The last 30 days before opening a café: a countdown checklist

This is part 6 of our 7-part series Opening a café: from idea to first day. Earlier: the concept, the location, the menu, the equipment and food safety.

Thirty days before opening, the build-out is nearly done and the to-do list is at its longest. Some tasks can't move (the permit, the inspection), some depend on others (training needs the equipment, orders need the menu), and some only you can do.

This countdown splits the last 30 days into four weeks. Treat the dates as a shape, not a rule: your health department, your contractor and your vendors set the real timing. Put a name and a date next to every line.

Thirty days out: the permit timeline

Start with the step you control least. In the FDA Food Code, "A PERSON may not operate a FOOD ESTABLISHMENT without a valid PERMIT to operate issued by the REGULATORY AUTHORITY" (§8-301.11), and "An applicant shall submit an application for a PERMIT at least 30 calendar days before the date planned for opening a FOOD ESTABLISHMENT" (§8-302.11). Before the permit, the regulator "shall conduct one or more preoperational inspections to verify that the FOOD ESTABLISHMENT is constructed and equipped in accordance with the APPROVED plans" and "has established standard operating procedures" (§8-203.10) (FDA Food Code 2022).

Your state or local code sets the actual deadlines, which may be longer, so confirm them now. In Florida, our licensing post explains the application and the opening inspection, and the grand opening plan has the warning not to book that inspection until you're truly ready.

Notice the last part of §8-203.10: standard operating procedures. The inspector expects the routines to exist, not just the equipment. Much of this countdown is about writing them.

Week 4 (days 30 to 22): paperwork and accounts

Permits and licenses

• Permit application submitted, or confirmed with the date it was submitted
• Building and other local permits closed out with the contractor; final inspections on the calendar
• Business tax registration, sales tax account and any local business license in place. Florida: see Florida sales tax for cafés

Money and admin

• Business bank account, card processing and the POS ordered. See choosing a POS (coming Nov 11) and card processing fees
• Insurance bound, certificates sent to the landlord. See insurance basics
• Payroll provider chosen and set up. See setting up payroll for the first time
• Bookkeeping set up before the first sale. See bookkeeping setup

Vendors

• Accounts opened with the roaster, the dairy, the bakery and a supplier for cups and cleaning products
• Each vendor's order days, cutoffs, minimums and delivery windows written down. See the vendor order guide
• Payment terms agreed. See vendor payment terms

Team

• Final offers made; start dates set for training week. See hiring your first team
• A certified food protection manager in place, or the exam booked. See part 5

Week 3 (days 21 to 15): equipment and routines

Equipment

• Every piece installed, turned on and tested by the installer, not just delivered
• Fridges and freezers running for a few days and holding temperature before food goes in
• Espresso machine and grinders set up by the technician; water filter installed and dated
• Manuals, warranty cards and service phone numbers collected in one place. See the equipment maintenance log

Written routines

• Opening and closing checklists drafted. See checklists your staff will follow and the coffee bar checklist
• Cleaning schedule by area. See the cleaning schedule template
• Temperature logs, receiving checks, illness reporting and handwashing. Part 5 lists these with templates
• Recipe cards for every drink and food item, with photos. See consistency in coffee and food
• Cash handling: opening float, drops and the end-of-day count. See cash handling

Marketing

• Google Business Profile set up with the opening date. See Google Business Profile for a new café
• Posting started. See Instagram for a new café

Week 2 (days 14 to 8): training and rehearsals

Training

• New-hire paperwork on each person's first day, including Form I-9. See new-hire paperwork and the orientation checklist
• Food handler training booked where your state requires it
• Station training, with a sign-off per station. See training your first hires in one week and the training sign-off sheet
• Training time is paid work time. The grand opening plan quotes the federal rule

First orders

• Opening order placed for delivery a few days before the first rehearsal
• Starting par levels set for your main items, ready to adjust after week one. See inventory par levels
• Receiving checked against the order, with temperatures on cold deliveries

Rehearsals

• A dry run: the team makes the full menu for each other, timed
• Problems written down and fixed: station layout, missing tools, slow drinks
• The pre-opening inspection, if your regulator does it at this stage

Week 1 (days 7 to 1): the soft opening and the schedule

• The soft opening. A short, invite-only service with real guests. The grand opening plan covers how to run it and what it costs
• The first week's schedule published, with extra hands at the peak, staggered starts and days off planned. Part 7 covers the schedule for opening week
• A person in charge on every shift, and a certified food protection manager scheduled when your rule asks for one
• Emergency basics. Fire extinguishers, first aid kit and an emergency plan. See the emergency action plan and the first aid kit checklist
• Required posters up. In Florida, see required workplace posters
• Keys, alarm codes and the safe handed out and logged. See the access log
• A deep clean after the contractors leave, and the opening checklist run in full the day before

Day 0

• Opening checklist done, with temperatures logged
• Till counted and signed for
• The person in charge for the day named, and everyone told
• A 10-minute huddle before the doors open. See the pre-shift huddle agenda

Common mistakes

• Booking the inspection before you're ready. A failed opening inspection costs days.
• Training on equipment that isn't working yet. Install and test in week 3, train in week 2.
• Writing routines after opening. The inspector looks for them, and the team learns whatever happens in week one.
• No days off in the plan. A team that works every day of the last two weeks starts opening week tired.

Where Mays fits

• The team on their phones before training. Add people under Locations & Users → Users. Employees get a text message with a link to the app and sign in with their phone number. See Add and invite team members.
• Checklists from your documents. If your routines are already in Word, Excel, PDF or on paper, Import from Document on Tasks → Templates has Mays AI draft checklist templates from them for you to review and approve (this uses AI credits). See Set up faster with the AI setup assistant.
• Training before the first shift. Write recipe cards and routines in the Knowledge Base, build training modules with a quiz and a passing score under Learning → Modules, and assign them by location, role or person. New hires in that role later get them too. Mays doesn't notify people when you assign a module, so tell the team. See Assigning training.
• Rehearsals and the soft opening on the schedule. Build the shifts as drafts, then publish. Add the soft opening in the schedule's Events row with a note, and everyone with a published shift that day gets a reminder that morning. See Schedule events.

Your 30-day checklist

Next: opening week

Part 7 covers the first week: the schedule, the soft opening's lessons and what to measure every day. To set up your team, checklists and training before opening, start your free trial: 30 days, every module, no card needed. Or book a walkthrough and we'll set up your pre-opening checklists with you.