Starting a coffee shop business is an idea that’s worth the effort. You’ll be up against massive competitors, like Starbucks, along with other independent coffee chains. Therefore, finding customers and making money can be challenging.
But, we love a challenge, right?!
There are lots of ideas to help you make more money from your coffee shop business. So, I’ve picked a selection of the best and most effective:
Offer a Loyalty Program
All the big coffee chains have some type of loyalty program. Whether this is a stamp card, points via an app, or anything else you can think of, it will encourage customer loyalty. If people know they’ll be rewarded from drinking your coffee, then they’re more likely to keep coming back. This means you get repeat business, and your customers may even bring some friends along from time to time.
Provide outdoor seating
People love drinking coffee outside – especially during the summer. So, add some outdoor seating to your store, and you can reel in more business. Not only does this make your shop more attractive, but it also adds more space. If the inside is packed, you can still get more customers by offering the seats outside. Just make sure you get some commercial shade to cover some areas of the outdoor seating. This protects a few seats from rain showers and also lets people enjoy their coffee in the shade.
Supply Dairy-Free Milk
The dairy-free milk market is absolutely thriving right now. Your coffee shop needs to bring in a few varieties to cater to vegan customers. Instantly, you bring in a whole new market of people. The more varieties you have, the better. But, I understand if you can’t afford this. So, if you can only afford to have one dairy-free alternative, then I suggest oat milk. It’s the best one to use in coffees, and vegans love it!
Sell Takeaway Coffee
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A lot of independent coffee shops don’t sell takeaway cups of coffee. This means you miss out on so much business. Offer the takeaway option, but also offer discounts to people who bring their own cups. This can draw people in as they save money, but it also means you reduce your impact on the environment by not creating extra paper cup waste.
Also, you could sell the actual coffee beans you use – or the ground version of them. People can buy them to use at home, which opens up another stream of revenue.
Provide Free Wi-Fi and Plenty of Tables
Loads of customers go to coffee shops to get work done on their laptops. This is the modern world, and freelancers or business owners can work from anywhere. By providing free wi-fi and good places to work, you will draw in lots of working customers. What’s more, if they enjoy working in your shop, then they’ll probably come back every day. Again, repeat business means more money!
The key to making money from a coffee shop is to constantly draw in new customers while retaining your current ones. These five ideas can help you do both of those things, leading to more profits.
