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Maximum Efficiency: Key to Success in the Coffee World
- April 11, 2024
- BY JAMES CONTI
The food and beverage community knows all too well about the need for efficiency to have a better chance at success and profitability for a business. I know we talk consistently about café bar design and the need for the capacity to make a beverage or engage successfully with a loyal customer without delay. The homework needed upfront before embarking on a new business is so critical and never more so than when it comes to processing orders regardless of what we are selling.
In a café setting for sure, every detail is not to be ignored. Clearly the ability of your equipment to produce desired beverages is something you’ll encounter as you resolve your concept and determine what your location will be able to produce in a “perfect world”. That said, every inch after that on the bar is something to ensure it conforms to what your staff and specifically front of house (FOH) revenue producing staff can exploit for the betterment of your bottom line. Placement of a point-of-sale system (POS), cups, ice, dairy and non-dairy products are all things your baristas and staff members can opine on and especially those who have experience. We don’t always have the perfect answers but ask about what ways “DO NOT” work well and you’ll hear the coffee war stories. Hire well, create a great environment, and give your staff a field of play to “do their thing”.
Let’s not forget the back of house issues as on-site managers and owners know all too well how a lack of attention here can dovetail into the FOH. Ordering products and ingredients with a POS to assist is imperative. Managing labor shifts to the hour with all the applications that can help pay for themselves in time saved and keeping staff organized. Payables and accounting tasks can cripple a business with record retention and prepping for tax issues. Organize, stay up to date and utilize technology. That’s a must to the extent your budget allows. Reduce the need for paper as a goal and many roles and responsibilities fall into line accordingly. Review everything you need to do and as time allows priorities to avail themselves, make your business about one thing: Producing clients to a better product and experience and growing their population with you. Always ask the question: Isn’t it all about efficiency AND how do I resolve to make it so? Business is business, throughout the café or whatever business you find yourself in.
To Do’s:
* Select the Right Equipment
* Optimize FOH Design
* Prioritize BOH Issues
* Manage Labor Shifts
* Utilize Technology
