Customer Tips for Coffee Shops

Coffee Shop Selling

This is a guest posting from Tessa Stowe:

Just imagine that you have a senior position in a company with quite a few people reporting to you. From the moment you walk into the office, you automatically act and talk your role. You have lots of responsibilities and you take them seriously. When people meet you in the office, you play the role as that is what people expect of you. Your days are very full, rushing here and there.

Now suppose that in the middle of your hectic day, you are invited out for a coffee with a friend where you know you can relax for a moment and just be yourself. How good is that? How re-energizing is that in the middle of your busy day?

Years ago, I was selling a multi-million dollar billing system to a telecommunications company. I needed to meet with a lot of different people to put all the pieces of the sales "puzzle" together. Scheduling meetings was always difficult as they had very few meeting rooms.

So as a matter of necessity, I started inviting people out for a coffee meeting - with cake if they wanted it. As we stepped out of the office environment and into the coffee shop, a curious thing happened. More often than not, the person I was having coffee with left their role behind and I had coffee with just that "person."

Customer Friendly Coffee Shop Menus

Today’s guest column on how to write a coffee shop menu is contributed by Chuggin McCoffee from www.thecoffeebump.com :

If you want to draw more customers to your coffee shop, it is important that they feel comfortable ordering their coffee or espresso drinks! It is no secret that popular coffee chains can often have incredibly confusing menus that can overwhelm customers. Here are some easy tips to use to create your own coffee shop menu so that it will be as easy and user-friendly as possible.

Start out by using a clear font, and try to stay away from decorative fonts or wild colors. This may seem attractive, but it is more confusing to customers in the long run. It also is preferable to stick to a core group of basic coffee or espresso drinks that you specialize in. This will make it easier for your customers to choose, and they also will know that they are selecting a drink that is going to be high quality.

Go on, make my day!

22 year old Tanya den Boer is assistant manager at The Coffee Club at Midland Gate Shopping Centre in Perth, Western Australia.  Recently Tanya and I were both interviewed for the ABCs Stateline program on a segment celebrating excellence in customer service.  I just loved this quote from Tanya: “We’re not here just to serve you, we are here to make your day.” 

It’s this attitude that has seen The Coffee Club at Midland Gate recognised nationally through the 200 strong The Coffee Club franchise group and via catering and local business awards.  Thank you Tanya, Kevin Gooch and all the team at The Coffee Club Midland for being such an inspiration.  You can check out Tanya’s interview and mine on YouTube by clicking here.

Now is not the time to cut back

I found this great little snippet in an article in Marketing Magazine – www.marketingmag.com.au – by Mike Abel from M&C Saatchi a top advertising man.  While I don’t like biscotti, I appreciate his point.

“We all love a little biscotti or Lindt wafer that is complimentary with a cup of coffee. Now is not the time to cut back on spoiling your customers – in this market you may need to spend a little more to differentiate yourself, and thus earn a little more. Ask yourself what is the biscotti in my business and is it wise to drop it? People want more from you during hard times, not good times. Small cost, big perceived value.”

Don’t turn away from me

I was sitting in a coffee shop in Fremantle, Western Australia, a wonderful place to relax and take time out on a busy day. 

I’d ordered and was engrossed in reading through some work when the waitress arrived with my coffee.  As she put down the cup I lifted my head to say ‘Thanks’.  Even though the saucer hadn’t quite touched the table she had already turned away from me ready to head for the next task.

Was she efficient?  Yes.

Did she fulfil her task effectively?  In terms of performing the function of delivering my coffee, yes she did.  She didn’t spill any coffee in the saucer (my pet hate) as can happen when attention isn’t given to placing the cup carefully on the table.  She didn’t stretch across me to put the cup down or place it incorrectly.

Yet, I didn’t feel good at all.  Lifting my head to say thanks and seeing her turn away from me was not a nice feeling.

My waitress would have been completely oblivious to this.  Just a couple of seconds following the cup down until it was safely on the table and being ready to make eye contact and smile would have made a huge difference to this customer and, I suspect, many other customers too.

Little things do make a difference.

McDonalds versus Starbucks

I dislike McDonalds even more than I dislike Starbucks but here I am giving them publicity thanks to a wonderful TV commercial that I discovered via Ted Mininni’s blog. You can check out the commercial by clicking on this link:  http://www.mpdailyfix.com/2009/02/mcdonaldstaking_the_snobbery_o.html#comments 

Ted Mininni explains that the ad’ is at the expense of Starbucks and all of the other high-brow coffee shops peddling pricey lattes, cappuccino, espresso and all manner of caffeinated concoctions. Marketing message? You don’t have to be a snobbish, artsy type—real or affected—to enjoy a good “cultured” brew. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get great café beverages, either. You can actually be who you are—walk into McDonald’s Café and get a great cup of Joe while being an average Joe. 

Now, nothing including the bribe of a free coffee could attract me to McDonalds cafe experience but have a look at the video clip.  It does get coffee shop lovers like me laughing at ourselves and that increases the odds that we will pay attention to the message.

Expresso Shots of Business Wisdom

John Moore, author of ‘Tribal Knowledge: Business Wisdom Brewed from the Grounds of Starbucks Corporate Culture’ published in 2006, has created a short series of ‘Expresso Shots of Business Wisdom’.  Each slide show is relatively short, about 15 slides, and is accompanied by a 3-minute voice over.  The theme of this one - http://www.slideshare.net/BrandAutopsy/2-espresso-shots-of-business-wisdom - is ‘Take a moment to make a moment’.  It relates to customer service.  I’m no fan of Starbucks but this is quite good.  I also like #4 on ‘Actions speak louder than advertising’. 

6 hours for a cup of coffee

Thanks to my friend international retail consultant John Stanley, www.johnstanley.cc for this tale of a coffee shop with a far-travelled reputation.

“Ravensthorpe is a six hour drive south east of Perth in Western Australia. 60% of the population has left in the last few months due to the closure of the nickel mine. This should not be a town for entrepreneurs, but then there is the Stuffed Cocky. 

“I first heard about the Stuffed Cocky in Kojonup, a town about four hours away. A person I was talking to said that it was the best place in the region for coffee. One week later I was in Kalbarri, a six hour drive north of Perth when the name came up again. 

“I have just returned from doing a workshop in Esperance which meant I had to drive through Ravensthorpe on the way. I was really ‘very’ excited about a six hour drive, passing mediocre coffee shops to get to the Stuffed Cocky. The Stuffed Cocky was full and I ordered a Chai tea, something that I would never do outside of Perth. Country cafes in Western Australia are renown for mediocrity. Stuffed Cocky provided excellent coffee and tea. 

“On my return trip I went for lunch and talked to Lisa, the owner, to find out the business had only been open for eight weeks She told me that she opened it because she had to travel two and a half hours to get a decent coffee. 

“What is the message from the Stuffed Cocky?

1. Be excellent with the core element of your business

2. Create a memorable name

3. Encourage the community to talk about you

4. Provide quality food and people will come”

Words Count

In his wonderful free e-newsletter,  Restaurant Doctor Bill Marvin has this to say about using complete sentences when speaking to customers:

We have a tendency to use shorthand when talking to guests – “Smoking or non?” “More rolls?” “Coffee?” – While it is understandable, such shortcuts do not help your guests feel exceptionally well cared for.

Just adding a few words to turn the phrase into a sentence can help create a higher level of service for your guests – “Do you have a seating preference?” “Shall I bring you more rolls?” “Would you like more coffee?”

Speaking in complete sentences forces you to think before you open your mouth. This helps you drop distracting thoughts and creates the personal connection that will ultimately determine your tip.”

Check out www.restaurantdoctor.com for more insights.

A Favourite Coffee Shop

Graham Bradshaw in Melbourne www.rcta.org.au writes:

I was clearing tables at my local cafe yesterday, but then, I know the owner and his wife and they just accept the help!  If you are looking for a coffee in Newmarket (Flemington) it's Cafe Verb. www.foodgod.com.au/1241