Plan B Business
Food

Stop pulling shots for $4.50
and hoping the food program saves you.

We work with independent cafe owners doing $400K-$2.5M in annual revenue who are tired of running on cup volume with no margin discipline. Our 12-month engagement gets you to higher attach rate, profitable food program, and a cafe that doesn't depend on you behind the bar.

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Industry Reality

9 patterns we see in >70% of coffee shops & cafes

85%
frequency

Average ticket stuck at $5-6 - no food attach, no upsells

Root cause: Baristas trained to take drink orders, not consult. Pastry case is afterthought. No bundles, no breakfast combos.

What we do: Drink + food bundle pricing ($9.50 instead of $5.50 + $4). Pastry positioning at point-of-order. Barista upsell scripts in Square or Toast POS. Target ARO of $9-12 within 6 months.

75%
frequency

Food program loses money or barely breaks even

Root cause: Cafe added pastries and breakfast because they thought they should, never costed it out. Waste is high, prep labor is high, prices are too low.

What we do: Food cost analysis (target 28-32% food cost). Drop unprofitable items. Build 3-tier food program: grab-and-go ($4-7), made-to-order ($9-14), shareable ($16-24). Daily waste log discipline.

70%
frequency

FOH/BOH labor at 38-45% of revenue (target is 28-32%)

Root cause: Over-scheduled during slow hours. Two baristas at 10 AM Tuesday when one would do. No labor-to-sales ratio tracking by shift.

What we do: Forecast-based scheduling using Square Team or 7shifts. Labor target by daypart. Cross-train baristas on prep so BOH shrinks during slow hours. Target labor cost at 30% within 6 months.

80%
frequency

Gross margin at 55-60% (target is 65-72%)

Root cause: Coffee priced too low for the neighborhood. Specialty drinks (lattes, lattes with non-dairy) priced same as drip. Non-dairy upcharge missed.

What we do: Re-price by category: drip +$0.50, espresso drinks +$0.75, specialty +$1.50, non-dairy +$1.00 surcharge. Single-origin pour-over tier at $7-9. Cold brew at premium. Target 68%+ blended gross margin.

80%
frequency

No subscription, no loyalty, no recurring revenue

Root cause: All transactional. Customer comes, buys, leaves. No data on top customers, no targeted offers.

What we do: Square Loyalty or Toast Loyalty deployed. Coffee subscription ($30-50/month for daily drip pickup). Bean subscription ($18-32/month delivered). Target 8-15% subscription revenue within 12 months.

85%
frequency

Owner is full-time barista 6 days a week

Root cause: Owner doesn't trust shift leads. No documented opening/closing procedures. Owner is the only one who can train new hires.

What we do: Document opening, closing, and bar procedures (photo SOPs). Train and promote 2 shift leads. Owner moves from behind the bar to floor presence + ops. Target owner bar hours below 15 per week.

75%
frequency

Catering and B2B (office coffee) is 0-3%

Root cause: No office coffee program. No catering menu. Local offices order from chains because cafe never reached out.

What we do: Office coffee subscription ($150-400/month per office for delivered beans + equipment loan). Catering menu (boxed breakfast, coffee traveler) for meetings. Target 10-20% B2B revenue within 18 months.

50%
frequency

Bean roasting margin uncaptured (if applicable)

Root cause: Cafe roasts in-house but only uses beans for the cafe. Doesn't sell retail bags aggressively, no wholesale to other cafes/restaurants.

What we do: Retail bag program ($18-24 per 12oz). Subscription tier. Wholesale to 3-5 local restaurants/cafes (40-50% off retail). If cafe doesn't roast, partner with a local roaster on private-label.

70%
frequency

Google reviews under 200 with 4.3 average

Root cause: No systematic review request. Customers happy but never asked. Loud minority of complainers dominates.

What we do: Post-purchase review request via Square or Birdeye. Target 600+ reviews at 4.7+ within 12 months.

Benchmarks

The numbers we hit

KPIMarket avgPlan B targetAfter 12 mo
Average ticket / ARO$5.50-$7.00$10-$13$9-$12
Gross margin (blended)55-62%68%+64-72%
Labor cost % of revenue38-45%<32%30-36%
% B2B / catering revenue0-3%15%+8-18%
% subscription / loyalty revenue0-2%10%+6-12%
Owner bar hours per week40-55<1512-22%
Google reviews count120-220600+350-600
Engagement Model

What working with us looks like

  1. 01

    Month 1: Menu + labor deep-dive

    We pull 12 months of Square or Toast data. Average ticket by daypart, category margin, labor-to-sales ratio by shift, food waste. You leave with a written 90-day plan and the 2-3 highest-leverage levers.

  2. 02

    Months 2-3: Pricing reset + food program

    We deploy category-by-category price increases. Non-dairy surcharge live. Food program rebuilt around 3 tiers. Bundle pricing rolled out. Daily waste log discipline starts.

  3. 03

    Months 4-6: Labor + subscription

    Forecast-based scheduling deployed. Shift leads trained. Owner bar hours start dropping. Subscription program launches. Loyalty live in Square or Toast.

  4. 04

    Months 7-12: B2B + compounding

    Office coffee program with 8-15 local offices. Catering pipeline. Subscription at 8-12% of revenue. Owner bar hours below 20. We shift to monthly cadence.

Common questions from coffee shops & cafes owners

What size cafe is this for?−
Sweet spot: $400K-$2.5M annual revenue with 1-2 locations. Below $400K, you're still in owner-operator survival mode and need different help. Above $2.5M (3+ locations), you typically need a full-time operations director, not fractional advisory.
We're a coffee-only shop with no food. Should we add food?+
Cautiously yes, but small. Start with grab-and-go (pastries from a local bakery on consignment - no kitchen needed) and breakfast sandwiches if the kitchen capability exists. Don't build a full kitchen unless your daypart and demographic support it. We help model the unit economics before you invest.
We're roasting in-house. Is that worth it?+
Depends on your volume and brand position. Under 200 lbs/week, in-house roasting usually loses money on labor. Over 500 lbs/week with wholesale ambition, it's a real margin lever. We help model your situation honestly.
Square vs Toast - which do you recommend?+
Square for under $1M revenue with simple menu and one location. Toast for $1M+ or multi-location or strong food program. We help you choose based on your situation. We don't sell software.
Our neighborhood is price-sensitive. Will price increases kill us?+
Common fear, almost always overblown. Cafes that raise prices 8-12% in a tight market typically lose under 3% of customers and gain 4-8% in revenue. The customers who leave are the price-sensitive ones who weren't profitable anyway. We model your specific situation before any change.
What about a drive-thru / mobile order?+
Mobile order via Square or Toast app is a no-brainer if your daypart supports it. Drive-thru is a different real-estate question - we don't push it, but we'll model the economics if you're considering a new build.
Who does the work?+
Ligal Frish and Eitan Eshtemaker - the two co-founders. Direct access, no associates.
What's your fee structure?+
Diagnostic: $1,500 one-time. Advisor: $3,500/month (most cafes, 12-month). Partner: $8,500+/month (multi-location or fast-scale).
Do you handle marketing campaigns?+
We handle strategy, offer development, and funnel structure. We don't run paid social or Google Ads. We partner with vetted agencies if you need execution.

Stop pulling shots in the red.

30-minute strategy call. We'll diagnose your top 2 levers and tell you if we're a fit. No pitch. No pressure.

Book My Free Strategy Call