A realistic monthly P&L for a Greek cafe should show 70-75% gross margin and 15-25% net margin. Here is every line item, what drives it, and what the benchmarks look like.
Revenue Lines
For a typical Greek cafe, revenue comes from three sources: coffee and hot beverages (often 40-50% of revenue), food (25-35%), and cold drinks and alcohol (15-25%). Track these separately if your POS allows. If not, the VAT rate split from your Z-report is a reasonable proxy: Z13% is primarily beverages and on-premises food, Z24% is alcohol, Z6% is cold takeaway items.
A well-run neighbourhood cafe in Athens or a regional city with 50-70 covers per day should see monthly revenue of EUR 8,000-15,000. Tourist-dependent locations in peak season can be 3-5x this. Always model your P&L on a per-day basis first, then multiply by trading days in the month.
Cost of Goods Sold
COGS for a Greek cafe covers: coffee beans and milk, food ingredients, cold drinks, alcoholic beverages, and disposables (cups, napkins, packaging for takeaway). A well-managed COGS line runs at 25-30% of revenue, giving a gross margin of 70-75%. If your COGS is above 35%, you have a pricing or wastage problem. If it is below 22%, you are either under-reporting ingredients or your menu is very coffee-heavy with low food sales.
Staff Costs
At a two-person operation (owner + one employee), staff costs including EFKA sit at roughly EUR 1,100-1,300/month. With three staff, EUR 2,800-3,400/month. Staff cost as a percentage of revenue should be 20-30% for a stable cafe. Above 35% is unsustainable without volume growth.
Occupancy Costs
Rent is typically the largest fixed cost after staff. Athens city centre: EUR 800-2,500/month depending on location and size. Regional towns: EUR 300-800/month. Add utilities (electricity, water, gas) at EUR 200-500/month depending on season and equipment. Air conditioning in summer is the single biggest electricity cost driver for Greek cafes.
Operating Expenses
Below occupancy, track separately: equipment maintenance, consumables (cleaning products, small equipment replacement), marketing and local advertising, accounting fees (typically EUR 80-150/month for a small cafe), municipal fees and licenses, and waste disposal. These typically total EUR 200-500/month for a small operation.
AADE Compliance Costs
Quarterly VAT returns, annual income tax, and the periodic myDATA reconciliation are non-optional costs of doing business in Greece. Budget EUR 150-300/quarter for accountant fees related to these filings, on top of your monthly bookkeeping fee.
Net Margin Benchmarks
A well-run small Greek cafe should achieve 15-25% net margin. Below 10% is a signal to review pricing, COGS, or staff scheduling. Above 30% is possible for high-volume or tourist-facing operations but is not sustainable as a planning assumption for a neighbourhood cafe. Use your monthly P&L to track the trend, not just the absolute number.
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