If you are thinking of opening up a cafe, or if you already have one and are looking for tips about how to run a coffee shop that makes money, you have landed about the right article! Here are some business ideas for a coffee shop that will help perk up your business.
The Basics about Running a Profitable Cafe
First of all, congratulations on your venture! You are soon going to do many people good! Now, before I move onto tips and tricks from the business, let me first throw light on some from the basics, for you cannot and should not get the fundamentals wrong! Here are my 3 basic tips from the client point-of-view.
The Coffee
Now this might sound too obvious an indicator, but it isn't, for the importance of serving GOOD coffee can't be emphasized enough. Make sure you serve real good espresso, especially if you want to increase the number of regulars frequenting your cafe. You can have all different kinds of brew, various different mixes and what not. But if the basic, simple coffee you serve at your coffee shop is not sufficient, no one is going to come back! Understand the psyche behind this - a brand new customer always orders something 'safe' at a new cafe or restaurant. He/she rates the entire coffee shop depending on that first cuppa. That might sound unfair, but it's true! Now, if the simplest of the coffees you serve does not meet the customer's expectations, why is he/she ever going to return?
Tip: Practice and practice and practice till you get a brew right, and train and train and train until your baristas gets it right too. Also, learn through feedback. When you take orders, ask your customer in the event that he/she likes his/her coffee black, strong or sweet.
The actual Mood
A lot of the success of coffee shops would depend on the overall look, feel and mood of the area. The furnishing and interiors of your coffee shop, and the way you have decorated the place, should all make up the harmonious picture, where your customer feels comfortable, relaxed, as well as welcomed. Make sure you have ample floor space. Don't cram too many tables in a small place. Customers don't want other people to even accidentally eavesdrop on their own conversations! Finally (and this is the most important thing), keep the place clean. This includes the tables, chairs, serving as well as billing counters, displays, and most importantly, the washroom.
Suggestion: Get friends and family to visit your coffee shop before it's open to customers and rate it for different points - experience, ambiance, etc. Work to improve the suggestions.
The Service
Do not, for any reason, compromise about the staff and service! The staff you employ at your cafe should be enthusiastic, hard-working and young. Train them how you can greet customers, how to take orders and not create a mistake in serving them, how to suggest coffee combos to customers, etc. Make sure your staff serves customers their orders inside a stipulated time. Train them to take care of their customers and deal with them, even after they have served them their espresso. Service to a customer does not end till the client leaves your coffee shop. Here, it is important for the staff to be genuine rather than just 'nice' and 'polite' and everything jazz.
Tip: Think from a customer point-of-view. Visit nearby coffee shops and take notice of the staff. Note the mistakes they make, and make sure you prevent them in your coffee shop.
Some Extras to Run a Cafe
You can do a lot of things to improve business and run a coffee shop that makes cash, and a lot of it too! The trick here's not to simply escalate the prices, but to work overall experience your coffee shop offers. Here are some ideas to do just that!
From the Kitchen
You can sell foods at your coffee shop. You can sell different coffees, coffee powder, you can even sell cookie flour. Selling cookie flour would have been a great idea, especially if you make the flour by yourself and bake your own cookies at the shop. You may also sell finished products, like cookies, muffins, etc. Make sure you avail a take-away for these goods too, so your customers not only get to enjoy them in the coffee shop but can also take some home.
Products
You can sell some merchandise at your coffee store. This can include stationery items (like pens, notebooks, composing pads etc. ), cups, coffee filters, thermos mugs as well as jars, water bottles, etc. You can even sell t-shirts along with funny coffee-related quotes. "Coffee should be black as Heck, strong as death, and sweet as love" is a Turkish proverb that any coffee connoisseur sooo want to have on his t-shirt! You can even offer gift vouchers for that merchandise.
Music Jukebox
Some combinations are made in bliss. 'Coffee and music' is one such combination. A good idea to earn a little extra cash at your coffee shop is always to hire or buy a jukebox for the coffee store. A coin-operated jukebox can be a brilliant idea. You are able to charge your customers anywhere between 20 to 50 pennies, depending on how much you have invested in the actual jukebox. After all, what counts is, to be able to listen to your favorite track with regards to your mind. The joy of it is beyond evaluate!
Internet
Many cafés these days are going all tech-savvy as well as upgrading themselves technologically, so should you! Keep a handful of computers in your café for anyone who wants a fast print-out, or wants to check his/her e-mail. You may even offer Wi-fi membership to your customers. This will ensure they keep coming back to your café over and over.
Support Local Artists
You can offer local song authors, poets, singers, musicians and artists a place to market their homemade tapes, records, paintings, etc. You can charge these phones exhibit their goods at your coffee shop, or you may make a deal to split the profit they make. It will give them encouragement and much-needed buyers, while you earn some extra cash and goodwill, of course. You can take it the step further and organize gigs. Gigs can be a great way to earn money too!
It is very important to obtain the mathematics of any business right. So make sure you manage your money well. It will be a good idea to talk to local coffee shop owners before you open your own cafe. Ask them about things like licenses, loans, space, rent, investments required, etc. The best way to improve any business would be to revamp it. It doesn't matter if you run a cafe or a book store. People love change. Make sure you change the feel and look of your coffee shop as and when you are able it. Try and always maintain the novelty factor at the coffee shop - through new brews, new offers, brand new recipes, and make people come back for more!