This study aims to explore the competencies required by small business owners who operate dessert cafes. Dessert cafes have raised the need to identify and study the new purchase decision-making structure of consumers who use dessert cafes for convenience, and the competencies of cafe operators need to be identified and explored to ensure the smooth flow and development of this consumer market. This study conducted in-depth interviews with people who currently operate dessert cafes. The results suggest that it is important to develop one's own specialized competencies that can appeal to the public by combining their expertise with the parts that can touch human emotions. In particular, the process of understanding and respecting craftsmanship and its value is the result of the café owner's professionalism and self-development efforts. Research and consideration of how to organize and delegate the café's workforce and operations can lead to profitability and further development of the café and the owner's vision in the long run. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the competencies of self-employed food service workers and expand the traditional meaning of the competencies of coffee shop owners, providing practical guidance for those who want to start and those who are already running a café.