From ambience, menu flexibility, and staff presentation to having an excellent geo-location and POS system, there’s a certain level of excellence that patrons expect (or demand) from their fine dining experience. And when customers sing praises to the delectable dinner course or gush about a sophisticated spin on an otherwise bland cocktail, it is what makes a restaurant manager’s hard work all worth it.
But can the same be said about your end-of-the-meal coffee?
Perhaps because it’s already a neck-and-neck battle between daytime baristas and fully trained roasters when it comes to creating the ultimate coffee experience, it becomes an unsurprising assumption that a good cup of Joe cannot and should no longer be expected from restaurants.
Above Espresso, Beyond Lattes: A Justification for Excellent Restaurant Coffee
Haute cuisine and impressive wine pairings have always been the main focus of most menu designers; providing top-notch coffee culture – not so much.
For one, most guests look forward to what’s on the dessert plate or having access to an exceptional wine selection to pair alongside a full-course meal. There’s also the fact that coffee skills are not usually part of basic culinary training – even barista preparation program for in-house staff can be quite expensive, too. And when coffee tools and equipment can easily set you back a cool six figure, restaurant owners want to stay as far away as possible to something that doesn't bear all that much in returns for a small business.
But in an era of unbridled caffeine consumption (read: coffee shops on almost every street corner), it isn’t just good grub and bodacious booze that can instantly boost a restaurant’s popularity and sales.
Once and for all, restaurateurs must rise above and beyond the obligatory serving of cheap, bad coffee – and up their game to beat the latte (or espresso) factor that is now commonly associated with coffee giants and specialty coffee houses.
Recognizing the increasing sensitiveness of consumers to gastronomic quality in every sense means satisfying even their caffeine addiction.
Brewing the Best Bean: Why Provide a Perfectly-Extracted Restaurant Coffee Cup
1. Pamper your patrons
A decadent dinner plate has many attributes to be considered – the freshness of its ingredients, cooking method, presentation, and such. Chefs go out of their way to ensure that no detail is spared so why overlook the coffee?
Just like you wouldn’t serve stale bread or poor wine to your loyal patrons, you shouldn’t serve just any old, watered-down coffee. It’s the unspoken equivalent of frozen meals cooked in a microwave oven.
Your restaurant coffee must possess three basic characteristics: outstanding quality, a great complement to the rest of your menu offerings, and a strong match to your brand and ethos. By serving your beloved customers a superbly-prepared cup of brew, it would certainly be hard not to notice your full efforts to make them feel coddled.
2. Ramp up your rep
When restaurant guests intentionally forgo the grand finale (read: your coffee service), it doesn’t do your fancy food dishes any justice at all. While fast food chains and bistro cafes can be forgiven for serving mediocre coffee, it doesn’t give you the license to follow suit. If your signature dish has to be prepared to unimaginably high standards, then a steaming cup of robust, flavorful coffee is exactly what your guests deserve after a fully satisfying meal.
That compelling cup of frothy goodness can make a world of difference to dazzle your discerning diners. Without much coaxing on your part, they would willingly help spread the word about your reputation for good coffee and food pairing.
3. Pump up the profits
Serving stale coffee is an instant turn-off – and it certainly does not encourage making additional purchases. Catering to cravings and thirsts doesn’t exclusively refer to having a high-minded menu concept or an award-winning wine list; it also means ensuring your coffee offering is up to scratch even for the most difficult-to-please guests.
A strong coffee culture in your restaurant is a surefire way for customers to lengthen their stay and even for enticing more crowds to flow in – a significant role for up-selling more items on your menu that could result to an increase in your overall profitability.
Is your restaurant’s basic cup of Joe not cutting it anymore?
Spruce up your restaurant’s coffee service by training your staff (to achieve consistency of coffee quality from shift to shift), investing in commercial-grade coffee tools and equipment, and embracing the current trends and changes in the coffee industry.
In the end, sending your guests off with a connoisseur-savvy coffee gives you the confidence that you have provided a carefully curated and admirably assembled restaurant experience that can put you in a league of your own.
Do you think your restaurant's coffee program might need some attention? Talk to us at info@beanandbarley.com.ph and let's get to work.
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