Short Black and Cafe au Lait
Coffee is a frequent heart starter for the Poohbah and even Chrissy can’t function before she shovels down a milky brew on her way to the office each morning.
Is your cafe design pulling in the crowds?
That said, do you have a regular joint that blends your favourite beans? And why do you keep returning. Is it convenience, taste or the vibe you get? You see, when it comes to cafe design, full strength’s and de-cafs alike prefer a comfy experience as opposed to an espresso without the resto.
Cafe Design to Keep Them Coming Back
I had words with certain people the other day about the use of coffee shop vs café. I’m definitely on the café side because I think ye olde coffee shoppe is a place that your grandmother used to meet her best buds in. Plus, I think it kind of downgrades today’s style and sophistication that a lot of cafes offer.
Tomato potato, whatever. I’m right and you’re wrong. But here are a few cheeky suggestions to help make your café interior design hip and happening.
Baxter’s Coffee Shop Shakeup Tips
Plan your café interior to maximise your coffee on-the-go service. Make it easy for regulars to get in and order. Offer comfy spots for people to wait a few minutes as their favourite steaming brew is prepared. But, don’t let the quickies get in the way of those that want to stay for a bit longer.
Well, don’t say it, tell it. And tell it easily. Make sure your offerings of food and bev are clear and concise. Make it easy for people to order with the use of chalkboards with easy-to-read text. If you want people to order and pay before they receive, don’t expect that little menus at the counter will be helpful. The queue is going to drive everyone bonkers and they won’t return.
You may want to consider offering areas within your café space where people can help themselves. Not to the cream cakes silly but perhaps fresh water, condiments or even cutlery and napkins. If you do want to go down this path, ensure these areas are out of the general flow of traffic but still easy to monitor by staff.
Cheeky Tip #4 – X Marks The Spot
Demarcation is on my mind here. When planning your café design, there will no doubt be areas you don’t want the public to enter. Doors and flaps can be a hindrance and a hazard and you don’t necessarily need them.
Counter shapes, placement of tables and signage all help get the “Keep Out” zone message across; even to the less intelligent.
How often have you been in a café and been uncomfortable? Too often is my guess. A good café design should offer different seating options such as high benches, standard tables and chairs and perhaps a lounge or two. When deciding what suits you best, consider how hard it is to eat a plate of food from a table that’s parallel with your kneecaps. Or drink a coffee on a bench that your elbows can’t reach. Scale that matches function is the key people. Get it wrong and while you may have the best coffee on the planet, if people don’t fit within the fitout, they’ll leave with a dull coffee shop taste in their mouth.
Let us help you make sure you get your cafe design right!
Phew, I’ve gone on a bit I know, but I just had to get it out. You see, when it comes to cafe design, there are so many things to consider. Budget, timing, style, level of service etc, etc. To make your business work best for you, there are Bellfort processes that cover all of these factors. You can read about them in other blogs such as the Repeat offender Cafe and the Little Lion Cafe, or you can give us a call to discuss. We are even happy to meet and review potential tenancies with you, if you like.
I have wheels and can travel. And I must be off now to check on a few projects.
Baxter’s top hospitality tip of the day – I believe that feel and flavour go hand in hand, and if you want to know what I mean, you’ll have to wait until I write my next blog.
Tea for two anyone?
Baxter xx
P.S. Why not check our more of our cafe design on our Pinterest boards!
79 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6000, Australia
