Opening a Café in Egypt: A Realistic Cost Breakdown

Opening a café looks romantic until the bills arrive. Here's a grounded view of what it takes — and what to watch so it stays profitable.

Upfront costs

• Fit-out & furniture — the biggest variable; a simple, well-designed space beats an expensive one.
• Equipment — espresso machine, grinder, fridges, POS. Buy reliable, not flashy.
• Licensing & deposits — budget for rent deposits and permits before day one.
• Initial stock — opening inventory of beans, milk, syrups, packaging.

Monthly costs

• Rent — keep it under ~10–15% of expected revenue.
• Staff — usually your largest running cost.
• Cost of goods — coffee, milk, food. A well-run café holds beverage cost around 20–25% and food higher.
• Utilities, marketing, maintenance.

The margins

A healthy café nets roughly 10–20% after everything — but only with tight control of two numbers: cost of goods and labor. Most cafés that fail don't fail on footfall; they fail on uncontrolled costs and pricing that never kept up with inflation.

Protect the margin from day one

Set recipes and costs before you open, re-cost when supplier prices move, and watch your beverage cost weekly. Wizzora keeps every drink and dish costed in real time so a quiet price rise never turns into a silent loss.

See how it works.