Coffee culture, coffee shops and just the general consumption of coffee has grown by leaps and bounds in the past twenty years. But what makes a great coffeeshop? What makes customers come back day after day for their favorite drink when they have so many choices. How does the small coffee shop manage to hold their own up against the big coffee chains? Here are some of the things that go into making a great coffee shop.
The Coffee
This one is kind of obvious but a coffee shop needs to start with some pretty great coffee. That is just the beginning, today’s consumers want some choices when it comes to their coffee, everything from a small cup of hot black coffee to fancy teas. You are going to need a decent variety of drinks to please your patrons, fortunately for coffee shop owners that’s not as hard as it used to be. Having consistently good coffee will go along way to making a coffee shop one where people keep coming back.
The Staff
Your staff is everything, if they make the customers feel warm and welcome and know what they drink it can make a huge difference in repeat business. Getting the right staff, with a genuine love of coffee can make the place somewhere customers want to come to regularly, which leads into the next thing a great coffee shop needs.
The Atmosphere
If you ever wondered how Starbucks was able to take the market share away from Dunkin Donuts, they did it by creating a completely different atmosphere. They took essentially a fast food business and turned it into something completely different that people wanted to go to. A good coffee shop can take the positive elements like a cosy atmosphere, comfortable conversation areas and throw in some eclectic décor and you have a place that people want to be. It feels like being in your own living room and you can hang out with friends.
Background Music
The right music makes everything better. It can lift your mood, boost your energy or it can relax you. Music is a huge factor in the vibe of a coffee shop at the same time it needs to be consistent with the atmosphere you are creating and the customers youserve. Are the customers working on laptops, sitting at tables chatting with friends or are the grabbing a coffee and heading off to work. If you want to create a place where people stay then some smooth jazz or acoustic music, oryou can even play something different as long as it is mellow and you keep it consistent. Do not under any circumstances resort to playing Muzak, nobody likes that.
A great coffee shop is a culmination of factors, but putting the customer first will take you a long way.
