đź•’Estimated Reading Time: ~3 minutes
Gas stations and truck stops sell coffee, but no one ever goes back to those places only for the coffee. If in need of caffeine on a long road trip, maybe, but not for the coffee. There is neither flavor nor experience that draws people back to forlorn road stops and the fluorescent lights of a gasoline pump bay.
No… coffee consumption has become a personal, even spiritual, experience, and a coffee franchise serves coffee with spirit and care. Sure, some will visit your franchise for the delicious brew, but coffee franchises provide a different atmosphere that feeds the soul and keeps people coming back for more.
How Do You Take Your Coffee (Franchise)?
I remember the bottomless cups of diner coffee served with a steaming hot slice of blackberry pie. In high school, this was the de rigueur activity after a date. At the time, it wasn’t bad—but oh my, how things have changed.
Now, we can enjoy myriad coffees and teas, beautifully crafted, each presented as a work of art to tease our taste buds and satisfy our aesthetic desires. Regular, decaf or specialty drinks take on an air of sophistication combined with superior taste. The present-day consumer appreciates the flavor, the service, and the many flavor options.
Slow Press
Other countries have made a ritual of coffee for decades, but in the U.S., it took longer to move beyond a regular cuppa joe with cream and two sugars. It started years ago, and it has evolved considerably. In college, I worked at the only espresso place any of us had ever heard of. A custom coffee order involved hand pulling each shot of oily brew. It was real exercise and took time and care. Over time, the quality we provided was noticed and customers’ appreciation grew. That is why good coffee houses are more noticeable around town.
These days, coffees come out more quickly, but the coffee franchise environment allows for leisurely time to catch up on work, photo sharing, or streaming a movie. The coffee is easier to prepare and serve, and the customer has more opportunity to enjoy it. Combine it with a tasty snack, and customers will slow down, stay longer, and come back again and again.
Jazz it Up
Coffee franchises might create a venue with entertainment and music. If the franchise style is one that appreciates a more bohemian style, consider local students who can play music and provide artwork. Even poetry readings are alive and well, and they now occur in coffee shops, adding even more atmosphere and attracting people to your location.
Reading Tea Leaves
Coffee franchises sometimes offer tea-based drinks too. Not everyone even likes coffee, but a good coffee franchise will still bring in customers who want to enjoy what you have to offer. And maybe, as you decide the best type of coffee franchise to start, the tea leaves will guide your journey of providing a lasting impression through carefully controlled quality and a memorable environment that your customers want to revisit.
Anne Daniells is a co-owner of Enterprising Solutions, a professional services firm specializing in corporate communication and financial improvement for businesses where she shares decades of corporate and entrepreneurial experience—including franchise ownership—in her writings on business culture. She has authored hundreds of articles for publications including AllBusiness.com, TweakYourBiz.com, and MSN.com. Reach out via her website for more on where corporate culture, communication, and human architecture collide.