Coffee shops that open at 10am?

[LoveHearts69]

I always want to go out to a cafe somewhere that’s not a big chain but all the nice cafes or coffee shops near me and the surrounding towns open at 10am. Maybe because I’ve got young children I’ve already had 2 coffees by 8am but surely also for all those people working a standard 9-5 shift it would make much more sense for them to open at 8am to catch those customers before they start work? I’m just so confused at the reasoning. Is it just me that thinks this is strange?

Hard agree ! I live in Glasgow and all the lovely independents open at 10 and shut at 4!!!!! Arghhhhh

I presume the staff open earlier than 10am so if they did start earlier you want them to have to start even earlier?

I presume they would therefore finish earlier to compensate?

They close earlier too often. I find that sometimes in an evening I want to go somewhere for a drink, but not a pub. There's nowhere about other than Costa or Nero and sometimes they are very grubby.

So many shops are not open at times which are convenient to the customer and then they wonder why they go bust.

Depends on where you are, doesn't it? If you are in a city center, most cafes open at 8am. In the suburbs, there is usually no need for an early start as people are heading downtown for work. There will typically be a caf near a train station which opens early.

Noticed that locally too - opening later and closing at 4pm too. Think this is to save running costs - small businesses are really struggling.

Yes I agree this is so frustrating! We have a cafe in our village that I would love to support, today it’s open 10:30-3 so obviously I have gone to the motorway costa again.
@Edingril the vast majority of people start work between 8 and 9, if they are closing at 3/4 then opening at 8/8:30 seems reasonable even if they have to come in 7:45/8:15? I ah e worked in a cafe and we prepped most things the night before, we didnt need more than 10mins before opening?
Is it that lunch is the most profitable time?

Personally I’m not as bothered by the closing time as I see coffee as a morning thing, I’d just love to be able to go somewhere that’s not Starbucks or Costa for a coffee and croissant at 8am!

Most around here are closed by 2/3pm though. I just don’t get who their target audience is with those hours I guess.

Surely it's up.to them?

If they make money on those hours good luck to them!

Our local cafe (and my fave brunch spot) has just announced they are closing on a Sunday going forward in favour of opening on a Tuesday 🫠 I guess I shall not be going anytime soon then

The local cafes by me are packed with pensioners all day long so I guess it makes up for losing passing traffic on the way to work.

The independents around here don’t open until 10am in the week either! I think would love a coffee on the way in sometimes but there isn’t a lot of choice.
They open at 8:30 on the weekends and there is always a queue before hand.

Agree. The only coffee shops that seem to open before 9am are chain ones. I'd like to support independent more often but I work full time 9-5 so on a weekday it's a Costa before work.

We had a cafe which opened at 7:30am and closed at 5 when we bought it. First thing we did was update the till so that every sale was recorded in detail along with the time. We discovered that the 3 kitchen staff and 2 waitresses in at 7:30 were serving a total of 4 customers between then and 10am. From 10am until 3pm the place was busy and after 3 there were a handful of customers until close. The early part of the day was costing the business a fortune in staffing, heating, lighting etc. So we changed the opening hours. Kitchen staff came in at 9 to prep, waiting staff at 9:45, open at 10, closed at 3:30, waiting staff leave at 4 (but paid if they worked longer) with kitchen staff leaving at 4:30 or 5. Business was a lot more profitable and the staff were able to do school drop offs in the morning.

Yes cafe opening times are an odd one. There’s a parade of shops near me with 2 primary schools and a secondary in the vicinity and the shops are always full of people from those schools plus their parents after school. Yet the cafe closes at 2.30! It does open very early (8 or maybe earlier) but I find it mad that they don’t stay open to catch the after school rush. Probably better for my bank balance that they don’t though to be fair 😂

That’s odd. Wouldn’t the breakfast/on the way to work trade be quite significant? We have an independent coffee shop at the end of the road at it opens at 7.30am, and is heaving by 8!

I find that surprising how empty it was in the mornings.
When I see how busy Starbucks is at 9am or just after 9.
I meet a chum one day a week after the school run and its always busy and different people too.
It's obvious people are either using it for business meetings or just done school run.

That is surprising. I used to work in a tiny seaside town (it literally had 2 streets of businesses that's it) and the independent coffee place next door opened at 8:30am (still does actually)

Even in the winter

And trust me it is not a bustling place and they definitely don't have any chain shops or coffee shops at all, except for a boots, everything else is independent

Surely they should be open early close early? Like 8:30-3?

I would assume they have done their research and know where their custom is coming from.
My local highstreet had several independents, most of them do open at 9 and close at 4.30.
My usual one is very quiet before 10 and then gets packed. There are a lot of regulars - a mix of retired people, young mums or grandparents with babies/toddlers. The middle aged people like me - I'm a foster carer and meet up with other FCs, a few elderly people.
I don't think cafes in residential areas are catering to people wanting a take away drink on their way into work, parking is an issue. The town centre independents are catering for that market and open earlier

Possibly not as many people are working a standard 9-5 now work from home is more common. Staff are also increasingly expensive, so it could be the owners are running the place themselves and have to do school run etc on a morning.

They might be able to afford more staff if they take advantage of the morning coffee trade! Agree I’d much rather swing by a little independent coffee place for my morning coffee on the way to work but there isn’t one open so I go to Costa. There is always a queue.

There's one in the library, restricted to library opening hours. Madness for a business. I think when they initially advertised it the rates made me wince.

Set up your own cafe. It’s up to each proprietor when they open. My local Caffè Nero opens at 7am. And the coffee is good, and reliable.

As a business they will have carried out a CBA re opening times. If their modellibg/research shows that the amount of money they will take between, say, 8am and 10am is less than the running costs, then why should they do this?

I pass a lovely cafe on my way to work but its never open when I want to go in, so I spend my money at Costa or greggs instead (both of which are open from 7am)