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Permalink Reply by Spencer on March 9, 2008 at 9:08am

When you make your change, be sure to advertise your intentions, put out a press release and get some local news coverage or a story in the newspaper food section. Do not allow your changes to be just word-of-mouth, be proactive!

Quality vs. Commodity....never should they be the same. The big players sell on price you sell on quality.....

Best of Luck and please let us know how it works out....

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Permalink Reply by Z Bancroft on March 9, 2008 at 7:32pm

thanks for the encouragement all. I am assembling the troops and will likely roll this out in the next 6-8 weeks. Getting things together to create a smooth transition into the new concept.
If ya'll get more ideas, keep em comin.
Z

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Permalink Reply by Jason Haeger on March 10, 2008 at 12:24pm

Free refills? Oh no!
TX-Coffee.com article

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Permalink Reply by Jason Dominy on March 10, 2008 at 12:29pm

I don't necessarily like the "bottomless" refill model, I like the one complimentary refill policy. I think it builds loyalty, and kills some of the negative vibes from only having one size. But I should say, I am all for the purist model, and love places like Ninth Street that can do it. I say if you can do it, go for it.

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Permalink Reply by Z Bancroft on March 10, 2008 at 2:17pm

Haeger, I just read that article. Great little piece. Thanks for the link. It really does devalue the product. I don't pay 8 bucks a pound for crap!

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Permalink Reply by Brady on March 10, 2008 at 2:28pm

Just jumping in here... not in the industry for terribly long, but struggling with the same issues myself in trying to set direction at our shop. We've finally arrived at a place that I'm mostly ok with, but I still struggle with some of our offerings. Yes, our menu does bear some resemblance to Starbucks, but has some very important differences. I honestly think that our drinks are way better, and that is a difference that most of our customers notice.

I personally like the free refill (singular) in ceramic approach. I agree with previous posters about "good hospitality", and don't think that cheapens the drink in any way. Do you appreciate something good that a friend shares with you any less because it was free? I appreciate the generosity of the friend AND the good coffee (or beer, wine, cigar, or garden tomato, etc.)... and our regular customers seem to have the same reaction.

I'm no big fan of Starbucks either, but I'm not so sure that they invented the whole "supersize" thing in the US. Maybe that's an obvious statement, but it seems useful to remember that you're not really fighting their creation here. I do think that there is a "quality over quantity" market of varying size out there... and even here in Charlotte. Just look at the grocery stores and restaurants in your neighborhood, they have the same customers.

Don't get me wrong, I'm as much against the 20 oz "cappuccino" as the next guy (and no, we don't serve them at our shop). But I guess the question is, what are your motives? If it is product quality that you are worried about, then just figure out how to best present your product and sell it! But I question whether it is really better to fundamentally change the flavor profile of a great tasting drip (drop in a shot?) than to serve it in a bigger cup. And why is it ok to sell a customer two 12 oz cups of drip coffee (in paper), but not to sell them one 20 oz cup?

I think that strategies designed only to show that you are not Starbucks, if they have no relationship to drink quality, will sound less-than-genuine when explained. I guess it is a question of figuring out what's really important to you and then following through.

I honestly wish you the best of luck, and am looking forward to seeing some of the experiences that others have had in this area.

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Permalink Reply by scott@herkimercoffee.com on March 11, 2008 at 9:35am

some added encouragement...
we were reluctant to get into offering a travel mug but recently caved and did it our way. instead of going with the 16 and 20 oz cups that seem to be the only options most manufacturers offer for custom logo-ing we found a 10oz mug with a simple lid. it's not perfect but it stops splashes and most spills, etc. we thought they may not sell do to the limited size but the opposite is happening. pair that with our efforts to get people off the paper and into the ceramic stay and socialize movement and things are going better than i expected.

keep it up!
scott

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Permalink Reply by Ed Whitman on March 17, 2008 at 4:14pm

Best of luck, I think it is great to make that transition.
My recommendation is to get all staff to understand why you are making the change. They will have to stand in front of many customers explaining the change. Having a few comp drink cards helps too.
Talk to your loyal customers, especially the 20oz. drinks, and let them know you will be making the change and don't want to catch them off guard.
Post a sign for customers why you are changing. So you are not singling out drip drinkers.
There may be a few customers who want to bring in their own big cups, so a price for them.
Be honest and transparent with customers and it will be mutually beneficial.

-Ed

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Permalink Reply by ray peck on July 5, 2008 at 4:48pm

Hey, I just came on to this discussion. what is behind offerring only 12oz and 8oz, dropping 16 and 20?

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Permalink Reply by Mike McGinness on July 5, 2008 at 9:13pm

Your shop, your call. Personally I'm strongly considering raising our largest size from 16 to 24oz, simply because market demand is there. And they'll pay for that additional milk that costs me over $4 a gallon trust me! That said I have two Espresso Beverage Menus:
Traditional and American Coffee House (did resist my urge to label it Espresso for Children :-) Even so my 16oz Americano (ACH menu) is quad shot and labeled/priced accordingly as would be 24oz. (only pull nekkid doubles, no split singles)

While I'm a purist in my personal consumption, I'm a realist as a shop owner serving both purists and abnormal people. If they want velvety steamed milk with a bit of espresso as flavor and even other flavorings I'll most certainly make it for them and let them give me their money. They pay to keep the door open so the minority purists can come in and choose from the multiple choice 'spro grinders etc.

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Permalink Reply by Lorenzo Perkins on July 6, 2008 at 7:07am

This is a difficult thing to offer, let alone switch to. I'm in the Austin market, and we do offer traditional sizes for lattes/caps. We have ceramic for 7 oz cap, 12 oz latter, and a separate 14 oz coffee mug that is a completely different shape than any of the other cups. This gives a visual clue to the customer that this mug is specific to this drink (macc, cap, and latte are sizes after all). We do offer a larger to go cup for brewed coffee drinkers, and have not had problems with that yet. As most people have stated, it's about customer education and dialogue. After all, the best coffee is the one that sells, but the best customer is the educated one. Congratulations on making the transition to a traditional menu . . . ride the third wave all the way to the bank!

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Permalink Reply by Stickman on July 6, 2008 at 9:24pm

How about this:
Close your doors for a week, put some paper on the windows, throw on a coat of fresh paint, embroider some aprons and relaunch your shop with the new menu and literature to help out. Hype it up in the media and spread some rumours, make a big deal of it. "First cafe in Springfield to go traditional...6 days and counting..."

Free refills? I don't like it. The coffee's too good for that.

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