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☕ For independent coffee shops in ChicagoYou're pulling shots at 6:45 a.m. Nobody has time to write captions during the morning rush. Crumbtrail posts for you every week, replies to every review and keeps your hours right, so the Chicago people who'd love your coffee shop can actually find it.
Chicago coffee shops have two seasons to market: the long stretch when people want somewhere warm to sit, and the short summer when they want to be outside. We plan your posts around both, from the first hot-chocolate special to the day the patio opens, so your feed keeps up with the weather.
You spent a week dialing in the new drink, and the only people who know about it are the ones already standing at the counter.
Holiday hours, early closes, the Saturday you open late. If Google says you're open and you're not, that's a lost regular and a bad review.
Busy mornings mean the occasional “slow service” review. Left unanswered, it reads like you don't care. You do, you're just busy.
A few things we keep in mind when we write for shops in Chicago:
When it's freezing out, people stay in or go somewhere cozy. Posts about warm drinks, comfort food and delivery or pickup keep you in mind all winter.
The first warm weekend matters. A post the day you open your patio or windows reaches people who've been waiting months for it.
Chicagoans love their neighborhood spots. Mentioning your neighborhood and its regulars builds that loyalty online, too.
Neighborhoods we write for include:
The kind of thing we'd plan for a typical week. You send phone photos (or your customers do), we handle the rest.
Local hashtag ideas: #chicagofood #chicagoeats #chitown, plus your neighborhood.
Coffee shops are a natural fit for customer uploads. People already photograph their drinks. A QR code on the counter or a cup sleeve turns those photos into posts you're allowed to share. Every upload comes with the customer's permission to repost, we screen it, and nothing goes live until you approve it.
Honest note: We're based in Philadelphia and work fully remotely, so Chicago shops get the same service. That's why the demo is free: you see real work, made from your own photos, before you spend anything.
Founding client price
For our first 10 paying shops, locked in as long as you stay subscribed. Then $199/month for new clients. No website needed.
Growth plan, $349/month: a post every day, short videos and reels, a monthly customer-upload giveaway and a monthly report.
Post count depends on the photos and videos you, your staff or your customers send in. If not much comes in, we post a little less and fill gaps with tips, graphics and review posts.
More than one location? Each additional location is 25% off.
Want a website too? Starter is $500, Plus is $1,000 (up to 5 pages plus commission-free online ordering), custom from $1,500. The demo is free. Hosting and unlimited small updates are included with this plan.
Tell us your shop's name. From your own photos, menu and hours, we build a website preview, a week of sample posts and replies to your real Google reviews, and email you the link.
Like it? Choose the website, a monthly plan or both. No contracts, and the website is yours to keep.
Each week we send your posts and review replies. You reply "OK" from your phone. About ten minutes a week.
No. Everything runs online. You text or upload photos, approve posts from your phone, and add us as a manager on Google. Your QR table tents and counter cards come as print-ready files you can print at home or at any print shop.
The Social + Reviews plan is $129 a month as a founding client price for our first 10 paying shops, who keep that price for as long as they stay subscribed. After that it's $199 a month for new clients. It's month to month, no website needed, and covers 3 to 5 social posts a week, a reply to every Google review, customer photo uploads and menu and hours sync. The Growth plan is $349 a month and adds a post every day, short videos and reels, a monthly customer-upload giveaway and a monthly report. Post volume depends on the photos and videos you, your staff or your customers send in through your QR upload page. If not much comes in, we post a little less and fill gaps with tips, graphics and review posts. Have more than one location? The first is full price and each additional location is 25% off any monthly plan, and a multi-location group uses one founding spot. Websites are $500 for a one-page Starter site, $1,000 for a Plus site with up to 5 pages and commission-free online ordering (cart and pickup checkout, paid straight to your own Stripe account), or from $1,500 for a custom site. We build you a free demo before you pay anything. Any monthly plan includes hosting and unlimited small updates for a website we built. Website-only clients pick a flat care plan: Hosting only $30 a month, Hosting + Updates $100 a month (unlimited small updates), or Pro Care $200 a month (adds a monthly section redo or new page and priority in the queue). Never hourly. Small updates take 1 to 2 business days, and more difficult fixes 2 to 3.
That's normal. How many posts go out depends on the photos and videos we get from you, your staff, or your customers through your QR upload page. If not much comes in during a week, we post a little less and fill the gaps with helpful tips, simple graphics and posts featuring your best reviews, so your page doesn't go quiet.
Yes. Text us a photo and the name of the drink. We'll write the post, schedule it for launch morning, and update the menu on your website and Google listing so it matches.
Yes. Crumbtrail is based in Philadelphia, and the work is all online: you send photos, approve posts from your phone and get your demo by email. That means we can serve coffee shops in Chicago the same way, with no visits or calls needed.
No. You approve each week's posts, and any reply to a 1 to 3 star review comes to you first. Anything serious, like a food-safety complaint, goes straight to you.
No. You add us as a manager on your Google Business Profile and other accounts, and you can remove us anytime.
Send us your shop's name. We'll build a free private demo from your own photos, menu and hours, and email you the link. No calls, no cost, no obligation.