How do I calculate rent coverage for an anticafe?

Add your monthly rent to your other fixed costs: wages, utilities and software. Then divide the total by your net revenue per guest-hour, meaning the hourly fee minus the tea and biscuit cost. The result shows how many guest-hours you need to sell each month. Check the figures with an accountant.

What share of revenue should rent be?

There is no universal rule, and this is not financial advice. In practice, the bigger the share rent takes, the less cushion you have in a weak month. Compare rent with revenue in a bad scenario: if you can still pay it with 20–30% fewer guests, the plan is more resilient.

Per-minute or hourly pricing?

Per-minute pricing feels fair for short visits and encourages guests to drop in more often. Hourly pricing is simple and easy to calculate. A price cap encourages long stays but lowers revenue per hour. Whatever you choose, track average revenue per hour with real data.

How do I account for the “free” tea and biscuits?

Add up everything you bought in a month (tea, coffee, sugar, biscuits, disposables) and divide it by the guest-hours sold that month. That is your variable cost per guest-hour. A break-even calculated without subtracting it from the hourly fee makes things look better than they are.

When can I expect to break even?

It depends on location, pricing and marketing, and there is no guaranteed figure. Plan the first months around low occupancy and keep a reserve of at least three months of fixed costs. Update the calculation monthly with real guest-hours.

How much does Heselo cost for an anticafe?

The Small plan for anticafes starts from 19 USD per month. The system tracks guest time, calculates the amount according to your rate rules and produces a shift report, so you see the real guest-hours your break-even depends on. Medium and Large plans are on the pricing page.

Guides

How to calculate anticafe rent and time fees

In an anticafe, guests pay for time, not for drinks. That means your per-minute or hourly fee has to cover rent, wages, utilities and the “free” tea and biscuits. This guide walks through the calculation step by step. It is not financial or legal advice; check the numbers against your own venue and with your accountant.

Last updated: 23 September 2026

What does Heselo give an anti-café?

The formula only works with real numbers. With paper records it is hard to know how many guest-hours you actually sold, how much discounts cost you and how busy each hour is.

In an anticafe, Heselo tracks each guest’s time, calculates the amount according to your rate rules, puts sales on the same bill and produces a shift report. The Small plan for anticafes starts from 19 USD per month, and that belongs on your fixed-cost list too.

Add up your costs

Start by listing your fixed monthly costs: everything you pay whether guests come or not. Then work out the variable cost per guest-hour separately.

Rent: usually the largest fixed cost
Wages plus tax and social contributions
Utilities: electricity, heating, water, internet
Software, refreshing games and books, cleaning
Variable: tea, coffee, biscuits, disposables, per guest-hour
Depreciation: furniture, consoles, board games

Hourly revenue model

Anticafes usually choose one of three models: per-minute, hourly, or a price cap (a “stop-check”), after which the bill stops growing. A cap attracts guests who stay long, but lowers revenue per hour.

Whichever model you pick, you need your average revenue per guest-hour: total time revenue / guest-hours sold. Caps and discounts pull this number down.

Per-minute: feels fair and suits short visits
Hourly: simple and easy to calculate
Price cap: encourages long stays
Separate daytime, evening and student rates

Break-even: a simple formula

Formula: guest-hours needed = fixed monthly costs / (average revenue per guest-hour − variable cost per guest-hour).

Example (not a guarantee): rent 1,500, wages 1,800, utilities 400, other 300, for a total of 4,000 AZN a month. Average revenue per hour is 4 AZN and variable cost 0.8 AZN. 4,000 / 3.2 = 1,250 guest-hours a month, or about 42 guest-hours a day. If you are open 10 hours a day, that means 4–5 guests in the room at any one time on average.

If that looks like a lot, you have three levers: lower the rent, raise average revenue per hour, or fill the quiet hours.

Next steps

Do not calculate once and forget it. For the first three months, update the numbers monthly with real data.

List your fixed monthly costs in one table
Work out the variable cost per guest-hour
Estimate average revenue per hour for your chosen model
Calculate break-even and convert it into guests per day
Test a bad scenario separately (20–30% fewer guests)
Confirm the figures with your accountant

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