Four ways to immediately improve your coffee shop flow
A coffee shop is an area that various people enjoy. Some enjoy the quick caffeine rush, while others enjoy the opportunity to slow down and connect with friends, family or strangers. A coffee shop provides an atmosphere that will leave many mesmerized and draw customers back.
However, a few coffee shops struggle to create an environment that keeps customers from coming back. This can be due to bad coffee or a lack of certain aspects within the coffee shops.
We have all had a bad experience with a coffee shop. Even though the product was not terrible, the waiting, unorganized bar or lousy customer service can really ruin the entire experience.
Here are four tips on improving your coffee shop flow to ensure customers have the best experience possible.
Optimizing bar layout and flow
Many dream of a perfect bar setup. New coffee shop owners will target the best equipment, thinking that it will solve all the possible problems. One of the biggest stumbling blocks is, however, that the equipment is not placed in proper positions, which can lead to baristas struggling to find a good workflow.
What we mean when we mention workflow is the flow that the barista takes while working on a coffee order. The workflow impacts the time it takes to make a cup of coffee and the energy and efficiency of the entire process.
A terrible workflow can lead your barista to waste precious time, running around trying to find the products, cups and anything else they need to ensure that they can finish the customer's order.
A Workflow that has been proven to be best suited for multiple coffee shops is:
Start with the order and the payment. Here, the customer will place their order in the POS system on the bar.
After the order has been placed, it will be communicated to the barista at the bar.
Right next to the POS, the coffee grinder will be the best-suited equipment. The barista can start now by grinding the coffee for the order they just received.
Next to the coffee grinder, an espresso machine should be placed. This will limit the barista's moving time. And will ensure that they do not have to walk far to grind coffee.
The barista will steam the milk at the far end of the espresso machine. This will ensure enough space between the barista, the espresso machine and the grinder. Not only does this espresso machine open for a second barista, but it also prevents water from coming close to dry coffee grounds without the barista knowing it.
Right after the steaming side of the espresso machine. The barista will serve the coffee.
Which will limit the transportation of the already-made drink.
Streamlining your ordering process and collection
Many coffee shops worldwide have incorporated a specific system. This system is effective and efficient and can save the entire team time and energy. The aim of the order and collection system is to ensure that customers find their way to the correct location where they can order their coffee.
The system also ensures that there is a waiting line away from the main point and that every customer can see who is ahead of them, knowing how long they will have to wait.
The system is easy to incorporate and straightforward to follow. The first aspect of the system relies on the coffee bar workflow. If the workflow is set out as the above mentioned layout the company can start their ordering and collection process.
The customer will order their coffee from the waiter, barista or cashier behind the counter using the POS system. Here, the customer will communicate their desired drink and pay for it. It is critical that they order and pay at the very first station.
After they have paid, the order will be placed through the workflow system behind the bar. On the other hand, the customer will be asked to move all the way across to the pickup point, the waiting point where the barista steams the milk and serves their beverages.
This will ensure the barista can see who is next in line and serve the drink to the correct customer. There will essentially be two lines. The order line and the collection line. This will prevent a mass gathering of customers in a group where no one knows who has been helped or who is next to the order.
Efficient staff allocation and training
There are many different ways of optimizing the coffee shop flow. The one key focus point should always be the staff, who not only use the equipment but also serve the customers on a daily basis.
The flow of the cafe will not improve solely due to the workflow. Baristas, cashiers, and waiters all play a key role in the cafe's flow. Thus, having enough employees on board to take orders, serve customers, and prepare coffee is crucial.
Coffee shop owners should evaluate when the busy periods are. Once they have been identified, the team can work on a schedule to ensure that there are more than enough waiters, baristas and cashiers to serve your customers' needs. This will enhance and speed up the entire process, allow your customers to identify a speedy flow, and reduce the waiting time for their favourite beverages.
Simply having enough staff in the shop will not be sufficient to ensure a great flow. Every staff member must be trained to be quick, efficient, and do what is needed. This means that the cafe owner and management staff should spend a reasonable amount of time with every staff member to ensure that they understand what is expected from them.
Baristas can receive specialized training from coffee trainers to ensure that their skills and knowledge are current. This will improve the flow and efficiency, and the baristas will also be able to communicate and answer any questions that the customers may have about the actual coffee beans.
Foster a culture of teamwork and efficiency through regular training sessions and empower staff to make quick decisions to enhance service quality.
Regular monitoring and product placement
Identifying the best location for takeaway lids, stirrers, and sugars can be difficult. The main focus should, however, always be improving the customer experience and the flow within the cafe.
Placing all of the takeaway products on their own counter can be of great value to the entire shop flow. Customers will receive their coffee and move on to the next station. This will prevent the customers from standing still in front of the serving area, ensuring that they move on and allowing the next customer to move forward and receive their drinks as soon as they are finished.
Monitoring the entire process plays a key role in the cafe's constant improvement. Ask the customers for feedback and regularly identify key areas of improvement. This will allow the cafe to find the best-suited flow for them, enhancing the entire customer experience.
Track key performance indicators such as wait times and customer satisfaction scores and solicit feedback from customers and staff. Use this data to implement targeted interventions and refine your café's flow, ensuring a consistently positive experience for patrons.
Conclusion
A good flow plays a key role in every cafe. Not only will it enhance the customer experience, but it will also improve the speed of service and ensure that every customer receives the exact drink that they ordered. Many problems can be solved by simply changing the bar flow, training your staff and evaluating the entire process from ordering to leaving the cafe. Focus on every aspect and monitor the whole process to ensure that the cafe finds its perfect work, bar and customer flow.