Chicago, Illinois
Running a Chicago cafe? Know how many sales pay for today.
Free. No sign-up.
Labor is set to the $17.05 Chicago minimum wage for employers with 4 or more employees: two people for 8 hours is $272.80. The $7 average sale is only an example. Change any number.
Rent, insurance, subscriptions, loan payments
What you pay staff on a normal day
What one customer spends, on average
Food and drink cost as a % of the check
30 = open every day. 26 = closed one day a week. 22 = closed two.
Customers to break even today
150 customers
That is $1,050 in sales.
Your costs today$734
$462 fixed + $273 labor
Each customer contributes
$4.90
What is left after cost of goods
We divide your monthly fixed costs by the 26 days you open. Then we add one day of labor cost. Each customer covers only what is left after cost of goods. That is why the number is higher than your costs divided by the average sale.
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The free fix
The free fix, from KANJIN (kanjin.app), a digital stamp card and back office for small shops: Free break-even tracker.
Know each day if the cafe covered its costs
Type the figures from the calculator above into the free back office once. Each day's sales then show whether the cafe made its target. Print the page and tape it by the back door, so every shift knows the number.
Free plan, no time limit. No card needed.
Short answer
How many sales does my Chicago cafe need each day to cover its costs?
Add up one day of rent and wages, divide it by what each sale leaves after coffee, milk and cups, and round up. At the $17.05 Chicago minimum wage, two people on an 8-hour shift cost $272.80 before you pull the first shot.
Your day is mostly paid for before you open
Rent, the espresso machine and the people on the schedule cost the same on a slow Monday and a busy Saturday.
So one number matters most. How many sales do you need before the day stops losing money?
Type your own rent, wages and average sale into the calculator above. The answer is your daily target.
Under 4 staff or 4 and more: two different wages
The Chicago minimum wage applies to employers with 4 or more employees. Since July 1, 2026, it is $17.05 an hour.
A cafe with fewer than 4 employees follows the Illinois minimum wage, which is $15.00 an hour for workers 18 and older.
Count everyone on your payroll, part-time staff too, and use the wage that fits your shop. Two people for 8 hours is $272.80 at the Chicago rate and $240.00 at the Illinois rate.
Tipped staff: the full wage is still the floor
In Chicago, tipped workers at employers with 4 or more employees have a minimum wage of $12.96 an hour.
If their wage plus tips is under the full minimum wage, you pay the difference. Plan your labor line on the full rate, and count tips apart from sales.
Check the number every day
A target you worked out once and then forgot does not help on a cold, slow day.
The free break-even tracker keeps your target with your shop. Each day's sales show whether you made it. Print it and tape it by the back door for every shift.
How to work out your cafe's daily break-even in Chicago
- Add up one day of fixed costs.
Take your monthly rent, insurance and bills, and divide by the days you open.
- Pick the right wage.
4 or more employees: at least $17.05 an hour in Chicago. Fewer than 4: at least the Illinois $15.00.
- Find what one sale leaves.
Your average sale before tax, minus the coffee, milk, syrup and cup in it.
- Divide and round up.
The day's costs divided by what one sale leaves. That is how many sales you need to cover the day.
The local numbers, with sources
- Chicago minimum wage
- $17.05 an hour since July 1, 2026, for employers with 4 or more employees
- Source: City of Chicago, Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, Minimum Wage, checked 2026-11-08.
- Chicago tipped minimum wage
- $12.96 an hour for employers with 4 or more employees; the employer makes up any gap to the full minimum wage
- Source: City of Chicago, Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, Minimum Wage, checked 2026-11-08.
- Illinois minimum wage
- $15.00 an hour for workers 18 and older
- Source: Illinois Department of Labor, Minimum Wage Law, checked 2026-11-08.
Common questions
What is the minimum wage in Chicago now?
$17.05 an hour since July 1, 2026, for employers with 4 or more employees. Tipped workers at those employers have a minimum wage of $12.96, and the employer makes up any gap to the full wage.
My cafe has 3 employees. Which minimum wage do I pay?
The Chicago rate applies to employers with 4 or more employees. Below that, the Illinois minimum wage applies: $15.00 an hour for workers 18 and older.
How do I work out my cafe's break-even point?
Divide one day of fixed costs and wages by what one average sale leaves after coffee, milk and cups. Round up. That is how many sales you need each day.
Does the break-even tracker cost anything?
No. It is part of the free KANJIN back office, with no time limit. Type your costs once, and your target is there each time you sign in, on any device.
Do it for your own shop, free
Set your daily target once. Each day’s sales show whether you made it.
Type each day’s sales and supplier costs, and see how the week went in one chart.