Coffee shops are fast becoming an important place for entertainment in cities across the world. In big cities like New York and London and even bigger like Tokyo, coffee shops are a great attraction for visitors and locals alike. However, the question is, what makes a great coffee shop?
This is the question that was being asked by multiple cafe owners in Kota Kinabalu. Recently, there are multiple cafes launched, renovated their interiors and introduced some awesome facilities or classes for baristas at the weekend.
Many coffee shops are opening in Kota Kinabalu. The demand for a good coffee is great. There are so many coffee shops is now in the city, it is an extremely difficult industry. But, not every coffee shop in Kota Kinabalu is great. In fact, many are not great. So, what makes a great coffee shop?
The coffee
Every coffee shop needs a great location. Great locations are places where people will want to congregate. Great coffee shops need great locations. By great location, I mean somewhere where the customers will be getting a good coffee.
Quality, taste, and aroma have to be top contenders. A good cup of coffee is hard to find. It is a given. Good espresso, and lots of it, need to accompany the coffee. If you do not offer your customers something extraordinary then you are unlikely to survive. If you find a good coffee then it will set you above your competition. People will keep coming back.
The atmosphere
For a coffee shop, the atmosphere is everything. If you are not in a position to offer great coffee then the environment of your shop determines whether someone will visit or not.
The environment should look amazing. There should be lots of natural light and space. The décor should be of high quality. The atmosphere needs to be welcoming. People should be able to relax in their surroundings.
The staff
The staff are the backbone of a good coffee shop. There is nothing worse than bad service. Everyone would love to talk to a really friendly barista. Great service will make people keep coming back, especially if you are offering a great coffee. Your staff need to know how to spot the best beans as well as help with finding the coffee that suits people.
Pricing
Last but not least, you need to price yourself properly. This is a tricky one. You need to charge enough to make your rent and make a profit. However, you cannot be charging too much. If the price of your coffee is too high, people will not want to pay the price. Equally, if the price is too low, then you are not charging enough.
Pricing is not easy. You have to create a service that will resonate with your customers. The customers are the ones who decide what good is. A great coffee shop will rely on its customers to provide the feedback it needs.
Creativity
One of the reasons people love to visit coffee shops is because of their creativity. There are a lot of great coffee shops which have been popping up all over the place. The owners wanted to find out what exactly makes a place a great place to visit. So, they conducted several different activities to find out what was really driving people to visit.
To get these answers, we created a competition and asked people to write on blackboards or large pieces of paper what elements make coffee shops great. When we did this, we had over 200 people sending in their opinions.
People used words like:
Fresh coffee
Good music
Some local traditional music
Good food
Friendly staff
Relaxed vibe
The Survey in Kota Kinabalu
We conducted focus groups to basically confirm that the decisions people made were correct. We conducted the groups in homely-style living rooms where the participants could relax. A lot of the focus group participants stated the importance of fresh coffee, which is how we determined that fresh coffee bean was an important factor.
The cafe owners understood the importance of music and the atmosphere of the place. They also wanted the people to focus on the surroundings and not the fact that they were sitting down. They also wanted to make the surroundings comfortable and allow people to feel at home.
Summary
The cafe owners reported that people want things to be relaxed and friendly as this is what life should be like. They also want good quality food and drink. They also want things to be affordable.
If you are thinking about starting a coffee shop, it is important to focus on your customer’s needs and wants. Many cafe owners noticed that they were not getting people to stay because they are constantly being ignored. The bar was too low and too many people were being given too little attention too. By expanding the range of what these cafes offered, they were able to increase sales and profits.
Check out our reviews on other cafes here.
