Recommended Reading from The Coffee Shop Handbook

Are you an all-day cafe, or do you close shop right after the morning rush? Learn how coffee shops choose their ideal operating hours for profitability, safety, and customer experience.

Originally a way for customers to personalize their coffee, the condiment bar may be a thing of the past.

For many café owners, music tracks are that continuous backbeat under a busy coffee business, a statement of the space, and an exclamation of the people working there. More than just a mood setter,…

Great aesthetics do not have to mean terrible acoustics. Learn how cafés can blend effective sound design with the right ambiance.

From scant descriptions to full-length novels, barista job postings can vary wildly. Here’s what every job description should include, along with a free downloadable template.

The discourse around the United States federal minimum wage has fueled debate for nearly a hundred years. But many coffee workers are calling for more than the minimum and seeking a living wage for…

House-made syrups allow shops to harness creativity, provide patrons with singularly unique drinking experiences, and can be powerful tools to distinguish your space.

Coffee concentrates offer more than a convenient way to make coffee on the go. Innovators across the industry are using concentrates to reach new customers and enter new markets.

Housemade syrups are par for the course at independent coffee shops: patrons are just as likely to see menu stalwarts like cappuccinos and mochas grace a menu alongside latte mashups flavored with syrups like…

Cold foam has found its way on nearly every specialty coffee menu. But is cold foam simply a fad, or is it indicative of a much larger shift in how we drink coffee?

Step into Kobrick Coffee Co., the cafe where the baristas double as mixologists, pouring coffee and cocktails all night long.

Many brands are launching new products pairing mushrooms and coffee. A look at science and history reveals what’s driving this pairing.

Pursuing a dream or following a creative pathway can sometimes be isolating. These coffee shops encourage collaboration and community creativity while supporting local entrepreneurship. 

In March of 2023, I had the honor of leading three different panel discussions at Coffee Fest in New York. This was the first in-person event I got to attend as a representative of…

Does the mere thought of talking to a journalist make you nervous? Here are tips and tricks for every business owner to ace their next media request.

Many people’s first interactions with a café are visual—and you don’t have to be a photographer to take photos that define your brand and attract customers.

Don’t sit alone at your café or roastery—how partnerships and collaborations can strengthen your brand and bring new customers in.

18 cafés from around the world serving up a unique experience for their customers.

Barista jobs are sometimes treated as temporary roles, but investing in employee development can pave the way for fulfilling careers in coffee.

Interviews can be daunting, but when approached with care, compassion, and preparedness, can illuminate everything you need to know to hire successfully.

Exhaustion and job frustration are real in the coffee industry, and your shop’s culture can be a powerful tool against burnout and staff turnover.

It’s time to throw out the ‘if you have time to lean, you have time to clean’ mentality and let baristas take a seat.

Barista, coffee champion, and now coffee consultant Laila Ghambari shares her secrets on building a self-sustaining career in coffee.

Baristas undergo weeks of training before serving coffee drinks—why companies should allocate the same resources to training for service and hospitality.

Hear from three seasoned cafe operators as they reveal their favorite work tools, from software to brewing equipment, for effective cafe management.

Thinking about expansion? What you need to know before you grow with insights and key takeaways from Coffee Fest New York.

For sectors of the coffee industry considering how the power of collective bargaining might improve their lives, it’s worth looking at the history of US unions.

Here’s how cutting-edge shops are leveraging automation to create a memorable experience for customers and baristas. 

Ensuring that café spaces stay safe and productive requires more than just good intentions.

Learning about the legal landscape and selecting the right representation can not only help get your business up and running, it can also help prevent legal troubles in the future.