A list by the till and a lot of trust
Your coffee subscription started as an idea for regulars: one drink a day for a monthly fee. The first members signed up on a form and paid by bank transfer. There is a printed list by the till, and staff tick a box each time a member has a drink. By the second month the list is crossed out and rewritten, two members have not paid but are still coming in, and one member swears she only had one coffee yesterday while the list says three.
You like the idea. The admin is wearing you out. Every month-end you sit with the bank statement and the list, trying to work out who has paid, who has cancelled by text and who is on holiday. It takes an evening, and it still feels like guesswork.
Why subscriptions are hard to run by hand
- Recurring payments are taken manually, or by bank transfer that nobody checks.
- Staff check membership against a paper list in the middle of a queue.
- Daily or monthly allowances need counting, which a paper list does badly.
- Members' drinks do not go through the till, so sales and stock data miss them.
- Cancellations, pauses for holidays and card changes are handled by message.
What a loose subscription costs
Members who have stopped paying still get drinks. Allowances are exceeded without anyone noticing. The till shows fewer drinks than you actually made, so milk and bean usage never adds up. And the scheme depends on you personally to chase payments, which is not why you started it.
How we build a coffee subscription
- Members sign up on a web page and pay by card on a monthly or weekly schedule through Stripe, with the rules of the plan shown clearly.
- Each member gets a QR code in their phone wallet, or is recognised by phone number at the till.
- At the till, staff scan or look up the member and see whether today's drink is included. The drink goes through the till as a subscription item so stock and sales stay accurate.
- Allowance rules, such as one drink a day and which drinks are included, are applied automatically.
- Failed payments pause the membership after a grace period you set, and the member gets an email to update their card.
- Members can pause, cancel or change their card from a link, without messaging you.
- You see active members, usage and revenue on one page.
| Plan detail | Where it is handled |
|---|---|
| Payment | Stripe recurring billing |
| Membership check | Scan or lookup at the till |
| Daily allowance | Checked automatically |
| Pause and cancel | Member self-service link |
Whether a subscription suits your cafe, and what it should cost, is your decision. We build what you design and tell you honestly if the numbers or the till make it awkward.
Running it without the list
A member walks in, holds up her phone, the barista scans it, and the till says one drink included today. The latte goes through as a subscription drink. At the end of the month, payments are taken automatically, and the one member whose card failed gets an email and a pause after the grace period. You see membership numbers growing and can decide whether to open a second plan for weekends.
Are you running a subscription like this?
- Members are tracked on a paper or spreadsheet list.
- Payments are taken manually or by bank transfer.
- Staff cannot easily check if a member has used today's drink.
- Members' drinks are not recorded on the till.
- Cancellations and pauses come by message.