Coffee Shop Business Plan: What to Include (With a Free Outline)
A business plan turns a café idea into numbers you can check before you spend money. It makes you decide who your customers are, what you’ll sell, what it will cost to open and run, and how many cups you need to sell to break even. A bank or investor will usually ask for one, but it’s just as useful if you’re funding the café yourself.
This guide follows the standard business plan sections recommended by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and shows what to put in each one for a coffee shop in the Philippines. Use the parts that fit your café.
Two kinds of business plan
| Traditional plan | Lean (one-page) plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | Detailed, many pages | Usually a single page |
| Time to write | Days or weeks | The SBA says it can take about an hour |
| Best for | Bank loans, investors, partners | Testing an idea quickly, or a plan you’ll change often |
Many owners start with the lean plan to check the idea, then write the full version once the numbers look right.
Coffee beans for your café
Caffeine Brothers supplies cafés, offices and restaurants with freshly roasted Philippine coffee in 10 kg wholesale boxes from ₱773/kg, with free Metro Manila delivery and a free sample before you commit.
See Wholesale Prices →The sections of a coffee shop business plan
| Section | What to write for a café |
|---|---|
| 1. Executive summary | One page: the concept, location, who it’s for, how much you need and when you expect to break even. Write it last. |
| 2. Company description | What kind of café (kiosk, grab-and-go, sit-down, specialty), the problem it solves for customers, and what makes it different from nearby shops. |
| 3. Market analysis | Who passes the location and when: offices, schools, residents, commuters. List nearby cafés, their prices and what they do well. |
| 4. Organization and management | Business structure (sole proprietor, partnership or corporation), owners, and the staff you’ll hire. See our barista job description. |
| 5. Products and services | Your menu, suppliers and recipes. See coffee shop menu ideas and the equipment list. |
| 6. Marketing and sales | Opening promotion, social media, delivery apps, loyalty cards, and how you’ll get regulars. |
| 7. Funding request | How much you need, what it pays for, and the kind of financing you want. |
| 8. Financial projections | Startup costs, monthly running costs, expected sales, and when you break even. The SBA suggests detailed first-year figures and longer-term forecasts. |
The numbers a café plan needs
The financial section is where most café plans are weakest. These figures are the minimum, and each one has a guide or calculator on our site:
- Startup costs: renovation, equipment, permits, first stock and a cash buffer. See café startup costs in the Philippines.
- Permits and fees: see coffee shop permits in the Philippines.
- Cost per drink: coffee, milk, cup and lid, syrups. Use the menu pricing calculator.
- Coffee usage: the beans per month calculator turns cups per day into kilograms.
- Utilities: water and power. See coffee shop water costs.
- Staff costs: see barista salaries and rest day pay.
Break-even check: divide your fixed monthly costs (rent, salaries, utilities) by the profit you make on an average drink. That’s how many drinks you need to sell each month before you make money. Divide by the days you’re open to get a daily target, then ask whether your location can really deliver that many customers.
A one-page lean plan for a café
The SBA’s lean format fits on one page. For a coffee shop, answer each line in a sentence or two:
| Box | Example questions |
|---|---|
| Value proposition | Why would someone choose your café over the one next door? |
| Customer segments | Students, office workers, families, commuters? |
| Channels | Walk-in, delivery apps, corporate orders, events? |
| Customer relationships | Loyalty cards, regulars, social media? |
| Key activities | Making consistent drinks, fast service, baking? |
| Key resources | Location, trained baristas, equipment, recipes |
| Key partners | Coffee supplier, milk and pastry suppliers, landlord |
| Cost structure | Rent, salaries, ingredients, utilities |
| Revenue streams | Drinks, food, beans for home, catering |
Tips for a plan that holds up
- Count real foot traffic. Stand at the location at different times and count people. Don’t rely on guesses.
- Price from your costs. Work out the cost of each drink first, then set prices.
- Plan for slow months. Sales change with school terms, rainy season and holidays. See our seasonal planning guide.
- Keep a cash buffer for the first months, when sales are still growing.
- Review the plan after you open and compare it with real sales.
For a broader overview, read how to start an independent coffee shop, and see all our business guides in the Café Business Resource Center. When you’re ready to plan your coffee supply, cafés buying 10 kg or more can see wholesale pricing. More lessons are in the Caffeine Brothers Coffee Academy.
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