Can we talk about hitting 30% profit margin in a cafe?

I know everyone says you should aim for 20% max in your first year, but we just hit 30% after 6 months in our Portland spot. We did it by cutting fancy decor costs and focusing on a tight menu of 8 core drinks. Most people told us to expand the menu to draw more people in, but we stuck with what we know sells. Has anyone else found that keeping things simple actually works better than following the common advice?

3 comments

3 Comments

ryanburns1mo agoMost Upvoted

Common advice is often just common, not right.

stella_murray1mo ago

Remember when everyone told my buddy to buy a house right after college? He's still paying for that common advice.

fisher.adam20d ago

Was that 2008 advice or earlier, because the timing on that stuff changes everything.