5 Things Coffee Shop Owners Should & Shouldn’t do in 2020
1. Be Instagram Perfect
We Instagram everything, well some of us do. and your coffee shop should be like totally “Gram Heaven”, darling.
Next time you get the paintbrush out, to refresh the walls, get your colour pallets out as well and that unique interior design ideas book from under the counter and get styling baby, we want lifestyle bloggers falling over themselves to get a table.
Don’t forget to send your chef on an art course as well, so every piece of toast is fabulous, remembering to employ a professional food photographer to capture that perfect “avocado on rye with chilli flakes & Himalayan rock salt”.
Seriously it’s getting important to look good (it always has really) but your best advertising is now Instagram – and remember to hashtag properly and ensure you are tagging your locations.
If you want some help with your Gram Game, get in touch with our friend at www.jameshanson.co.uk
2. To WIFI or Not to WIFI – that is the question.
We went into a new coffee shop the other day and they didn’t have WI-FI!! “OMG I almost dropped my decaf oat milk flat white, (with a hint of cinnamon) and Jean Ralphio ran out screaming!
Remember you don’t want to stop a customer coming back and Wi-Fi is a bit like air these days.
There are many types of coffee shop out there, some don’t let you in if you don’t own an Apple Mac or wear a beanie hat and tattoos.
Try to accommodate everyone, why would you want to discourage anyone from coming in or coming back, you want their money in your till and not the coffee shop around the corner.
3. Speciality Coffee Vs Your Customers
Now, I know you are desperate to get a Nitro Coffee Tap, as you saw one on your last pilgrimage to San Fran or read about it on Caffineista.com (not a real website, I had to check to make sure - good idea though hold that thought).
But as a wise man once said, “will it make me any money” or are you feeding my coffee ego, take a deep breath and sleep on it.
Now I know “Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained”, but also remember “Fools Rush In” (not the “Classic”1997 comedy with Friends, Matthew Perry) – if you think you have a market for it, ask your customers, do some tests before you spend a lot of money.
4. Healthy & Vegan
It's 2020, so you have to have a lot more healthy and vegan options on your menu – Toast should not be your only vegan option!
Rethink your menu when you write it next time, sit down with your kitchen team and your suppliers and properly think it through, ask vegan staff, friends and family for their thoughts.
Also, go and buy some vegan cookbooks, one very hip café we know basically is recreating Jamie Oliver’s Veg book for their menu and guess what it's Fab.
5. Sustainability
2020 is all about Sustainability, you really need to ensure you are using the best most environmentally sustainable products in your café, cups straws etc – I know it costs more but it’s the little things, that everyone is noticing these days, and remember to tell everyone about it on Instagram and in person.
Don’t go overboard, as you will end up will a lot of unnecessary costs, change products when you run out, do the research on suppliers etc.
Remember the mantra – will it make me money? Well, this is the tough one, as it might not, but it is the planet you are saving and actually, it will make customers come back in the longer term.
6. Bonus Tip
Never compromise on the quality of your coffee, keep using our amazing coffees 😀
A little post COVID Update
Forget all this for now and kepp safe !