The Features of a Great Coffee Shop
Karyn Lewis
Coffee shops are offered in many sizes and designs, but all of them have some great features. Or at least they should have them if they want to keep a steady stream of customers coming in. The hours of service are very important because people want to enjoy their coffee when it works for them.
Early risers want their coffee just like everyone else. If your coffee shop doesn't open until 7 am you may be losing out on a large portion of sales. If you close the doors at 2 pm you may be missing out on people that work a late night shift in your area. Survey what is going on around you so you can get a realistic idea of what your operation hours should be. You can always change them too if you need to later on.
Never compromise when it comes to serving the very best coffee products. If you change what you have in order to save money your customers will notice. If you are going to make changes they should be to the menu or to upgrade to better products you have found. People aren't going to keep paying the same money for coffee products that don't taste nearly as good as they used to.
How fast is your service? Most people are very impatient and they aren't going to wait around very long for coffee to be served. It doesn't matter if they walk in or they are going through the drive up. They may accept an occasional delay but if you aren't operating with enough manpower to keep up with it all then you can be losing customers. Many people are on a time schedule as well and they can't wait even if they want to.
How friendly is that service you offer them? It is very important because no one wants to be served coffee by a cranky lady. Your staff needs to be genuine in their interactions with customers. They also need to pay attention to their appearance. Hair should be combed off their face and their clothes should be neat and clean.
The atmosphere of your coffee shop is important too. It should be very relaxing and it also needs to be kept clean. You don't want your customers to feel rushed out after making their purchase. Have comfortable tables and chairs so they can hang out for a while if they want to. If your coffee shop offers free refills make sure staff is paying attention to the needs of the customers.
All of these features come into play for a great coffee shop. If you aren't willing to offer all of them you can be discouraging customers from returning. Keep in mind that these elements should be in place as a necessity not as an option. Your competition will be doing all they can to offer these things so you need to as well.
This means going out of your way to offer them a pleasant experience. Find ways to really personalize your service. Continue to be consistent with your style so they will know what to expect when they come to your coffee shop. This way your business will always be the one they come to for their coffee needs.
About the Author:
Karyn Lewis writes about the ups and downs of the coffee shop industry. Avoid the rookie mistakes many new operators make when they buy a coffee shop and read more coffee related articles at her site.
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