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Permalink Reply by Hans C.J. Blom on September 29, 2008 at 11:52pm

service and good stuff

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Permalink Reply by Jason Haeger on September 30, 2008 at 12:17am

I would just like to remind everyone to keep the political discussion in this thread to an absolute minimum.

As has been mentioned, it is a sensitive subject, that I realize many (myself included) are very passionate about. Unfortunately, unlike coffee, this passion is rarely shared in the same spirit for every person.

This is an effort to keep it civil. It has remained civil, and I have kept a close eye on it just in case it took a turn. Let's not allow it to take that turn.

Thanks for the self-moderation thus far. Interesting topic!

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Permalink Reply by Bel Townsend on September 30, 2008 at 3:51am

I took an MA in research methods, most of which I now have to drag up for use doing my phd research with coffee shop customers. To be honest there isn't really much to tell other than "use your common sense"! Ask open questions (ie: not yes or no answers), and also in my (brief) experience so far, people seem to respond far better if a) they know the person asking questions isn't actually employed by the coffee shop in question and b) they are asked questions in an interview rather than a tick-box survey.

Colin said:

Jason Haeger said:

javaqueen said:

Are there any psych or business majors out there to help compose appropriate questions that could be used in a survey of customers?

This is not a direct answer to your question, but it is related.

SCAA to Field Consumer Survey

I have a minor in psychology, but I have not taken, nor do I plan to take, Research Methods. My significant other, however, has a bachelors in Psychology, but I don't think she would be interested in the time it would take to do something like this. Time is short in a field like hers.

Anyone have any input on that survey? Seems pretty good but we might want to add more.

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Permalink Reply by Richard Penney on September 30, 2008 at 5:38am

Just a thought, Tick boxes aren't my style. They are the easiest to spin. I got accosted by info gatherers every time I went to a mall. Now I wear old clothes and they don't bother me. I also get surveyed on the web and fill out many surveys on which I can see the spin.
How about a cheap sugar wafer with their drink when this simple folded form is dropped into the box at the counter.
A two part form with an inch space below each number in which to write their view and says:
1. What would you not change at this establishment?
2. What would you change?

Next, be ready to really read between the lines. Some folks are really nasty and some too nice.
Just my take and 1¢ worth
Richard

Bel Townsend said:

I took an MA in research methods, most of which I now have to drag up for use doing my phd research with coffee shop customers. To be honest there isn't really much to tell other than "use your common sense"! Ask open questions (ie: not yes or no answers), and also in my (brief) experience so far, people seem to respond far better if a) they know the person asking questions isn't actually employed by the coffee shop in question and b) they are asked questions in an interview rather than a tick-box survey.
Colin said:

Jason Haeger said:

javaqueen said:

Are there any psych or business majors out there to help compose appropriate questions that could be used in a survey of customers?

This is not a direct answer to your question, but it is related.

SCAA to Field Consumer Survey

I have a minor in psychology, but I have not taken, nor do I plan to take, Research Methods. My significant other, however, has a bachelors in Psychology, but I don't think she would be interested in the time it would take to do something like this. Time is short in a field like hers.

Anyone have any input on that survey? Seems pretty good but we might want to add more.

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Permalink Reply by javaqueen on September 30, 2008 at 5:49am

Interesting suggestion Richard... makes sense, but also seems to leave the door open for a conglomerate of suggestions perhaps without a focus. I could definitely be wrong on this and we will only know if we try.

Bel, what do you think?

I love the suggestion for a 'little treat' to turn in the survey. THAT works... I am always up for a 'paid' survey... lol

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Permalink Reply by Bel Townsend on September 30, 2008 at 6:07am

hmm.. I think you're right in that it lacks 'focus' of sorts. You've gotta decide exactly what you want to find out from the customer first. Asking what they would change is too direct - it implies that change is going to happen, so the customer would probably try and think of something to change even if they were perfectly happy in the first place.
My work is all about the concept of quality - so I ask "What does "high quality" coffee mean to you?' - leaves it open enough for them to ramble on about whatever comes in to their head, but stays roughly on topic. I've had some really in depth answers - talking about the quality of service and atmosphere in the place, not just the coffee, and then from others I've got "quality coffee doesn't taste like crap" - which is fair enough really....
In some respects you've got to anticipate the sort of answers you are going to get from how you form the question.

For the record - I always "reward" the people I interview - I hold the discussions in coffee shops and just buy all the participants what they want to drink - what they order ~(when they know they're not paying) tells you a lot as well!!

javaqueen said:

Interesting suggestion Richard... makes sense, but also seems to leave the door open for a conglomerate of suggestions perhaps without a focus. I could definitely be wrong on this and we will only know if we try.

Bel, what do you think?

I love the suggestion for a 'little treat' to turn in the survey. THAT works... I am always up for a 'paid' survey... lol

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Permalink Reply by Mike on September 30, 2008 at 9:03am

I struggle a bit with the lets ask the customer what they wants train. Let me explain...On a daily basis people come in and say what they think we should carry. A neighboring business owner would say to me If you had a hot dog warmer you'd make a killing. Another would say if you had eggs and pancakes or waffles that would be the greatest. Then there the Green Machine folks that tell me of the latest blend offering or promo drink with a catchy name. First I don't believe we should be the one stop shop.Let the diners and fast food take care of that. Let the Ice cream parlor do the shakes and sundaes. Lets be great coffee places. Our customers need to know what we are trying to bring and what sets us apart. The better part of people in the world doesn't know that in one region of a farm can taste different form another. They don't know there are so many varietials. I don't think a customer can tell us what they want till they know what is possible. We need some very coffee focused edjucation on TV, and not just on our industry but on the vast world of coffee grower. And roasting that features the coffee not the roaster. Then coffee freshness not how to keep it for a long time.A sweet lady told me she had 4yr old roasted coffee stored up from when her favorite coffee place closed down. If we can help are friends the customer treat coffee as produce and not dry goods it will be a start. Can they really tell us what they want till they know what is possible?

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Permalink Reply by Bel Townsend on September 30, 2008 at 10:43am

Hi Mike,
This is exactly what gets me about the 'high end' of the coffee industry - the fact that people have to be 'educated' to appreciate good coffee. It often becomes, well, pretentious and snobbish. If customers buy it, like it, come back to your cafe and tell you what they prefer - whatever your view of the quality of the coffee, surely that is indicative enough that you are on to a good thing? Why should you try and convince customers otherwise? It's kinda assuming that your customers are all a bit dumb. I don't agree that you shouldn't ask them what you think as they don't know what's possible. By all means strive to offer the best quality coffee that you can, offer them as many possibilities as you can - but then sell them what they actually want, not what you think they should have!

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Permalink Reply by Sarah on September 30, 2008 at 11:30am

To answer the original question, I am lucky enough to work at an espresso cart on a community college campus. When the economy takes a dive, enrollment in these affordable schools tends to go up (17% just this summer), so we're seeing an increase in foot traffic for sure. I don't know how numbers have been, since we do have increased labor costs to deal with the increase in customers. I have noticed that some of my usual latte/mocha drinkers have switched to drip coffee, and when I point it out they usually say it's to save money.

Our farmers' markets are another story. We've had a couple of pretty lousy weeks, not sure if it's because the peak market season is slowing down, or if people are feeling the crunch and skipping the markets altogether. We're just going to keep doing what we're doing, track the numbers and hope for the best for a few weeks.

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Permalink Reply by Brady on September 30, 2008 at 11:31am

Bel Townsend said:

For the record - I always "reward" the people I interview - I hold the discussions in coffee shops and just buy all the participants what they want to drink - what they order ~(when they know they're not paying) tells you a lot as well!!

Hey Bel, I posted on your discussion "What does quality mean to you?" a while back... does that count? :)

I like the idea of using someone outside to gather info... seems like it'd yield more honest feedback. Just not sure how that would work logistically.

As much as I'd like to know what my current customers would change, I'd also like to know why some of the one-timers didn't come back.

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Permalink Reply by Mike on September 30, 2008 at 11:33am

Big coffee has made a lot of money on;

Old coffee, Favored coffee, Burnt over roasted coffee, Sugared high calorie blended crap, Freeze dried pre ground vac-pac crap! And they like it! I don't think they are dumb...just misinformed.

It is not pretensous or sobby to care enough to give the best.

What do you think it does to the farmer if we keep selling freez dried crap! ?Do you think this is sustainable for their produce?

Bel Townsend said:

Hi Mike,
This is exactly what gets me about the 'high end' of the coffee industry - the fact that people have to be 'educated' to appreciate good coffee. It often becomes, well, pretentious and snobbish. If customers buy it, like it, come back to your cafe and tell you what they prefer - whatever your view of the quality of the coffee, surely that is indicative enough that you are on to a good thing? Why should you try and convince customers otherwise? It's kinda assuming that your customers are all a bit dumb. I don't agree that you shouldn't ask them what you think as they don't know what's possible. By all means strive to offer the best quality coffee that you can, offer them as many possibilities as you can - but then sell them what they actually want, not what you think they should have!

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Permalink Reply by Bel Townsend on September 30, 2008 at 2:18pm

That wasn't a personal dig at you Mike - and I agree, a lot of big chains have made a lot of money off selling crap coffee. But that is the point - you've gotta ask why. This is why I think it's important to actually get some feedback off customers. For places selling crappy coffee to stay in business, they must be doing something right!
I didn't say it was pretentious or snobby to offer high quality - but it can become so if you look down on people who drink crap coffee or instant, because they are 'uneducated' when it comes to coffee. It might just be personal preference. When I worked in coffee shop, we tried to offer the best quality we could. I got a friend to try all the different varieties we stocked, and she still admitted that she'd prefer a cup of Nescafe instant when she got home! It wasn't because she didn't know what coffee could be, or that she couldn't afford it, she honestly prefers the taste of instant.
And as for the farmers - of course it's not good for them to have to sell their crops too cheaply to go in instant coffee. The whole industry could benefit from treating farmers better - but that is not the issue of this discussion!

Mike said:

Big coffee has made a lot of money on;

Old coffee, Favored coffee, Burnt over roasted coffee, Sugared high calorie blended crap, Freeze dried pre ground vac-pac crap! And they like it! I don't think they are dumb...just misinformed.

It is not pretensous or sobby to care enough to give the best.

What do you think it does to the farmer if we keep selling freez dried crap! ?Do you think this is sustainable for their produce?

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