Cafe Drink Margin Calculator

Your costs

Coffee beans ($/lb)

What you pay per pound of beans.

Milk ($/gallon)

Waste on beans and milk (%)

Shots pulled to dial in, spills, expired milk.

Card fee (%)

Card fee per sale ($)

Barista wage ($/hour)

Payroll taxes and extras (%)

Employer taxes, workers' comp, paid breaks.

Fixed costs ($/month)

Rent, utilities, base staffing, software, insurance. Not owner pay.

Days open per month

Target margin per drink (%)

After ingredients, cup, card fee and make time.

Alternative milk, e.g. oat ($/gallon)

Your drinks

Coffee in grams per drink (about 18 g a shot, so 36 g for a double). Leave a row empty to skip it.

Drink	Price $	Coffee g	Milk oz	Syrup etc $	Cup $	Make sec	Sold/day
Drink 1 name	Drink 1 price ($)	Drink 1 coffee grams	Drink 1 milk ounces	Drink 1 syrup and extras ($)	Drink 1 cup, lid, sleeve ($)	Drink 1 make time (seconds)	Drink 1 sold per day
Drink 2 name	Drink 2 price ($)	Drink 2 coffee grams	Drink 2 milk ounces	Drink 2 syrup and extras ($)	Drink 2 cup, lid, sleeve ($)	Drink 2 make time (seconds)	Drink 2 sold per day
Drink 3 name	Drink 3 price ($)	Drink 3 coffee grams	Drink 3 milk ounces	Drink 3 syrup and extras ($)	Drink 3 cup, lid, sleeve ($)	Drink 3 make time (seconds)	Drink 3 sold per day
Drink 4 name	Drink 4 price ($)	Drink 4 coffee grams	Drink 4 milk ounces	Drink 4 syrup and extras ($)	Drink 4 cup, lid, sleeve ($)	Drink 4 make time (seconds)	Drink 4 sold per day
Drink 5 name	Drink 5 price ($)	Drink 5 coffee grams	Drink 5 milk ounces	Drink 5 syrup and extras ($)	Drink 5 cup, lid, sleeve ($)	Drink 5 make time (seconds)	Drink 5 sold per day

Result

Questions people ask

What is a good margin on a latte?

Most cafes aim for ingredient and cup cost under 25-30% of the price, which leaves room for labor and rent. This tool goes further than ingredient cost: it subtracts the card fee and the barista's time making the drink, so you see what the drink actually earns. Set your own target margin and it shows the price that reaches it.

Why does make time matter?

A barista can only make so many drinks an hour. A flavored 16 oz latte that takes 95 seconds and earns $3 uses the same scarce hour as a drip coffee that takes 25 seconds and earns $2. The per-barista-hour column shows which drinks earn the most from that hour, which matters in a rush when the line, not the milk, is the limit.

How do I price an oat milk upcharge?

Enter what you pay per gallon for the alternative milk. The tool computes the extra cost per drink at your average milk pour, adds the card fee on the surcharge, and shows the break-even surcharge. Charging more than that makes alternative milk a profit, charging less makes each one a small loss.

How many drinks a day do I need to break even?

Divide daily fixed costs (rent, utilities, base staffing, software) by the average contribution per drink after ingredients, card fees and make-time labor. The result assumes your drink mix stays the same, so check it again if you add a high-margin or low-margin drink.

Not decided

Whether your prices are right for your neighborhood, what customers will pay, your real make times at peak, tips, sales tax, your lease terms, owner pay, equipment costs and financing, wholesale or catering sales, and how to treat any of this for tax or accounting. Measure make times with a timer on a busy shift, take costs from invoices, and talk to your accountant about the books.