What should I do in the first month after buying a coffee shop?

Cafés run on habit. Customers arrive at the same hour, order the same drink and expect it to taste the same. When ownership changes, that routine is the asset you most need to protect. In the first month, watch how the routine runs before you change anything.

Learn the bar and the rush

Ask the seller to work beside you during the busiest stretch of the morning. Stand at the espresso machine, the till and the pastry case in turn. Notice where the line backs up, which drinks take longest and who the baristas rely on. Take notes after each shift while it is fresh.

Keep the baristas, move the accounts

Skilled baristas are hard to replace. Meet each one, ask what they would improve and tell them what is staying the same. Then check the accounts: coffee roaster, milk and pastry suppliers, the payment processor and any app used for ordering. Make sure each is in your name and that you know the delivery days.

Look after the machine and the regulars

Ask who services the espresso machine and grinders, when they were last serviced and what is on the maintenance routine. Keep that routine going. Learn the regulars’ names and orders, and find out how any loyalty card works so you can honour it. The guide to buying a café covers the pre-purchase side.

Keep the menu stable first

Resist rewriting the drink menu in the first weeks. If a change seems worthwhile, test it as a special and watch how customers respond before committing.