The first 90 days after buying a café should protect continuity first, establish a reliable operating baseline second, and change the business only when evidence supports the change. The buyer needs a staged plan: secure control at settlement, observe and reconcile during days 0–30, diagnose during days 31–60, then make prioritised decisions during days 61–90.

This is not a promise that 90 days will reveal every issue or produce a particular result. It is a practical control period. The buyer should know who owns each action, what will be measured, which unresolved matters require advisers, and what evidence must exist before changing prices, menus, people, hours, suppliers or fit-out.

Complete the prerequisites before settlement

The plan starts before the keys change hands. Prepare a settlement-readiness schedule with written confirmation for each item, rather than relying on an informal promise that access will work on day one.

  • Legal and premises: executed sale documents, lease or licence, landlord consent, insurance, keys, alarm codes and agreed asset and stock schedules.
  • Entity and payments: the buyer’s ABN and tax registrations, bank accounts, merchant facilities, cash floats, POS administrator access and delivery-platform settlement details.
  • Food operations: the buyer’s required notification, registration or approval position, food-safety records, allergen procedures, temperature logs, cleaning schedules and responsible personnel.
  • People and payroll: written employment decisions, contracts or offers, applicable awards or agreements, employee data, verified entitlements, rosters, payroll access, STP setup and superannuation processes.
  • Suppliers and commitments: accepted account applications, supply and equipment agreements, opening orders, utilities, waste and maintenance services, plus a register of gift cards, deposits, prepaid orders, refunds and customer complaints.
  • Control and security: domains, email, phone, social accounts, booking and loyalty systems, passwords, data backups and authority limits for refunds, purchasing and discounts.
  • Handover: a named seller contact, training calendar, recipes and procedures, supplier introductions, equipment demonstrations and an escalation route for discrepancies.

Business.gov.au notes that a change of ownership can require leases, permits and licences to be transferred and records and assets to be handed over; it also states that an ABN cannot simply be transferred to a new owner (business.gov.au). Confirm the exact structure and registrations with legal, tax and regulatory advisers.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand says a food business starting or changing its name, location or activities must notify its local food regulatory agency under Standard 3.2.2 (FSANZ). State, territory and council requirements differ, so the buyer should obtain confirmation for the proposed operation rather than assume the seller’s position continues.

Days 0–30: stabilise, observe and reconcile

Keep customer-facing disruption low unless safety, legality or cash control requires immediate action. Preserve familiar products, core hours and service routines long enough to observe how the café actually works. Explain decision rights to staff, hold short daily check-ins and create one issues register with an owner and due date for every item.

Reconcile each trading day from POS sales to cash counted, merchant settlements, delivery-platform receipts, refunds and bank deposits. Record transactions and average spend by channel and daypart. Count high-value or high-waste stock frequently, track food waste, review voids and discounts, and compare rostered hours with hours worked. Inspect equipment alarms, service needs and temperature records rather than waiting for a breakdown.

Meet staff individually without making promises that contradict the sale documents or employment advice. The Fair Work Ombudsman explains that a transfer of business can arise when an employee starts with the new employer within three months, performs the same or substantially similar duties and there is a specified connection between the employers; coverage and entitlements may be affected (Fair Work Ombudsman). Establish payroll and reporting correctly from the first pay cycle; the ATO’s Single Touch Payroll guidance should be applied with payroll and accounting advice.

At day 30, the decision gate is control: can the buyer account for money, stock, labour, food-safety activity and outstanding customer or supplier commitments? If not, correct the control gap before launching optional changes.

Days 31–60: diagnose the buyer-run operation

Use the first month as a baseline, while recognising that weather, holidays, local events and seasonality may distort it. Compare actual results with the acquisition case and the same period in historical records. Separate inherited issues from new-owner disruption and normal trading variability.

Analyse menu contribution after ingredients, waste and channel costs; roster coverage by daypart; stock turns; supplier reliability; equipment downtime; customer complaints and repeat-purchase indicators. Identify work the seller performed that is now falling to the buyer or employees. Test whether recipes, ordering rules, opening procedures and customer relationships are documented or still depend on one person.

Contact key suppliers and service providers to confirm prices, credit terms, ownership of loaned equipment, minimum purchases and termination rights. Review prepaid customer obligations against the settlement allocation. Where customer data transferred, control access and permitted use: the OAIC explains that entities covered by the Privacy Act must consider how personal information is collected, used and disclosed during a business sale (OAIC). Privacy coverage and contractual permissions need case-specific advice.

At day 60, the decision gate is diagnosis: are variances understood well enough to distinguish a fixable process problem from a structural weakness? Defer major capital expenditure, rebranding or permanent hours changes if the evidence is still ambiguous.

Days 61–90: choose, test and sequence changes

Rank changes by urgency, evidence and reversibility. Safety, legal, payroll, lease and serious equipment matters usually require faster escalation. Commercial ideas can often be tested in small, time-limited trials: a revised roster for selected shifts, a narrower low-performing menu segment, a supplier comparison or a modest promotion with a defined success measure.

For each proposal, write the baseline, expected operational effect, cash cost, responsible person, review date and stop condition. Assess renovation or closure plans against lease approvals, lost contribution during downtime, contractor lead times, food-business requirements and working-capital headroom. Do not treat a busy week or positive reviews as proof that a permanent change works.

At day 90, the decision gate is commitment: continue, amend or stop each trial; approve only funded priorities; and carry unresolved risks into a documented 6–12 month plan. The outcome may be to preserve more of the existing operation than expected.

Use one operating dashboard

Track a small set of consistent measures rather than producing reports nobody uses:

Area Weekly evidence Question it should answer
Sales Transactions, average spend and revenue by channel/daypart Is demand changing, or only the sales mix?
Cash POS-to-cash, merchant and bank reconciliation Is every receipt and adjustment explained?
Margin Ingredient usage, purchase price, waste and item contribution Which products create cash after direct costs?
Labour Rostered and worked hours, wage cost and coverage Is service delivered with a compliant, sustainable roster?
Customers Refunds, complaints, ratings themes and prepaid obligations What is failing, and what remains owed?
Operations Stock-outs, equipment downtime, temperatures and incidents Which issue threatens continuity or safety?
Liquidity Rolling cash forecast and committed payments Can the café fund wages, suppliers, tax and repairs?

Assign an owner and tolerance to each measure. Investigate exceptions; do not manage solely to a percentage without understanding what changed operationally.

Sources

Disclaimer

This article provides general information only. It does not constitute legal, tax, accounting, financial, credit, valuation or other professional advice. Circumstances differ. Obtain advice from appropriately qualified advisers before acting or entering a transaction.