Stop Waking Up to Empty Bean Bins AI-Powered Inventory Forecasting Built Just for Your Brew
Imagine cutting waste by 30% and never missing a latte rush again. We craft custom solutions that fit your shop's rhythm, from morning mob to evening trickle.
Join 250+ businesses with smoother stock and happier customers
The "Bean Shortage" Problem
Running out of espresso beans during the 8 AM rush leaves customers grumpy, lines snaking out the door, and your baristas scrambling for alternatives
Seasonal spikes like holiday peppermint mocha demand catch you off guard, leading to rushed orders and excess inventory tying up your cooler space
Guessing milk, almond, and oat alternative volumes based on gut feel leads to spoilage in the fridge and thrown-out cash on expired dairy
Sudden weather changes or local events like summer festivals boost foot traffic unexpectedly, stranding you without backup stock for iced lattes or grab-and-go sandwiches
Manual tracking in spreadsheets fails when busy baristas input errors on syrup counts, inflating your food waste by 20% monthly and skewing supplier orders
Overbuying trendy matcha teas after a social media buzz results in dusty shelves of unused pouches and a tied-up budget for fresh produce deliveries
Our Tailored AI Forecasting for Your Coffee Flow
We've powered inventory smarts for 50+ food service spots, turning chaos into clockwork
Why Choose Us
Let's be honest, off-the-shelf tools treat every shop like a cookie-cutter chain. Not us. At AIQ Labs, we build your inventory forecasting system from the ground up, weaving in your sales history, peak hours, and even local events. You're probably thinking, 'How does that work for my quirky menu?' We start with your data—POS receipts, supplier logs—and train AI models that learn your patterns. Short on time? We handle the heavy lifting. The result? A flexible tool that alerts you to restock beans before the morning mob hits, all integrated into your daily grind without the subscription hassle.
What Makes Us Different:
Unlock Efficiency Without the Guesswork
Zero Stockouts, Zero Drama
Zero Stockouts, Zero Drama: Picture this: AI spots a heatwave boosting iced coffee sales and prompts a milk top-up 48 hours early, integrating with your POS for real-time latte demand. Shops using our system report 25% fewer rush-hour shortages, keeping customers smiling and your tips flowing during peak brunch hours.
Cut Waste, Boost Profits
Cut Waste, Boost Profits: No more tossing wilted greens from salad prep or expired creamers in the walk-in. Our forecasts nail demand down to the bag or carton, slashing spoilage by 35% for one client—freeing up $2,000 monthly for that new espresso machine or staff training.
Cash Flow That Flows Smoothly
Cash Flow That Flows Smoothly: Tired of cash stuck in overordered oat milk cases gathering dust? We optimize buys to match your exact rhythm, from weekday rushes to weekend catering, reducing inventory costs by 28%. One shop owner said it felt like finding extra hours in the day for menu innovation.
What Clients Say
"Before AIQ, we'd panic-buy Arabica beans every weekend and still run dry by Sunday brunch service. Their custom forecast integrated seamlessly with our Square POS, and now we order 20% less but never miss a pour. Saved us about $1,200 last quarter alone on wholesale coffee costs."
Maria Gonzalez
Owner, Brew Haven Coffee Shop in Portland
"I was skeptical—our shop's weird hours and pop-up events like neighborhood block parties made generic apps useless. But they built something that factors in our farmers' market days and pastry sales spikes. Waste dropped from 15% to under 5% in two months, a game-changer for our tight margins on baked goods."
Jamal Carter
General Manager, Urban Grind Roasters Cafe in Brooklyn
"Handling seasonal shifts like pumpkin spice latte season was a nightmare; we'd overstock syrups and eat the loss on unsold inventory. AIQ's system predicted our October rush spot-on, factoring in social media trends, cutting excess by 40%. It's like having a crystal ball for coffee and fall menu trends."
Sarah Lee
Operations Lead, Daily Drip Cafe Chain in Seattle
Simple 3-Step Process
Dive Into Your Daily Brew
We chat about your shop's quirks—peak rushes, menu stars, supplier quirks. No cookie-cutter questions; it's all about mapping your exact workflow to build a forecast that fits like a perfect pour.
Craft Your Custom AI Engine
Our team pulls your POS data and trains models on real patterns, like how rain drives hot drink sales. We iterate fast, ensuring it's flexible for your evolving menu without the off-the-shelf limits.
Launch and Fine-Tune On-Site
We integrate it seamlessly, test during a busy week, and tweak based on your feedback. From there, it's yours—owned, scalable, and ready to evolve with your shop's growth.
Why We're Different
What's Included
Common Questions
How does your forecasting handle unpredictable busy days in a coffee shop?
Here's the thing: coffee shops live by the rush, from sudden office crowds to rainy afternoons. Our custom AI doesn't just look at past sales; it layers in local weather data, event calendars, and even social media buzz about your spot. For one client, this caught a viral TikTok trend boosting matcha orders by 50%—they restocked in time without overdoing it. We train the model on your specific patterns during setup, then it evolves with your input. No more gut feels. It's flexible, so if your shop's near a university, it learns exam-week spikes. Setup takes about two weeks, and you'll see alerts 72 hours out, keeping your line moving and customers content. Let's chat about your busiest triggers.
Will this work with my existing POS system?
Absolutely, and that's where we shine. You're probably thinking about the hassle of switching tools—don't worry. We build direct, two-way integrations with popular systems like Square, Toast, or Lightspeed, pulling sales data in real-time without disrupting your baristas' flow. No clunky exports or manual uploads. For a downtown cafe we worked with, this meant their inventory forecasts updated instantly after each transaction, catching a syrup shortage before close. It's all custom-coded for reliability, so if your POS updates, we adapt it. The goal? A unified view where your coffee sales directly feed smarter orders, cutting errors by up to 90%. We handle the tech; you focus on the brews.
What's the difference from generic inventory apps?
Generic apps? They're like serving the same latte to everyone—fine for basics, but they miss your shop's flavor. Off-the-shelf tools use broad algorithms that ignore your niche, like how weekends differ from weekdays or why oat milk flies off shelves in your vegan-heavy neighborhood. We build yours custom, analyzing your exact data for predictions accurate to within 5% for most clients. Remember that holiday rush? One shop avoided $800 in waste because our system factored their loyalty program data, something templates overlook. It's owned by you, no subscriptions, and scales as you add locations. Let's be honest, your workflow isn't average—why settle for average tools? We make it fit like a well-worn apron.
How much time does implementation take for a small coffee shop?
Short answer: about 4-6 weeks to full launch, but you see value sooner. We start with a quick audit of your current setup—POS, suppliers, menu—to map your needs. Week one: data collection and model training. By week three, we're testing forecasts against your real sales, tweaking for accuracy. A boutique roaster we helped went live in five weeks, with initial alerts reducing their overstock right away. It's hands-on but low-lift for you; our team does the coding while you share insights via a couple calls. Post-launch, we monitor for a month to fine-tune. The payoff? Hours saved weekly on ordering, plus that peace of mind during peaks. If your shop's small, we keep it lean and focused.
Can this forecasting help with menu planning too?
You bet—it goes beyond just stock counts. Our system spots trends in what sells, like if cold brews outsell hot by 40% in summer, helping you plan promos or tweaks. For a client, it revealed chai's slow winter dip, so they pivoted to ginger lattes and boosted sales 15%. We include reporting on item velocity, waste per drink, and even customer preferences from POS notes. It's all visualized in a simple dashboard, no data science degree needed. Flexible enough to simulate new items, like adding a keto option and forecasting demand. This ties operational efficiency to customer experience—fewer misses mean happier regulars. If menu evolution's on your mind, we customize that angle from day one.
What if my suppliers change or prices fluctuate?
Fluctuations are the spice of food service life, right? Our forecasting isn't static; it's built to adapt. When a supplier hikes bean prices or you switch vendors, we update the model with new cost data, recalibrating orders to protect your margins. One shop faced a 20% almond milk jump—we adjusted forecasts to prioritize alternatives, saving them $500 monthly without skimping on options. It integrates supplier APIs if available, or you input changes via a quick interface. Alerts flag when to negotiate or seek backups based on predicted needs. Long-term, it learns from these shifts, making your cash flow more resilient. No rigid templates here; it's tailored to keep your brews profitable amid the ups and downs.
Ready to Get Started?
Book your free consultation and discover how we can transform your business with AI.