutes. Last month, I noticed our sales of to-go cups finally passed the number of mugs we wash. Three years ago, my spot in Echo Park was the place where people would pull up a stool and talk about their day. Now it feels like a pit stop. Does anyone else miss the old hangout vibe?

3 comments

johnson.daniel•11d ago

That week we had to throw out 50 pounds of beans because of a busted grinder

Our main Mahlkonig grinder in the back just died on a Wednesday, and we had a catering order for 200 people on Friday. We had to use the old backup one, but it was so inconsistent we had to dump a whole batch. It was a huge money hit, maybe $400 gone. Anyone else had a piece of equipment fail right before a big rush?

3 comments

stella_murray•11d ago

We hit 500 cold brew gallons sold in a month and I'm not sure how to feel about it

On one hand, it's a huge win for our new nitro system, but it also means our bean costs jumped by almost $800. Do you push a popular item even when it cuts into your margins?

3 comments

west.henry•12d ago

Pro tip: I swapped my regular milk for oat milk in the iced lattes for a week

I run a small spot in Echo Park and decided to make oat milk the default for our iced drinks last Tuesday. I thought maybe a few people would ask for cow's milk instead. By Friday, our oat milk sales were up 30% and three separate customers told me they came back specifically because of the switch. I learned a small, simple change can pull in a whole new crowd without a big ad push. Has anyone else seen a big reaction from tweaking one menu item?

3 comments

hugoc97•12d ago

Serious question, hitting 200 cold brew sales in a day changed my mind about our whole menu

Everyone in our group chat said to focus on fancy espresso drinks, but last Tuesday at our spot in Echo Park we sold exactly 200 cold brews. That's double our usual and it made me realize our regulars just want something fast and strong they can grab. I think we're putting too much effort into drinks that don't actually sell. Has anyone else seen a simple item blow up and make you rethink your whole plan?

3 comments

rowan_roberts49•15d ago

A regular told me my coffee was too hot and I actually listened

This guy Mark comes in every Tuesday and last month he said, 'Rowan, I love the roast but I have to wait 10 minutes to drink it, it's burning my mouth.' Everyone always says piping hot is best, but I tried serving his next cup at 150 degrees instead of my usual 175. He finished it in half the time and ordered a second. Now I keep the carafes a bit cooler and I've had three people comment they drink it faster. Anyone else adjust their serving temp after a complaint?

3 comments

pat_schmidt60•15d ago

I noticed a big shift in how people order their coffee at my place in Echo Park over the last three years.

Last week, a regular who used to get a plain black coffee every morning in 2021 asked for an oat milk cortado with a dash of cinnamon, which really shows how much tastes have changed, so what's the most surprising drink switch you've seen lately?

3 comments

the_ryan•19d ago

My uncle told me to stop serving oat milk and focus on the basics

He said adding fancy options like oat milk in my Santa Monica spot would just cost more and confuse people. I ignored him, added it last spring, and now oat milk drinks make up 30% of my sales. Anyone else have family give them bad cafe advice that you're glad you didn't take?

3 comments