Cafés & coffee shops playbook · 5 free jobs

AI for cafés and coffee shops: 5 jobs to hand to AI this week

Running a café means doing ten jobs before the doors open. These five use free AI tools for the paperwork and the planning, so you can spend more time behind the counter.

Job 2 of 5Google SheetsChatGPT

Build an allergen matrix your team can actually use

When a customer asks "is there nut in this?", staff need a quick, reliable answer. A clear matrix by the till protects customers and your business.

Time: About 1 hour for a full menu, then update with each changeCost: free tools work

Google Sheets (free), with a free AI chat tool to set up the layout

Steps

  1. For each menu item, list every ingredient and the exact product you use, with allergen info from the labels.
  2. Use the prompt below to turn this into a matrix layout.
  3. Check each tick against the labels yourself, with a second person if possible.
  4. Print it, keep it by the till, date it, and update it whenever a supplier or recipe changes.

The exact prompt

Copy, paste, then fill in the [brackets]
Turn this list into an allergen matrix for a [UK] café, as a table I can paste into Google Sheets.
Rows: menu items. Columns: the 14 major allergens (celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, soya, sulphur dioxide/sulphites).
Mark Y only where my label info says the ingredient contains it. Mark "MAY" for "may contain" warnings. Leave blank if not listed.
Do not guess. If an ingredient has no label info, put [NO LABEL INFO] in a notes column.

Items, ingredients and label allergen info:
[paste]

✓ Check before you send

  • Every Y and MAY is checked against the physical label.
  • Nothing marked [NO LABEL INFO] is left unresolved.
  • The matrix is dated and someone owns keeping it up to date.

UK notes extra

Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑
Job 3 of 5ChatGPTClaudeGoogle Sheets

Draft next week's staff rota around your busy times

Rotas take ages and someone is always unhappy. AI gives you a fair first draft from availability and your busy periods.

Time: 15 minutes a weekCost: free tools work

A free AI chat tool, then Google Sheets or your rota app

Steps

  1. Write down opening hours, how many staff you need in each slot (look at your till reports for busy times), and each person's availability and contracted hours. Use first names only.
  2. Paste the prompt below.
  3. Check it against your wage budget and breaks.
  4. Share it on your usual group chat or rota app.

The exact prompt

Copy, paste, then fill in the [brackets]
Draft a weekly staff rota for a [UK] café.
Opening hours: [e.g. Mon-Sat 7:30-16:00, Sun 9:00-15:00]
Staff needed per slot: [e.g. 2 from open to 11:00, 3 from 11:00-14:00, 2 to close]
Staff (first name, role, contracted hours, availability, under 18? Y/N): [list]
Rules: every shift over 6 hours includes a 20-minute break; [any other rules].
Output a table by day and a total hours per person. Flag anyone over or under their contracted hours, and any slot that's short-staffed. Don't invent availability.

✓ Check before you send

  • Breaks are built in, and younger workers' limits are respected.
  • Hours match contracts and your wage budget.
  • Nobody is rota'd when they said they're unavailable.

UK notes extra

Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑
Job 4 of 5Google Business ProfileChatGPT

Reply to Google and Tripadvisor reviews in your café's voice

Diners read replies, especially to bad reviews. A calm, specific reply can win back more customers than the review lost.

Time: 2 minutes per reviewCost: free tools work

Your Google Business Profile or Tripadvisor owner account, plus a free AI chat tool

Steps

  1. Copy the review.
  2. Paste the prompt below with any facts you know (it was a busy Saturday, the item was out of stock).
  3. Edit so it sounds like you.
  4. Post the reply. For food safety or allergen complaints, investigate first and reply calmly afterwards.

The exact prompt

Copy, paste, then fill in the [brackets]
Write a reply (max 80 words) from the owner of a [UK] independent café to this review.
Tone: [e.g. warm and down-to-earth]. Sign off: [first name].
If positive: thank them and mention what they enjoyed.
If negative: thank them, apologise that they were disappointed, mention a real fix only if I give one: [fix or "none"], and invite them to email [address]. Don't argue, don't blame staff, don't offer freebies in public.
If it mentions illness or an allergic reaction: write only a short, caring reply asking them to contact us directly. Admit nothing.

Review:
[paste]

✓ Check before you send

  • No staff names or customer details.
  • Any fix you mention is real.
  • Illness or allergy complaints are handled privately and properly.

UK notes extra

Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑
Job 5 of 5SquareChatGPTGoogle Sheets

Use your till data to order smarter and waste less

Unsold bakes and milk are money in the bin. Looking at what actually sells on which day helps you order less and sell out more.

Time: 20 minutes a weekCost: free tools work

Your till's item sales export (Square, SumUp, Zettle, Lightspeed etc.) and a free AI chat tool

Steps

  1. Export item sales by day for the last 4 to 8 weeks from your till system.
  2. Write down what you ordered or baked and what you threw away for the same weeks, roughly is fine.
  3. Paste both with the prompt below.
  4. Use the suggestions as a starting point for next week's orders, then compare waste after a fortnight.

The exact prompt

Copy, paste, then fill in the [brackets]
I run a [UK] café. Here's item sales by day for [4-8] weeks and what I prepared/ordered and wasted.
1. For each perishable item, show average sold per weekday and the waste rate.
2. Suggest a quantity to prepare for each weekday next week, aiming to sell out about [an hour before close] without running out at lunch.
3. Flag the 3 items costing me most in waste and suggest one practical fix for each (smaller batch, later bake, end-of-day offer).
Show your working simply. Don't invent data.

Sales data:
[paste]
Prepared and wasted:
[paste]

✓ Check before you send

  • The averages look right against what you remember.
  • Weather, school holidays and local events are factored in by you.
  • End-of-day offers follow food safety and date-label rules.

UK notes extra

Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑

Questions cafés & coffee shops ask

Can I use AI to work out allergens?

Only to format a matrix from information you've taken from real product labels. Never let AI guess allergens. Staff should check the matrix and the kitchen, not ask a chatbot.

Which AI tool is free?

The free plans of ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Claude handle menus, rotas and review replies. Google Sheets and Canva's free plan cover the rest.

Will my menu sound like everyone else's?

Tell the AI your café's personality and give it a couple of your favourite descriptions as examples. Then cut the clichés. Only claim "local" or "homemade" if it's true.

Privacy tip: don't paste customers' full names, addresses or other personal details into AI tools unless you need to and you've checked the tool's privacy settings.