Need some new ideas!
My coffee house has been open for about 3 1/2 years and I feel the need for a boost! Other than the full range of beverages, I serve a large variety of homemade pastries and panini sandwiches, as well as just adding some new breakfast items such as biscuit sandwiches, grilled breakfast wraps, etc. With a small business in a fairly small town, I need something that will attract customers and is totally unique to anything else in town. I have limited kitchen space and really don't want to be a FULL restaurant. Any ideas???
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by The Coffee Institute on
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Laurie,
Are you not getting the kind of traffic you want? Are you making money on the items you have?
Often times you can offer too much...many times to the point of bringing down the over all quality of your cafes experience thus customers end up not coming back as much if at all...which then makes owners think they need more!...when in fact they need less.
Sometimes the best hing to do is to scale back and re-focus your energy on perfecting a few things rather than simply trying to offer the world.
-Chris Deferio
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Permalink Reply by Dennis on
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Sometimes it's about looking at the offerings of others within your geographic area and plot them on a big piec of paper or even a map. somtimes this will highlight empty spaces in the market or at the very least it may emphasize what NOT to do because of saturation. Another thing might be to spend some time searching the internet in-depth....within your State...Region....country...and then other countries. Sometimes the best ideas come from things that haven't made there way across the pond/state/region. Look at other menus....talk with suppliers and see what's out there. Check out trade shows...the best ones I find are the ones that require some travel so your getting ideas that competitors aren't getting. Sometimes I like to even look at different industries and consider how something can be adapted to my own business. Not sure if that helps.
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Permalink Reply by Laurie Criger on
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I'm basically the only "coffee house" in this fairly small town (13,000). It's been a new concept for them. I put out a HIGH quality beverage - I was trained at ABC school in Portland. There has been no issues with the satisfaction of my products. I don't want to blame everything on the economy but I feel like I need to give it a boost to continue to get through it. I do agree that perhaps you can add too much to your menu, but I think I also need to have a nitch that no one else offers.
The Coffee Institute said:Laurie,
Are you not getting the kind of traffic you want? Are you making money on the items you have?
Often times you can offer too much...many times to the point of bringing down the over all quality of your cafes experience thus customers end up not coming back as much if at all...which then makes owners think they need more!...when in fact they need less.
Sometimes the best hing to do is to scale back and re-focus your energy on perfecting a few things rather than simply trying to offer the world.
-Chris Deferio
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That's certainly a possibility about things not making it to this area yet! I'm in a small town in Arkansas and at times feel like we're 10 years behind. That's exactly what I'm trying to do is find something new to this area. I've looked at some coffee houses in other areas and so far I've found we're basically doing the same things. I guess I need to continue looking. Thanks.
Dennis said:Sometimes it's about looking at the offerings of others within your geographic area and plot them on a big piec of paper or even a map. somtimes this will highlight empty spaces in the market or at the very least it may emphasize what NOT to do because of saturation. Another thing might be to spend some time searching the internet in-depth....within your State...Region....country...and then other countries. Sometimes the best ideas come from things that haven't made there way across the pond/state/region. Look at other menus....talk with suppliers and see what's out there. Check out trade shows...the best ones I find are the ones that require some travel so your getting ideas that competitors aren't getting. Sometimes I like to even look at different industries and consider how something can be adapted to my own business. Not sure if that helps.
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"I think I also need to have a nitch that no one else offers."
and...
"I'm basically the only "coffee house" in this fairly small town (13,000). It's been a new concept for them."
Laurie Criger said:I'm basically the only "coffee house" in this fairly small town (13,000). It's been a new concept for them. I put out a HIGH quality beverage - I was trained at ABC school in Portland. There has been no issues with the satisfaction of my products. I don't want to blame everything on the economy but I feel like I need to give it a boost to continue to get through it. I do agree that perhaps you can add too much to your menu, but I think I also need to have a nitch that no one else offers.
The Coffee Institute said:Laurie,
Are you not getting the kind of traffic you want? Are you making money on the items you have?
Often times you can offer too much...many times to the point of bringing down the over all quality of your cafes experience thus customers end up not coming back as much if at all...which then makes owners think they need more!...when in fact they need less.
Sometimes the best hing to do is to scale back and re-focus your energy on perfecting a few things rather than simply trying to offer the world.
-Chris Deferio
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I used to live in NW Arkansas...Springdale / Fayettville area. I know it is not a coffee mecca by any stretch!
Perhaps you need to Market what you have in a different way.
You can start looking at ways to partner and network with local business. I see the big attraction there is the outdoors...Buffalo River, Ozarks etc. Why not start thinking of ways to fit your coffee into this part of Harrison's market?
Right away I am thinking of catering outdoors events. How can you get your logo into the hands of "Floaters" on the Buffalo River (which I loved doing when I lived there)? How about Caves and Caverns? Can you put together a trip with your customers (for a fee) and call it Uncommon Underground"? How about catering already popular music events like Fiddlers Jamboree?
If you have a stellar product, atmosphere, and service...then I think it is not a different Niche you need...but better networking . It may take some doing but...by getting connected thoroughly with an already safe and successful market in your town (outdoors attractions) you will have the ability to weather the economic storm.
Hope that helps a little.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Yates on
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Listen to the wise coffee sensei! Old proverb say, "Bamboo weather storm by bowing to wind." Another proverb say, "Less is more." :)
Joking aside, I feel your pain. Small communities like yours and mine require a great deal of "out of the box" thinking. The great thing is that often there is a distinct sense of pride in local businesses. Are there any established businesses that would be a natural pairing with what you offer?
What is it your existing customers are coming for? Examine their spending habits closely. Sometimes a pattern emerges. Like Chris said, simplify your offerings. My locals tend to be intimidated by too many options. Rearrange your shop, if possible. You would be surprised what that can do. Are there any needs in your community that your shop could assist in meeting? Like, in my town, there is almost nowhere for someone to hold a small meeting, so I am considering having a space with a conference table. Re-examine your target market: who are you trying to reach?
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Permalink Reply by Al on
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You can also consider donating "coffee and whatever" to local church and town events occasionally. This will put your product or products to people who not not normally visit your place. Start small. Think big.
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Permalink Reply by Mabel on
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I live outside the US, I was also trained at ABC, and when we opened our coffee shop, people were not really used to the coffee shop concept, they usually expected something like a dinner, with lunchs and meals, etc. So we had a hard time at first. What I found very useful was to start talking a lot to my customers, asking what they would like, explaining the new concept,etc. I realized that the information that I received from them was very valuable, we kept the ideas that could be adapted to our coffee shop (eg Burritos). Every once in a while I hand a little piece of paper, to learn what my custmers are thinking, what they like, what they would like to change, etc. Sometimes the replies are shocking, but always useful. I hope this helps a bit.
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Permalink Reply by Marek on
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Club cards... we're pretty liberal with them. Dunkin Donuts is opening a location fairly near us downtown. What we have been doing over the past several months is meeting with all the local companies and merchants (one store near us has 56 employees) ... so we get the employee name and we set up a club card account for them with $10 of free stuff... this automatically offers a 10% discount on all orders and every 10th drink free... no little paper thingies to carry around...
We find that for the most part the conversion rate is very... very high... Most people come in frappe... muffin... next time they come back account has $2.65... they top up... oh here... add $15 to my account...
Brand loyalty... yes ... there is Dunkin... but I have an account at Cafe del Sol and I have a credit on my account... 'where you goin'...
We do this in waves... between four stores we have almost 3,000 active accounts...
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Permalink Reply by Jarred Hoffpauir on
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Laurie,
I work for Chefstack and we have an automatic pancake machine that might be great for your breakfast menu. Pancakes are the ultimate comfort food and everyone loves hot, fresh made, pancakes. We just have a way for a coffee shop to make them, the machine is about the size of a microwave oven and makes orders in about 1 minute.
Its a product which can be marketed and paired with coffee, espresso and other items you already have in your store. Its pretty rare for people to be able to walk into a shop and be able to get a cup of coffee and breakfast TO GO that tastes great and be in and out in under 5 min. With the right marketing you can bring in lots of new customers.
Email me for more info if you like jarred@chefstack.com or check out our web site www.chefstack.com
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Thanks for all the great ideas. It's great to have a place to go and talk to others in the same business and situation. I'll process all these ideas and hopefully be able to try some out. Thanks again!
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