Summary of "Making the worst coffee into a profit machine in Espresso Tycoon"

Premise / Storyline

You play as a YouTuber narrator who opens and runs a chaotic café in the indie sim Espresso Tycoon. Rather than serving good coffee, the goal is to deliberately create absurd drink combinations (and still stay profitable) while earning awards and golden beans.

The gameplay alternates between building and decorating, research, menu/recipe creation, staff management, marketing, and reacting to customer feedback and health inspections — all while comedic bugs and odd events occur (dogs delivering supplies, customers stuck inside, employees mysteriously leaving).

Example absurd drinks

“Mayonnaise drinks” “Espresso mail” (espresso + mayonnaise) “Mystery cup” (Tabasco + fish sauce) Huge-shot “never sleep again”

Gameplay highlights and events

Design and décor matter a lot: repeatedly placing the same cheap object (e.g., napkin holders) raises prestige/style and dramatically increases the money multiplier.
Custom recipes are fully creatable from ingredients such as ice, mayonnaise, espresso, milk, fish sauce, Tabasco, peanut butter, etc.; the narrator experiments with ridiculous combos.
Research unlocks store-bought snacks and new ingredients. Snacks provide easy, passive revenue.
Staff management is important but buggy: hiring, firing, training, scheduling, and paying higher wages all affect performance and reviews.
Running out of ingredients halts sales — restocking is essential and a frequent source of lost income in the video.
Awards and reputation fluctuate: some awards are ironic (e.g., “dirtiest coffee shop,” “worst ingredients”) while others unlock content (bathrooms require golden beans).
Marketing campaigns (radio/TV) can bring large customer spikes but are expensive; short campaigns can be used to reduce penalties.
New machines (for example, a milk foamer) unlock lattes and cappuccinos and allow higher pricing if you can keep ingredients supplied.

Key strategies and tips (from the video)

Prioritize décor and prestige early — style points multiply revenue more than investing solely in coffee quality.
Exploit cheap decorative items: repeatedly buy and place inexpensive objects (napkin holders) to quickly raise prestige/style.
Keep ingredients in stock — shortages stop production and can rapidly drain cash.
Use research to unlock snacks and new ingredients; snacks are low-effort income sources.
Train staff and set shifts so they actually show up and perform; hire a cleaner/handyman when the place gets messy.
Target customer demographics: tailor menu items and run targeted marketing toward hipsters, students, casuals, tourists, etc.
Start small with marketing campaigns (short duration) if cash is tight — they’re better than paying penalties for not participating.
Invest in milk and frothing equipment to serve higher-priced milk drinks (lattes, cappuccinos).
Balance repetition and variety in décor — too much repetition can trigger bad reviews.
Plan upgrades (bathrooms, etc.) around rating/prestige thresholds (golden beans).
If cash is tight, use a short burst of cheap decorative items for a rapid prestige boost to raise multipliers.

Notable in-game moments and quirks

Glitchy, humorous moments are frequent: staff wandering into walls, ingredients left on sidewalks, customers taking naps, dogs delivering supplies, and customers getting stuck inside.
Awards and reviews swing wildly; ironic awards (worst ingredients, dirtiest shop) still play into progression.
Targeted marketing can produce sudden, massive crowds when successful.