Might 10, 2024 (Printed: Might 9, 2024)
Operating a espresso store all through the summer season, particularly from Might to August, items distinctive demanding situations and alternatives for the house owners. That’s why we’re kicking off a chain of weblog posts with efficient methods for surviving – and thriving – all through the season’s lengthy, sweltering days.
Beginning this month thru August, our 7 Steps to Good fortune consulting group will talk about find out how to deal with the entirety from adjusting summer season hours, converting stock pars and scheduling your team of workers all through “Band Camp” week (when your 4 very best staff are within the band!) to thirsty canine walkers, offsite match alternatives and finishing deep cleansing duties prior to the varsity regimen is again in complete swing.
Learn on for recommendation on dealing with the primary an important facets of summer season espresso store control: adjusting summer season hours and keeping up out of doors seating spaces.
Adjusting Summer time Hours
All through the summer season, you’ll be able to affect your earnings and money glide via extending your running hours to extend gross sales or scaling again to scale back running prices. On the other hand, the luck of those methods is determined by your moderate day by day site visitors and buyer demographics. You’ll wish to analyze your enterprise metrics and in finding the most productive answer.
As a trade proprietor, you might have a intestine feeling when traits shift, however you wish to have laborious information to again up your hunches. Overview your numbers, habits wanted analysis and analyze the consequences prior to you’re taking motion.
Maximum espresso retail outlets revel in no less than some adjustments in buyer site visitors over the summer season. For instance, it’s possible you’ll see a surprising surge in vacationer site visitors or a lower for your common shoppers as a result of within sight colleges are closed. Observe site visitors traits and buyer volumes to make a decision whether or not to increase or cut back your running hours. You’ll additionally wish to believe proximity, product combine and hard work prices.
After you do the mathematics, it’s possible you’ll make a decision that enforcing seasonal running hours all through this time would accommodate this shift.
Evaluation Proximity: What’s Taking place Round Your Retailer?
Analysis what attracts other folks for your space at positive instances of the day or month. Believe examples like colleges, workplaces, parks, follow fields, different eating places, farmers markets, native retail outlets and out of doors amphitheaters. Make a chart in their hours and spot how they examine to site visitors for your retailer.
You’ll additionally rely the automobiles passing your store to trace commuter site visitors all through your conventional gross sales hours. Is it kind of than you spot the remainder of the yr?
Is it quieter within the morning as a result of faculty is out? Does it make sense to open at 6:00 a.m. all through those months? If it’s constantly 7:00 a.m. prior to someone walks in, you might be able to cut back hard work prices and make allowance your opener to sleep an additional hour via adjusting your hours.
If there’s a reason why to your shoppers to be close to your coffeehouse within the night time, you could need to believe extending the hours to serve them.
If, alternatively, your space turns into quieter as a result of seasonal actions happen somewhere else on the town, it’s possible you’ll believe remaining previous and exploring different ways to generate earnings. For instance, it’s good to serve your product offsite at a carrying annex concession stand or a weekly boulevard competition all through the night time hours.
You’ll additionally believe drawing shoppers for your door by the use of seasonal occasions, akin to out of doors yoga on Saturday mornings, are living tune one night time every week, internet hosting portray/gardening categories to your patio, or serving because the packet pick-up location for an area race
Upload Summer time Bestsellers to Your Product Combine
You must believe updating your product combine all through the summer season to cater to converting tastes when it’s scorching. Cold brew coffee, iced teas, iced espresso-based drinks and frozen blended drinks are summer staples. You can also consider adding unique specialty desserts, grab-n-go ice cream treats, or caffeine-free and kid-friendly drink alternatives like fruit smoothies.
Some coffee shops are seeing increased demand for refreshing energy drinks made with our Piranha Bite concentrate. And don’t forget boxed coffee catering opportunities in the mornings for meetings or leisurely neighborhood get-togethers.
When considering changes, ensure you’re not disrupting core menu profit margins and efficient workflow behind the counter!
Optimize Staffing for Summer
Adjusting your labor model for summer can be challenging. Whether you decide to reduce or extend your operating hours, it will impact your employees. Therefore, it’s crucial to communicate early and openly with your staff about changes to staffing levels. This will help you avoid staffing gaps and hire seasonal help if needed.
Staying organized and communicating with your employees can help establish a more efficient and successful business. This will help ensure smooth transitions and may even give you some time off. In late spring, you should request notice from all employees regarding their vacation plans and obligations through August.
It’s great to have former employees who are loyal and willing to return to work during the busy season. However, having them show up after you’re already staffed for the season is not as great. Try contacting them proactively in early spring to see if they are available this year. Then, ask them for more notice next summer so you can plan ahead.
Inform Customers and the Community
When altering your business hours, it’s important to take a thoughtful approach that avoids confusion and frustration for your loyal patrons. You should communicate any changes well in advance, both through in-store signage and social media posts. In addition, your baristas should be trained to mention the changes to your regular customers.
If you’re considering making a permanent change to your business hours, it might be a good idea first to implement it as a “seasonal change.” This will allow you to gather data on how the change affects your business before making a final decision.
Adding Outdoor Seating
Outdoor seating can be a terrific addition to your coffeehouse’s vibe during warmer months. It’s welcoming to foot traffic and eye-catching to passing cars and cyclists. It provides a place for people to relax on a crisp Saturday morning, hang out with the team after a big game, or meet a friend home from college and talk for hours in the sun while enjoying the great outdoors.
However, it’s not all fun and games for coffee shop owners. An outdoor seating area can also bring challenges such as blowing trash, sticky spills, loitering, and questions about pet rules.
When choosing outdoor seating, ensure it is comfortable, durable and visually pleasing. Before placing it out for customers, establish cleaning procedures and policies to inform customers of what they can and cannot do on the patio.
Keep it Clean
To ensure that your outdoor seating area remains inviting and well-maintained, it’s essential to have convenient trash cans with lids and empty them daily to avoid issues with vermin.
Watch for trash that has blown away, and clean up spills promptly to prevent unsightly stains and pesky ants.
Remember, the exceptional experience starts before customers open your door, so make sure your outdoor areas are as well-maintained as your indoor seating.
Set Up Policies and Signage
It’s important to set up and enforce conduct rules for outdoor seating areas, even if they differ from indoor rules. Patrons may not realize that indoor rules don’t apply outside. Here are a few rules you should set before setting out your chairs:
- Are pets allowed? (Make sure you know the rules from your local health department on this one!) If yes, it’s always welcoming to have some water bowls available for your favorite furry friends.
- Is smoking/vaping permitted, or is your outdoor seating a non-smoking area only? Again, checking to see if your local health department has rules you must comply with is a good idea.
- Loitering and bringing outside food from other establishments. These seem like obvious no-nos. People who don’t patronize your shop shouldn’t use a space you maintain for customers. And if it’s not permitted inside, it’s not permitted outside.
Whatever your policies, you might have better success enforcing them if you post signage in the vicinity. Depending on your traffic and business model, it’s crucial to have employees available to monitor the cleanliness and comfort of the area, especially if there’s a limited line of sight from the inside service area.
Planning Ahead for a Successful Summer
Summer breezes are definitely blowing in! The name of the game is to plan ahead and be flexible with the changes and opportunities they bring. In next month’s blog post, we’ll talk about keeping your employees productive during slow times, improving backhouse efficiency, and the importance of checklists.
