At Texas Coffee School, we like to say we’re not teaching you how to open one coffee shop; we’re teaching you how to open four. (Or 10 or 20!) Why? Because whether you have ambitions for a thriving neighborhood hub or a coast to coast franchise, the solid business foundation you create in the very first shop is the same. But what about that second location? The second location can be both an exciting milestone and a unique challenge for business owners.
Smart Coffee Shop Owners Are Diversifying Their Drink Menus
Matcha, energy drinks, dirty sodas, and more. Non-coffee drinks have moved from novelty to the norm in coffee shops. Look no further than Starbucks, the most closely watched barometer of consumer behavior in the industry. Cold drinks account for half of Starbucks’ sales, and the menu has evolved in turn. The cold drinks on the menu expand far beyond coffee, from flavored iced matcha with protein cold foam to colorful refreshers.
Even the best-intentioned coffee shop owners experience burnout when they’re caught in the cycle of chaos. They find themselves buried in daily tasks, working shifts behind the bar because staff aren’t trained, schedules are unpredictable, and systems don’t exist. Business ownership can feel like a dream come true, until it doesn’t.
Burnout isn’t a reflection of passion or skill; it’s a sign that the systems in place (or lack thereof) aren’t supporting the business.
How Coffee Business Owners Can Seize the Matcha Trend
Walk into almost any specialty coffee shop today, and you’ll likely spot a vibrant green drink on the menu. Matcha has moved beyond traditional Japanese tea ceremonies into cafés, social media feeds, and daily routines across the U.S. For coffee business owners, it represents more than a trend; it’s an opportunity to meet customer demand with a beverage that’s both versatile and profitable.
To understand why matcha resonates today and how it can fit into a modern café menu,
A coffee shop deployment plan is one of the most underrated tools for creating consistency, efficiency, and flow in your daily operations. It’s more than just a schedule. Deployment is the art of assigning every barista a clear role and routine based on your forecasted volume and staffing.
Many of our Coffee Shop Operations Master Class graduates tell us they didn’t realize how much smoother their shop could run until they started deploying their team with intention.