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The fickle world of the cafe industry!

askthecoffeeguyaskthecoffeeguy
edited March 2011 in Coffee Industry related subjects
Couldn't give a coffee away last week and this week we've been slammed good and proper - I reckon we should align ourselves with sportsbet and take bets on when we're going to be busy... It's a mugs game I tell you!
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  • beanflyingbeanflying
    It's not just coffee retail generally is patchy too. I think everyone is working on fixing their credit card debt rather than adding to it. ???
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  • askthecoffeeguyaskthecoffeeguy
    We've got an older clientele too I reckon they're paying off their credit cards at the end of the month and then getting back into it at the start of a new month 200 coffees so far today not bad for a little residential hideaway!
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  • beanflyingbeanflying
    Much better than a poke in the eye with a pointy stick 200+ cups ;) I will get out your way I hope in May before Cafebiz. Only had rushed day trips the last 3 or 4 times in town. 4 or 5 days of relaxed Coffee and eating in May. Gearing up for a 20kg session (I hope) next weekend in Port Fairy, got through most of that last year hope to run out this year  ;D
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  • blanyonblanyon
    I have noticed more variability this year too, as you said slammed one moment and then wondering what you have done the next! I had been wondering about the whole debt issue tying up peoples disposable income. Talking to others in general retail they are having a real hard time of it, mind you the good ones I think are doing a lot better than the average to poor ones. Cheers Brett PS Hopefully plans come together and I will come an have brunch at your patch tomorrow morning at about 10!!!!
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  • askthecoffeeguyaskthecoffeeguy
    Nice one Brett I'll definitely be there then - one big factor in last weeks poor showing compared to this week is that university started back again - and students actually had to attend class for at least one week of the year - whereas they seem to be streaming back in in droves now Even during the quiet period I was saying to myself, "This is just an anomaly, dont get caught up in it and this too shall pass" And if you roster accordingly payroll shouldnt be too adversely effected - it also provides an opportunity to take a breath, and to re-evaluate, to consider strengths and weaknesses, to capitalise on strengths, and to shore up weaknesses - really speaking spending a bit more time working on the business and a bit less time working in it can only be a good thing! Looking forward to some good weather on the weekend - not too hot not too cold - its one of my favourite times of the year to be making coffee! Cheers, P 
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  • askthecoffeeguyaskthecoffeeguy
    what do they say? be careful what you ask for? got massively slammed on the weekend and we were short staffed on saturday - but we'll have staff available 'on call' if it looks like its shaping up to be another cracker weekend next weekend nice to see brett aka moto coffee on  saturday morning - sorry we didn't get much of a chance to chat! it was prob our first really busy morning for the year, and we had scaled down to a skeleton crew, as previous saturdays had been quite manageable oh well its one for the records and we'll be better geared up in future! Cheers, ACG
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  • blanyonblanyon
    You should have asked for a hand I would have loved to help out for an hour or so!!! Loved the flight of coffee's and the breaky was ace!!! Came back on Sunday for a late lunch just before catching the plane and we were looked after magnificently!! Hope to get back to see you before the year is out Brett
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  • askthecoffeeguyaskthecoffeeguy
    Nice to hear that you were looked after on both occasions my manager has been with me for five years now and she runs a tight ship! Yeah it was our first reasonably busy weekend for awhile, so I was caught off guard a bit - but I'll have my mobile at the ready to call in extra staff as needed next weekend! Also makes a nice turnaround from the week before last - which left a lot to be desired - but since then we're in the process of revising the menu, we've revamped the website, advertised locally with the local school (who mail out to 300 families locally weekly), focused on our service standards, spent a bit of time in training on the coffee machine, and hired a graphic artist to revamp our image a  bit - so down time can be productive time if used wisely! Nice to meet you if only briefly Brett, cheers for your support - we did 400 coffees and 150meals on both days - which means we're on target to where I want to be (which is 200 meals and 500 coffees on the weekend) Cheers, Pat
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  • blanyonblanyon
    Glad to add to the numbers, I think I accounted for 9 coffees and and seven meals for the weekend (my family included), I will definitely be back the next time I am in Melb. Cheers Brett
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  • askthecoffeeguyaskthecoffeeguy
    thanks for adding to the bottom line!
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  • WotBWotB
    I'll add my bit to the discussion, but it's about the restaurant end. At my workplace out in the suburbs of Sydney, I've noticed there are a lot less bookings taken overall.  With the exception of certain nights, we seem to get a lot more walk-ins.  This would appear to indicate that more and more customers are going out on impulse, rather than a planned night out.  It's hard for a kitchen to deal with highly variable cover numbers, especially when you're trying to make sure everything's fresh as possible.  You also have to be conscious of wastage, with commodity and transportation prices on the way up. I've also noticed the average spend is down, more than likely due to the financial commitments of the customers. Numbers are starting to come back, but it will still be a while before things are "Back to normal." 
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  • Unknown
    We're absolutely slammed nearly every day.....BUT, we are the oasis amongst the barron wasteland. I think for you Pat (on your quiet days), as I'm sure you're more than aware, it is your position. I think it really has more to do with demographic and saturation. People don't care really about spending money, we all have more than we need. I think if your trade wavers and you think its a little odd, I would be seriously doing a quality control check. Plus its been a really crap season of weather
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  • askthecoffeeguyaskthecoffeeguy
    yeah - quality control is always an issue but its something we've been focusing on a lot lately and I'm pleased to say the overwhelming response is mostly positive - I guess I'm also super sensitive to my environment and I consider a quiet day to be less than 150 coffees and 50 meals - which would possibly be a busy day elsewhere Pleased to say that we we're pleasantly slammed today but all systems were go and service pumped  - which makes me and my bank manager happy :)
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