Give Your Establishment a Java Makeover

Coffee, it’s the hot, black, beverage served at the end of the guest’s stay - sometimes with dessert - and dropped right before the check. It’s ubiquitous, expected, and for many restaurant owners/managers it’s a simple necessity. Coffee is profitable, routine and for far too many establishments it doesn’t merit a second thought.

One of the fundamentals to the restaurant business, like so many, is to listen to your customer. Listening doesn’t always come in the form of taking in verbal cues or the occasional comment card. Observing customer habits is key and this sometimes includes an awareness of their habits while outside of your establishment.

I would wager that a vast majority of your clients frequent coffee shops, often in your neighborhood. At these coffee shops – independent or chain – they are offered a wide range of coffee and coffee drink choices and are quite willing to pay a premium for them. So why would you offer generic coffee and why would you miss the opportunity for greater profits and to register the all-important last impression? Often times the answer is simply convenience. A “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” philosophy is often in play. The current system is easy, comfortable, and gets few complaints so the catalyst for change is often left silent. Your busers, as valuable and competent as they may be, are not likely asked to toss salads but are frequently given the duty of coffee production and service.

Irregular
Jim Munson, vice president of Dallis Coffee, New York, is on a campaign to abolish the phrase regular or decaf from the US restaurant lexicon. “In no other aspect of service is the word regular acceptable,” explains Munson. You wouldn’t dare refer to your drinks, appetizers, or desserts as regular while selling these items to your guests. Many of us remember that not too long ago diners were presented with two options while ordering a glass of wine: Chablis or Burgundy. These monikers made no reference to the great French wine regions, rather simply denoting white or red. Today that seems ridiculous. Abandoning the term regular brings us one step closer to better coffee service.

Variety versus Quality
The challenge is to provide both. The good news is that there is a simple way to better ensure quality while making it easy to offer a variety of coffees; the press pot, or French press. The press pot is the preferred method among coffee aficionados and it’s dead easy to use. They come in a variety of sizes from single to multiple serving sizes.

Making Great Coffee For Your Guests
First and foremost you must remember the four attributes of fine coffee: degree of roast, origin, freshness, and brew strength.

The degree of roast often comes down to personal preference and should be a strong consideration when assembling a variety of coffees. Buying your coffee from a quality, specialty purveyor is your best bet to finding quality, small batch roasted beans.

Offering a selection of coffee from a range of origins builds customer interest and creates a buzz. Coffees’ origins are virtually the same as they have always been hailing primarily from Eastern Africa, Central and South America, and South Asia (primarily Indonesia). Rather, it the consumer that has changed now, selecting coffee by place of origin as well as roast. This is a good thing as providers are seeking coffee from the best growers in a given country and region taking a “every bean counts” approach rather than buying large quantities destined to be blended with beans from a number of origins.

Freshness is paramount with all food items. Your customers know what stale coffee tastes like just as they know stale bread. Buy what you can reasonably sell in a short period of time and keep your coffee in a dry, dark, and cool place. If you are dealing with a quality vendor, they will be more than happy to service you frequently. Keep your coffee investment in top quality product rather than buying large quantities.

Brew strength is vital and perhaps the most common error in restaurant coffee brewing. An once of ground coffee for every 16 ounces of hot water is ideal. Brewing weak coffee erases the benefits of using quality coffee. Stretching coffee in search of large profits is a losing paradigm. Remember, your clients are most likely accustomed to paying a premium for quality coffee at their local café.

In sum, your coffee program can take some serious leaps in quality and prestige by implementing a few simple procedures. Above all, your coffee service will improve immeasurably once you give it the same consideration that you bestow upon other aspects of food, drink, and service. All you have to gain is delighted customers, higher check averages, and the chance to make a great last impression.

Practical Coffee Tips
- A lot of restaurants use open decanters on heat, which will destroy even the best coffee within 10 minutes.
- Keep in mind that top tier suppliers can walk you through the production of fine coffee, as well as train your staff.
- The wholesalers cost for loaning French press pots and water warmers are far less than providing you with expensive and bulky equipment. This puts you in a better position to negotiate the price per pound.
- Green considerations are huge with today’s buyers and coffee is no different. Certified organic coffee is a rapidly growing category.

The World of Coffee

Brazil - Number one in export volume. Medium bodied, mild, and sweet.
Colombia - Full bodied, very aromatic, bright acidity, and rich.
Costa Rica - Full bodied, smooth with a good acidity.
Ethiopia - Medium body. Very punchy and expressive flavors being fruity, vinous, earthy, and very complex with bright acid.
India – Medium bodied, soft, semi-sweet, with low acidity.
Java (Indonesia) - Medium body, rich, relatively low acidity.
Kenya – Full bodied, very wine like with great acidity, and complex.
Sumatra – Perhaps the fullest, richest and most complex flavors.