I would love to hear what you think the repercussions of the economy will mean to the coffee industry.

I have my inclinations and will share when the discussion begins to roll.

Views: 1064

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

For my shop we have seen no drop in customers, but we have seen an increase in drip coffee and decline in latte drinks. We have adjusted to this by upselling flavors and pastries. It has helped. I think another way we have off set the decline in sales is by freezing coffee for our iced coffee. Customers love it and your coffee doesn't water down. We have found a mix of half regular ice and half coffee cubes works best. all coffee cubes tends to make it pretty strong after a while. oh yeah and only use mild coffee for the cubes.
Personally, even though are shop is still relatively new, our sales have never been higher. hope it steadily continues to rise.
We use a cold brew system by Filtron. My customers love it. It is 70% less acidity and very smooth. I use it for my frappés and ice lattés.

Al

Brandon Ragan said:
For my shop we have seen no drop in customers, but we have seen an increase in drip coffee and decline in latte drinks. We have adjusted to this by upselling flavors and pastries. It has helped. I think another way we have off set the decline in sales is by freezing coffee for our iced coffee. Customers love it and your coffee doesn't water down. We have found a mix of half regular ice and half coffee cubes works best. all coffee cubes tends to make it pretty strong after a while. oh yeah and only use mild coffee for the cubes.
I am a new shop so I started with the market already down. Most of my customers will come once or twice a week. I have no Starbucks to deal with so that helps. But it is rough. We have good days and then we have ehh days. But what helps me the most is low overhead.

Al

Calli Costas said:
I agree with Brady. We have seen sales go down a bit, everydayers come a few times a week and been sales have increased. Hopefully everything will improve soon.
Give some background and what you think is helping.

al

Alicia Noland said:
Personally, even though are shop is still relatively new, our sales have never been higher. hope it steadily continues to rise.
I am reading responses that sales are up, down and about the same, along with seeing more brew sales than espresso. Does anyone of the Answerer's have hard data? Data would make a difference in what is truly so. Other than that, it is speculative. Maybe someone could make hash marks or something. Does have to be complicated.
So, here it is ONE year later. Were your right with your inclinations? 10-1-09
I heard this the other day. Seems timely to this thread's resurrection.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113134753
Tell me if this resonates with what you are experiencing...

We all still have customers... many of whom still come in every day, but many don't.

There are those who have changed their orders to regular coffee rather than a specialty drink every day.

Some of the routine customers have started making their coffee at home rather than coming to the coffee shop and some reserve a trip to the coffee shop for a treat rather than a daily routine.

Sales continue to be made, but the focus is different.

What do you see in your shops?
It has been several months since anyone last replied...

How is the coffee business in your part of the world?

What sells now that is different from 4 years ago?
We have had the same experiences as most everyone else who posted here...large increase in brewed coffee, daily customers have started coming in a couple days a week, etc. However, in the past 6 months sales have started dropping drastically. This could also be due in part to the fact that we are in a resort location and people are cutting back on travel. However, we still provide the best coffee in the county and are willing to do whatever it takes to stick with it. Even if it means moving into the kitchen, lol. Just kidding about moving in to the kitchen

javaqueen said:
It has been several months since anyone last replied...

How is the coffee business in your part of the world?

What sells now that is different from 4 years ago?
I just started at a cafe in Portland, OR. The shop has been in operation since 1991, but the most recent owners purchased it about a year ago. So far I'd say that business is good. I don't have a good idea on exact numbers, but the mornings are pretty busy and the afternoons/evenings are hit or miss.

The shop I worked at previously in Portland, ME was trending up when I left. I had concern at the end of 2008 when the writing was on the wall but all in all I'd say that we didn't suffer too much. The customers are loyal and the product ended up not being as much of a luxury item as I thought it would be. I think if a business owner is smart and knows that the economy won't be consistently positive then he or she will have enough savings to cover any losses. Operate within the means and track every nickel because every nickel will count.

javaqueen said:
It has been several months since anyone last replied...

How is the coffee business in your part of the world?

What sells now that is different from 4 years ago?

Reply to Discussion

RSS

Barista Exchange Partners

Barista Exchange Friends

Keep Barista Exchange Free

Are you enjoying Barista Exchange? Is it helping you promote your business and helping you network in this great industry? Donate today to keep it free to all members. Supporters can join the "Supporters Group" with a donation. Thanks!

Clicky Web Analytics

© 2024   Created by Matt Milletto.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service