Take The First-Ever Coffee Business Owner Salary Survey

by

Editorial Policy

Published on

We’re inviting coffee shop and roasting company business owners to participate in the first-ever Coffee Business Owner Salary Survey.

Do you know how much money the average coffee shop or roasting company owner makes? By participating in this survey, you will help establish the first benchmark for personal compensation among coffee shop and roasting company owners. Your insights will be invaluable for entrepreneurs evaluating a potential future in the world of coffee.

  • The survey is only open to businesses located in the United States.
  • This survey consists of nine short questions and will take four minutes to complete.
  • All answers are completely anonymous. We will never share identifiable data.

The survey will run from February 2nd through March 1st. We will publish the results in late March of 2023.

👉 Take the survey here.

Special thanks to our community partners at Keys To The Shop and Espresso Outlet for helping get the word out.

Why Do We Need A Salary Survey For Owners?

It’s unclear how much coffee shop and roasting company owners get paid.  Most estimates sprinkled throughout the internet are educated guesses at best, or pure fiction. For example, the most-cited article on coffee shop owner compensation comes from Chron Magazine and confidently claims, “On average, within the industry, a small to medium-sized coffee shop can earn anywhere from $60,000 to $160,000 in personal income for the shop owner.” The article fails to cite a single study or survey to support the claim.

This is a problem for a few reasons.

Firstly, for people who dream of opening their own coffee shop or roastery, developing a reasonable expectation for personal compensation is nearly impossible, since there are no meaningful benchmarks to draw from. When you’re evaluating a new venture that will define the next several years of your life, having an accurate sense of the challenge and reward will help new owners align expectations with reality.

Secondly, we’re in a period of deep, justified skepticism between business owners and workers. The coffee industry has not been kind to labor. We believe increasing the clarity around owner compensation will help our industry have more precise and productive conversations about how value is shared equitably.

To address these issues, we’re launching the first formal survey of coffee shop and roasting company owners. We hope the survey helps build transparency throughout the industry and helps owners plan sustainable budgets for long-term growth and well-being. 

Take the survey here.

If you have any questions about the Coffee Business Owner Salary survey, send us an email.

Share This Article
garrett oden fresh cup

Garrett Oden

Garrett Oden is the owner of Fresh Cup, a coffee industry publication for professionals, and Alimentous Studio, a content and copywriting agency for coffee, F&B, and food tech businesses.

Join 7,000+ coffee pros and get top stories, deals, and other industry goodies in your inbox each week.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.


Other Articles You May Like

Behind the Headlines: Science Says Morning Is the Best Time To Drink Coffee. What Do the Pros Think?

Results from a new study show that drinking coffee in the morning can benefit cardiovascular health. But what do the pros have to say about their favorite time to drink coffee?
by Amber Gibson | February 5, 2025

Beyond the Headlines: Has Starbucks Killed the Cortado?

Starbucks recently announced it will add a cortado to its menu, but in a size that varies from established industry norms. We asked coffee shop owners to weigh in on the news—and whether it…
by Amber Gibson | January 24, 2025

The Mocktail Movement Comes to Coffee Shops

More people are opting for low and no alcohol drinks, and with the right tools, coffee shops can welcome a whole new crowd of mocktail enthusiasts.
by Garrett Oden | January 22, 2025

Canned Coffee Was Big in 2024—Here’s How Specialty Roasters Can Profit in 2025

Canned coffee beverages already dominate grocery shelves, and the category is still growing. Here’s how specialty roasters can get in on the RTD action.
by Amber Gibson | January 15, 2025