The shape of a coffee shop day

Most coffee shops have the same rhythm: a setup half hour before the doors open, a morning rush that's the busiest two or three hours of the day, a quieter middle, and a slow afternoon into close. The schedule should follow it.

Example weekday, doors 6 AM to 7 PM

Example day

8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM
Opener
5:30–1:30
Second barista
6:30–12:30
Rush cover
7:30–11
Mid
11–5
Closer
12:30–7:30
  • 5:30 AM Opener arrives
  • 8 AM Morning rush
  • 12 PM Mid shift starts covering
  • 3 PM Closer handoff
Example weekday, doors 6 AM to 7 PM (example)
ShiftStartEnd
Opener5:30 AM1:30 PM
Second barista6:30 AM12:30 PM
Rush cover7:30 AM11 AM
Mid11 AM5 PM
Closer12:30 PM7:30 PM
An example, not a rule. Move the rush cover to match your own busiest hours.
  • 5:30 AM: the opener arrives to set up, calibrate the grinder and open the till.
  • 6:30 AM: a second barista comes in before the first wave.
  • 7:30 AM: a short rush shift covers the busiest stretch.
  • 11:00 AM: the mid shift takes over from the rush cover.
  • 12:30 PM: the closer starts, overlapping the opener and mid, and closes at 7.

The example week

Two openers split the early mornings so neither does five 5:30 starts in a row. The rush shift runs on the busier weekdays and both weekend mornings. Sunday runs on a lighter crew.

Download this week (CSV)
Example coffee shop week. Names and times are illustrative.
EmployeeRoleMonTueWedThuFriSatSun
SamOpener5:30–1:305:30–1:305:30–1:30offoff6:30–2:306:30–2:30
RosaOpeneroffoffoff5:30–1:305:30–1:30offoff
TheoBarista6:30–12:306:30–12:30off6:30–12:306:30–12:307:30–1:30off
JessRush cover7:30–11:00off7:30–11:00off7:30–11:008:00–12:008:00–12:00
KaiMid11:00–5:0011:00–5:0011:00–5:0011:00–5:00offoff11:00–4:00
NoorCloser12:30–7:3012:30–7:30off12:30–7:3012:30–7:3012:30–6:30off
DevCloseroffoff12:30–7:30offoffoff11:30–5:30
Example coffee shop week. Names and times are illustrative.

Adapting it to your shop

  • Move the rush cover to your own peak. A shop near offices peaks earlier than one near a campus.
  • If you bake in-house, add an early prep shift before the opener.
  • Build around availability. Students and people with second jobs are often the core of a coffee shop team; the guide to tracking availability helps.
  • If the team clocks in on a shared tablet by the register, see setting up a time clock kiosk.