Running two or more cafés: operations
Running two or more cafés works when each café uses the same par sheet for daily prep, the same opening and closing routine, the same tip-pool rules and the same weekly numbers row. The templates below are built to be copied into each café unchanged, so differences between cafés show up as numbers rather than as habits.
The daily par sheet
A par is the quantity you want on hand at opening. Set it from each café's own sales, not the other café's.
| Item | Avg. sold (same weekday, last 4 weeks) | Buffer | Par | On hand | Prep / order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croissants | 60 | 10% | 66 | 12 | 54 |
| Cold brew (liters) | 18 | 10% | 19.8 | 6 | 13.8 |
| Oat milk (cartons) | 14 | 10% | 15.4 → 16 | 9 | 7 |
Example: 60 croissants sold on average × 1.10 = 66 par; 66 − 12 on hand = 54 to bake. The 10% buffer is a starting value; lower it if end-of-day waste is high.
Opening and closing, the same at every café
- Opening: count the cash drawer against the set float and record it.
- Opening: check the par sheet and log what was prepped.
- Opening: if your health department requires a temperature log, record fridge temperatures on it.
- Closing: count the drawer, record over/short, and write the handover note.
- Closing: record waste by item (feeds the next par).
- Closing: run the weekly stock count on the same day at each café.
Full versions: store opening checklist and store closing checklist. Use the cash drawer count tool for the drawer.
Tip rules to apply identically at each café
These federal rules come from US DOL Fact Sheet #15; state law can be stricter.
| Rule | Federal figure or condition |
|---|---|
| Who is a tipped employee | Customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips |
| Minimum cash wage | $2.13 an hour |
| Maximum tip credit | $5.12 an hour |
| Tip pool when a tip credit is taken | Limited to employees who customarily and regularly receive tips |
| Tip pool including non-tipped staff (e.g. kitchen) | Allowed only if all workers get a direct cash wage of at least the federal minimum wage |
| Managers and supervisors | May not receive tips from the pool |
Example: a shift lead who supervises baristas and is paid as a supervisor cannot take a share of the barista tip pool under these rules, at either café.
Example: Fact Sheet #15 says that if tips plus the cash wage fall short of the $7.25 minimum wage in a workweek, the employer must make up the difference. A barista paid $2.13 for 30 hours (30 × $2.13 = $63.90) who receives $120.00 in tips has $183.90; the minimum is 30 × $7.25 = $217.50, so the café owes $217.50 − $183.90 = $33.60 more for that week.
The weekly numbers row per café
| Café | Net sales | Labor $ | Labor % | Waste $ | Cash over/short |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Café 1 | $9,800 | $2,646 | 27.0% | $210 | −$4.50 |
| Café 2 | $7,200 | $2,232 | 31.0% | $340 | +$1.25 |
Example (illustrative numbers): 2,646 ÷ 9,800 = 27.0% and 2,232 ÷ 7,200 = 31.0%. Café 2 also wastes $340 ÷ $7,200 = 4.7% of sales vs. 2.1% at Café 1, so its par buffer is the first thing to cut.
One schedule for staff who work both cafés
FLSA overtime is due for hours over 40 in a workweek (US DOL Fact Sheet #23), so a barista with 26 hours at Café 1 and 18 at Café 2 has 44 hours and 4 overtime hours. Example: at a regular rate of $16.00, that week pays 40 × $16.00 + 4 × $24.00 = $640.00 + $96.00 = $736.00. Fact Sheet #23 defines the workweek as a fixed, regularly recurring period of 168 hours and does not permit averaging hours over two or more weeks, so a 44-hour week followed by a 36-hour week still owes 4 overtime hours. Build both cafés' weeks in one view. In Assistlify, staff can be assigned to more than one location, and clock-ins with breaks export to an attendance CSV; see multi-location scheduling.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check your state labor department for current rules.
Questions
How do you set par levels for a café?
Take the average sold on the same weekday over the last 4 weeks and add a buffer, e.g. 60 croissants × 1.10 = 66; subtract what is on hand to get the prep quantity.
Can café managers share in the tip jar?
Not from a mandatory tip pool: US DOL Fact Sheet #15 says employers may not allow managers and supervisors to receive tips from the pool.
Can kitchen staff share café tips?
Under the FLSA, only if all workers receive a direct cash wage of at least the federal minimum wage and no tip credit is taken (US DOL Fact Sheet #15).
Does a barista working at two of my cafés get overtime?
FLSA overtime is owed for hours over 40 in a workweek, so total the hours from both cafés before publishing the schedule.
Sources
- US DOL Fact Sheet #15: Tipped Employees Under the FLSA (checked 2026-11-12)
- US DOL Fact Sheet #23: Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA (revised October 2019) (checked 2026-11-12)