The Coffee Shop Opening Checklist Every New Owner Needs

Opening a coffee shop takes longer than most people expect. Not because it's impossible, but because there are more moving parts than anyone tells you upfront. By the time you're thinking about your menu and your vibe, you're already supposed to have a certificate of occupancy, a payroll provider, and a POS system picked out.

We talk to new coffee shop owners every day. The ones who open on time and under budget almost always have the same thing in common: they started with a clear list and worked it in order. The ones who hit walls tend to find out too late that they skipped something in the legal or buildout phase that's now blocking everything downstream.

So we built a free resources to help.

It's a pre-opening checklist covering 30 tasks across six stages: legal and business setup, location and buildout, equipment and supplies, technology and operations, hiring, and marketing. It's designed to be printed and worked through physically. Check things off as you go. Most shops take 90 to 120 days from lease signing to opening day, and this list maps to that timeline.

It's free. Download it here and see if below. If you have questions about how Dripos fits into your stack, our team is available to walk you through it.