Article: Beating Recession ~ Thriving in Today's Economy



.."I have owned & operated a gourmet coffee store & espresso bar for three years. After taking the Espresso Business Seminar I realized just how ignorant I was about this business. This is the best money that I have ever invested!" ....~ Jackie W.

Beating Recession - Thriving in Today's Economy

by Oksana Fisenko

Begin by Assessing What You Already Do Right - Then Improve on Those Things

You can identify & sharpen your best practices ~ with the help of consultants who have witnessed all the biggest opportunities & the hidden pitfalls this industry can offer ~ and You CAN Thrive while Living Your Dream.

Your dream of owning a successful coffee business can be your reality ~
but it may be time to do some
self-examination.

Another Grand Opening

~ Another Grand Opening ~
Thank You for your Business!

Quite simply, the key to a successful specialty coffee shop business is a superior espresso.

Scores of entrepreneurs are rushing to jump on the specialty coffee bandwagon, investing thousands of dollars in espresso equipment and other start-up costs, without a clear understanding of what keeps customers coming back -- serving the best espresso.

It’s a mistake to rely entirely on “ideal” espresso locations, demographics, or even the fact that the shop serves hundreds of cups of espresso-based drinks a day – none of these will keep a coffee business thriving if ultimately the product itself is inconsistent, disappointing and the coffee drinks are palatable only if their bitter taste is disguised by adding flavored syrups.

So how do you determine how your espresso stacks up to the competition?

I offer you the following to consider: If coffee shop owners and their employees never try their espressos and espresso-based drinks themselves, how could they possibly know if their customers will experience that “aha coffee moment”? The bottom-line is that a poor “espresso image” and lack of effective marketing make it almost impossible to succeed.

As a coffee consultant, I find the most challenging part of an espresso coffee shop business is to train employees in the fine art of drink preparation. Careful preparation is a must for a well-executed coffee drink. If a barista fails to execute the preparation technique properly, even the best beans in the world will not make a difference. Many so-called baristas are “espresso challenged” and really do not know what a good espresso or espresso-based drink should taste like; nor how to prepare it properly. The astonishing fact is that in many cases neither the coffee shop owner nor barista have ever tasted a well-prepared espresso-based drink, and therefore, have no standard for comparison.

In addition to low revenues and diminishing customer rate of return, there are other dangers associated with operating an under-performing espresso coffee shop. As an example, the shop might reach a point where management will lose its initial enthusiasm for the business. Another danger is desperate measures, such as diluting the original vision and passion for espresso by introducing food items, such as, soups, salads, pizza, which puts the coffee shop at risk of having a real chance of succeeding.

Having opened and operated 16 stores with my husband, Alex Fisenko, I am very well versed with employee training challenges. It takes the same length of time to train someone the right way as it does to train him/her the wrong way. Without proper training, “baristas” will follow procedures provided by roasters, supervisors, or equipment salespersons/technicians. Helpful as that may seem, what value can that training truly have if the people dispensing the knowledge do not understand the espresso business themselves and fail to implement proper barista preparation and proven effective marketing techniques?

Here are some important facts for a shop owner to keep in mind:

Know the difference between a good and disappointing espresso-based drink. Though customer tastes may be somewhat subjective, underlying quality will always shine through.
Get baristas to understand that difference. Once they do, they will develop a taste for the “real thing” and won’t serve anything they wouldn’t drink themselves.
Merchandise your espresso with morning specials, e.g. croissant w/latte for $2.50.
Make sure your prices are realistic. It is very hard to “hook” a customer to a $6 latte, even if it’s the best latte in the world; especially in the current economy.
Have a professional consultant (one with years of experience in running his/her own shop) train the baristas in proper preparation techniques and insist that the espresso-delivery person assist in checking quality. Even though the baristas will be primarily responsible for drink preparation, all employees need training in this very critical area.
Develop an understanding of the espresso retail business and a passion for the product yourself. Only then will you understand the true difference and be able to communicate that passion effectively to your baristas who will, in turn, transmit it to your patrons; resulting in repeat business and customer loyalty.

A person doesn’t have to eat ice cream, hot dogs or hamburgers every day, but once a person starts drinking tasty specialty espresso drinks, he or she will tend to want to have at least one daily.

In summary, the formula to a successful espresso coffee business is to ‘hook’ your customers with a high-quality product, made exceptionally well, at an affordable price.

If you would like Alex & Associates, experienced coffee consultants, to help you assess your current espresso retail business, please visit our Consulting page or Contact Us for further information on our Assessment service.

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