sugars in t/away

System · March 2008

What do you do with regards to sugars in a take away coffee? Does anyne put them in the cup or do you allow the customer to do it? I think that we are becoming to busy to put them in and that it is becoming confusin but my partner is taking some convincing.
Thoughts!!! Advice???

blanyon · March 2008

My thoughts would be that it moves people away from the counter quicker, they don't make as much mess and the sugar is through the entire coffee so the customer gets what they want from the first sip. Mind you I have heard of putting the sugar in the milk before texturing (never seen it though), so do whatever keeps them happy. Happy customers mean more money.

psaigh · March 2008

Both good points, i think if you are going to let the customers do it themselves, have a condiments bar quite a distance (still visible) away from the hand off area though still in a non confusing manner. Otherwise you tend to get bottlenecked at the dropoff zone. Letting the customer add their own also gets rid of complaints that it's too sweet/you didn't do it right as it's down to their discretion. Plus it enables them the chance to actually taste their coffee first and 'season' accordingly (NOTE: people never really do though, they tend to just add sugar willy-nilly). However, in the city or other high volume area, customers do like it when you add the sugar yourself, as it means that as soon as their cup is in there hand (i'm talking take away), they're off to enjoy the rest of their 5min coffee break, instead of wasting valuable seconds battling with others by the sugar stand. This obviousely slows things down on the barista side though (opening sugar packets, pouring it in, stiring) so at my bar we use a pre-measured sugar syrup (made on site) in a bottle with a speed pourer attached so that it 'dispenses' 1 sugar every .25 of a second and doesn't need any stirring. The disadvantage is the slight ammount of water added to the latte (or whatever) but we're yet to have a single person take note.

askthecoffeeguy · March 2008

if you do it yourself you could be potentially providing a service that others in the area do not provide which could help build a new client base... works for me!

Unknown · March 2008

It's not that hard to have a jar/cup/glass of sugar nearby with a long teaspoon. Lock in three groups, start brewing, stick 3 sugars in two cups and slam 'em up just in time for the brew. Stir them in while you are banging/swirling/whatever the milk... my point is, it doesn't take much time at all. I guess if you're opening packets (especially the CSR ones, with the plastic that always rips badly and keeps the sugar inside the packet...) it does slow you down, but then you should look at keeping a jar of sugar nearby. It'll be cheaper and more efficient. At all the places I've worked, from a local cafe to an 80/week, it seems the norm for us to ask about sugars and then put 'em in. There was , though, one chain which didn't ever stir anything for the customer - with over a dozen espresso bars, I was expecting more service from them.. Anyway, keep a sugar area for those just-in-case times, otherwise I'd say stirring sugars (from a jar) in for people saves money and time spent cleaning/easing congestion.

floatncoffee · March 2008

i always put the suger in as i cater to comuters on there way to work and they dont wanna mess around i put the suger in the cup before pouring so the hot espresso starts dissoving the suger straight away then give the cup a "swirl" to mix well before pouring milk.... saves on using spoons to stir..less mess and clean up but always have at least suger scasheys on hand just incase you get a fussy one

Ryan

chefrob · April 2008

Demerra sugar. Costs more, but customers will be pleased with the taste.

askthecoffeeguy · April 2008

I always add sugar in our take-away coffees if sugar is needed - and in our new joint we're already winning customers from our nearest rival who does not Also in a vain attempt at moderating brilliance I accidentally removed 30in30's comment below: "It's all about the overall customer experience. Assuming two cafes/carts produce great coffee, the place that offers to put sugar in my t/away coffee wins me over one that doesn't. There's a lot of competition out there, so differentiate yourself". Sorry bout that hope it still makes sense! ;D

Unknown · April 2008

A place I did a stint with did a pretty decent amount of coffee (very busy rushes), and they put sugar in for both takeaway and dine-in coffees. I'm guessing that the owners had a sign up or something before I was there, I never really believed that so many people would order their sugars at the table as well... anyway, I digress. When I used to add sugar, I always like the sugar being mixed in with the espresso before adding milk. It tasted better that way, not to mention adding sugar in allows you to keep a nice sheen on your coffee without ruining it by stirring.

30in30 · April 2008

grrr.... remove my post?

seriously, no problem at all

Honest_Gaza · April 2008

As a customer, I'm not fussed if they add the sugar or not. If they offer to put sugar, I will always accept the offer. However, a point that was raised earlier, is when the Barista puts too much or not enough sugar. Therefore, ensure you are using a spoon that measures the equivalent amount to the sugar packets that are the norm. This will result in the customer getting the taste that they are expecting.

askthecoffeeguy · April 2008

grrr.... remove my post? seriously, no problem at all

yeah i was trying to be clever - but got carried away with myself!

sketchy · April 2008

As a customer, I'm not fussed if they add the sugar or not.

coffhe · May 2008

Hi Folks, First post here ... I use a couple of plastic squeege containers and enlarge the lumen so sugar can be easily poured/squeezed out. After playing with how long it takes to fill a t/spoon you can be fairly consistent with the dosage. It takes no time to add and beats fiddling around with satchets and spoons. Our customers also like to have a choice of plain white sugar or raw. It seems to work fine.

Howdy, Stranger!

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

sugars in t/away

Comments

frame

Howdy, Stranger!

Howdy, Stranger!

Quick Links

Categories

In this Discussion

sugars in t/away

Comments

foot

Policies

Social