Starting up a coffee shop is an exciting and thrilling time but there will always be plenty of questions. Hopefully this article from Alliance Online will help to answer some of them and provide useful information too. So many coffee shops use us as their preferred supplier and rely on us for our recommendations because we stock everything needed for a business to thrive, from small to largescale equipment and we guarantee outstanding quality. Here’s our specialist advice.
Passionate Personalities Count!
Firstly, you need to be passionate about what you do. If you have the drive and the dream there’s no reason why you won’t transform it into reality. If you like meeting new people and enjoy a sociable environment then owning a coffee shop will be ideal for your personality. Drinking coffee with friends or family is a social occasion so a coffee shop needs to ooze relaxation, comfort and a cosy environment. Likewise it needs to be somewhere that is a destination for business people to hold quick meetings in an environment which isn’t too loud and offers some level of privacy. You will be the face of your business so being visible to customers, being friendly and warm will attract people in and encourage them to return. Having good knowledge about what you sell is vital, so if you specialise in Italian coffee – know about it, understand the different types of coffee bean, have knowledge about the different styles of Italian coffee and make sure you have the best coffee machines available to cope with the demand (all available on the Alliance website).
Location Makes A Difference
A coffee shop needs prime position. Tuck yourself away from the buzz of a thriving high street and you will put yourself in danger of never being found. You need to be “on route” to the station, the office, school, the shops so make sure you have found the perfect location and don’t compromise on this because it could mean the difference between success and failure. No matter how fantastic your décor, how wonderful your equipment or how tasty your Espresso, if no one knows you’re there they won’t come in. Once you’ve found your ideal location before you sign on the dotted line, visit it daily and at different times of the day to see what the footfall could be. Check the competition and feel confident that your coffee shop will work where you want it to be located.
Make A Show!
Coffee shops invariably offer counter service with the coffee machinery highly visible – your coffee machine counts. Make a show when you prepare the coffee. The drama is exciting – make it a pleasure for customers to watch, let them see how much fun it is to prepare their favourite hot drink. Serve it with flourish so they enjoy the theatre! By the same token, make sure you have plenty of space behind the counter to get everything prepared efficiently. The milk should be kept in a fridge close by, cups, saucers and disposables also right next door so everything is to hand. There is so much skill in preparing great quality coffee – make it look like an effortless art.
Offer Quality At Reasonable Prices
For your coffee shop to become the destination coffee shop in your area serve good quality coffee and food at reasonable prices. You should also offer excellent service because quality, reasonable pricing and service = customer loyalty. Don’t be fooled into buying cheap coffee or inexpensive coffee equipment, if the coffee doesn’t taste good customers won’t return and a cheap coffee machine will more than likely breakdown regularly and end up costing more in the long run. If you’re dreaming about running a fabulous coffee shop, invest in fabulous coffee and equipment.
Keep It Spotless
You want to create an environment where people linger long enough to enjoy their coffee and perhaps a delicious homemade cake but most of all you want them to come back and bring more of their friends. Make it comfortable, it should be meticulously clean. After a customer leaves clean the table and chairs, make sure the floor is clean too because no one wants to sit at a dirty table surrounded by someone else’s mess. Cleanliness stretches to the counter, behind the counter and of course in the restrooms. Check everything regularly throughout a shift because germs breed fast.
Make It Relaxing
Plenty of people pop into a coffee shop alone for some “me time”. Make it worth their while by providing the daily papers and have up to date magazines available to read because what better way to enjoy a cup of coffee than with your favourite newspaper or magazine? Equally provide free WIFI and use this as a method to capture your customer’s email addresses so you can use these later on to email promotions, discounts and offers. So, for a customer to hop onto your WIFI make sure they have to supply their email address at the login screen.
We hope these tips prove useful for your new coffee shop business. For the right coffee equipment including machines, refrigeration, counter displays, cutlery, crockery and glassware visit Alliance Online where we have everything you could possibly need and more to make your business a success.