alice89•23d agoProlific Poster

Vent: Found out my local coffee shop charges $8 for a latte because of the rent hike

I was looking at my bank statement last week and noticed I spend like $40 a month just on coffee. So I asked the barista why their prices jumped so much. She showed me a news article about commercial rent going up 15% in our neighborhood in Portland this year. That blew my mind because I figured it was just inflation or something. Has anyone else looked into why local places are charging more and found a surprising reason?

3 comments

3 Comments

dakota_patel9823d ago

Oh man I've been there. So what happened with my local spot was they had to switch their whole supply chain because the old distributor jacked up delivery fees for small businesses. The owner told me they were paying almost double for the same beans from a big company so they found a smaller roaster that charges less but they had to raise the drink prices anyway cause of the rent and utilities on top of that. Honestly I started buying a bag of beans from that roaster and making my own lattes at home for like a month to save up. Then I'd go back to the shop once or twice a week as a treat instead of every day. It helped me notice the price jump less and I got to support them without going broke. Maybe ask your barista if they partner with a specific roaster you could buy direct from cause that cut my coffee costs in half.

susan_bell23d ago

Totally agree with @dakota_patel98 on that direct bean hack. I started buying from my shop's roaster a few months back and it's wild how much you save. I make my own cold brew at home now (super easy in a French press) and only hit the shop for a cortado on weekends. Saves me like 20 bucks a week easy. Feels good to still support them without wincing at the register.

cole35612d ago

That part about asking the barista about their roaster is spot on. My buddy Dave did that at his local shop and found out they get their beans from a tiny place like two towns over. He started buying five pound bags from them directly and saves like thirty bucks a month easy. He still stops in for an espresso shot when he's out walking his dog but it's not like a daily hit to the wallet anymore.

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