The coffee culture has exploded over the last 10 years and even Newcastle has got in on the act. Ask any passionate coffee fanatic and they will tell you all about their favourite coffee, likewise they will be able to tell you about the worst!
But what makes a “great coffee”? The most talented baristas will tell you about the beans, the temperature of the milk, the frothing and grinding. But this post is not about the “science” of making a great coffee it is about what makes a “great coffee experience”. A “great coffee experience” involves so much more than the caffeine high. It includes the atmosphere and ambience of the surroundings, the food temptations, the service and of course a great coffee made by skilled baristas.
The best cafes and restaurants generally excel in each of these. They make fantastic coffee, offer good healthy meals or light snacks, a warm and friendly atmosphere where you can enjoy a little escapism even if it is just for a brief moment in time and finally excellent service where the staff know your name and in my experience know the name of your children! Diversity in the experience is what separates the great cafes from the ordinary ones. They fundamentally have “four bows in the arrow”, one day you may go and the coffee may be below expectations but will probably still receive outstanding, personable service or a great meal.
At Cafe Books one of our favourite “coffee experiences” is Hippo Espresso at Warners Bay. Hippo Espresso is a great social place to catch up with friends or for brief business meetings. Hippo offers everything, the Baristas are very talented, the coffee is perfect and consistent. Hippo Espresso provides a complete menu with healthy eats and light meals. The staff are warm and friendly and the African themed decor takes us away on our very own African Safari. Where is your favorite “Coffee experience”?
Contrast this with the franchise coffee shops in suburban shopping centres! Many of these provide very basic customer service as speed is the key, their interior decoration is clean and tidy, but certainly no escape experience! Some offer healthy fresh meals and quick eats whilst others offer “bulk” produced cakes and desserts and of course the coffee! Depending on who you talk to or which survey you read some of these franchise chains don’t even do coffee that well. Some have been described as having an “unpleasant flavour” and “bitter aftertaste”, ouch … not good if coffee is your business! Yet these businesses do well but that is a topic for another day.
The bottom line is that regardless of whether you own a small franchise coffee shop or an architect designed cafe it is crucial that you identify your strengths and focus your energy on these areas. This becomes even more important if your only strength is “the coffee”, every effort must be made to make your coffee the best it can possibly be and ensure that your customers come back time after time.
If you fail to impress your customers the first time, every time you may not get a second chance to impress.
For more on making the most from your business our specialist Newcastle Bookkeepers have the skills to help you make the most out of every decision and ensure that your bookkeeping problems are solved quickly. For a complete list of bookkeeping services contact Craig on 0448 712 303.
