In the Philippines, café culture shows no signs of slowing down.
If anything, it continues to gain momentum as more independent coffee shops enter a food service sector projected to grow by 10% in 2026, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Across the country, cafés have become more than just places to grab a cup of coffee — they are social spaces, creative hubs, and increasingly competitive businesses.
But behind the carefully curated interiors, specialty brews, and long queues lies a less visible reality: the constant challenge of keeping operations efficient.
For two coffee shop owners in Baguio City, staying competitive has meant looking beyond the menu and into the systems that keep their businesses running smoothly.
IMAGE CREDIT: Honey Bakes Café Baguio
At Honey Bakes Café Baguio, owner Archie Villamor says simplifying back-end processes became essential as the business grew.
“Before, we simply had a system of manually tracking cash flow and recording expenses daily. Each month, we summed up sales to determine if we had a positive net income,” Villamor shares.
As operations expanded, that manual approach became increasingly difficult to sustain.
Today, Honey Bakes uses tools from GCash for Business, including its merchant portal, which allows the team to track and manage transactions in one place. The centralized dashboard also enables cashless payment acceptance without wallet limits and allows supplier payments without transaction fees.
For Villamor, automating these once-manual tasks has freed up valuable time for staff to focus on service and day-to-day store operations.
IMAGE CREDIT: Chambee Ace Cafe
Across the city, Chambee Ace Café Baguio faced a different challenge: managing payment bottlenecks during peak hours.
For franchise owner Cynthia Tiplady, serving Baguio’s mix of tourists, students, and office workers means keeping transactions quick and seamless.
“Before, we were using a mix of payment methods like bank transfers, QR codes, GCash, and cash,” she says.
The fragmented setup often slowed down transactions, particularly when staff had to manually verify transfers.
IMAGE CREDIT: GCash
To streamline the process, Chambee Ace Café adopted GCash EasyPOS, a payment device that consolidates QR and card payments into a single terminal while also printing receipts instantly. The system allows merchants to manage transactions, refunds, and reconciliation directly on the device.
Meanwhile, Honey Bakes integrated GCash SoundPay Plus, an all-in-one payment device that accepts QR, card, and tap-to-pay transactions.
Its real-time voice confirmation feature has proven especially useful during busy hours.
“Using GCash SoundPay Plus has sped up the long queues in our store,” Villamor says. “It has made everything more convenient, secure, and easier for both our customers and our staff.”
As customer expectations continue to evolve, digital tools are becoming as essential to café operations as the coffee itself.
For Baguio’s growing café community, the next chapter of coffee culture may not just be about what’s in the cup — but how efficiently it gets there.
