What Does Mr. Bean Reveal About the Specialty Coffee Industry?

In the latest season of Mr. Bean, the character pays five euros for a tiny espresso, gets a small macchiato instead, and then opens his own stall using instant powder and simple tools. He wins customers through warm service and low prices, which mirrors a complaint in the specialty coffee industry: ritual and professionalism can crowd out service.

The sketch contrasts small, expensive, foam-topped drinks with the line of waiting customers. The takeaway for baristas is balance, since enthusiasts and newcomers alike weigh how they are treated alongside what is in the cup. Shops that answer questions plainly and serve quickly keep more of the people who walk in curious.

In the latest season of Mr. Bean, he walks into a specialty coffee shop and, after experiencing an extremely small yet expensive espresso, gets the idea to set up his own coffee stall. He uses instant coffee powder and simple tools to make cappuccinos, yet wins customers over with his enthusiastic service and affordable prices. This plot authentically reflects the current state of the specialty coffee industry, which overly emphasizes professional ritual while neglecting customers' actual needs and service experience. This article uses Mr. Bean's experience to explore how baristas can find a balance between professionalism and enthusiastic service, and mentions Front Street Coffee's reflections on industry service.

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Question: How long has it been since everyone last watched Mr. Bean?

Recently, the plot of the first episode of the latest season (Season 3) of Mr. Bean made netizens exclaim after watching: So real! It's like someone installed surveillance in my mind!!

Although the process looked very professional and complicated, the final espresso portion was indeed beyond Mr. Bean's expectations! So the barista said: Hey, then I'll add a little milk foam for you and make it a macchiato! Although the portion was still very small, and it wasn't the coffee he had imagined, because he had chosen it, he paid... Never expected it! A cup of coffee with such a tiny portion cost 5 euros (roughly the euro symbol)! This made Mr. Bean feel it was even more not worth it! At the same time, he saw that the coffee in other customers' hands also had milk foam (cappuccino), and the separation was very obvious! But his own was both small and hard to swallow.

So Mr. Bean looked at the customers lining up in the shop and got the idea of opening his own coffee shop! He went home, took instant coffee powder, milk, and other equipment, and went to the entrance of the coffee shop. While the construction worker was away, he "borrowed" the temporary construction material warehouse and started making coffee products inside, and began soliciting customers who were lining up at the coffee shop entrance. Because that coffee shop was so popular, a line had formed at the entrance. One customer chose Mr. Bean's small stall and ordered a cappuccino. Although she was doubtful about Mr. Bean's production process, after receiving the drink, she was very satisfied, so she promoted this temporary stall to the customers waiting in line, and customers kept coming.

The later plot is that the construction worker comes back, and Mr. Bean hurriedly runs away. The coffee shop owner sees that his coffee business is so booming, so he asks if he wants to come work in the shop, and Mr. Bean agrees! But when the construction worker comes in and asks Mr. Bean to make coffee, because Mr. Bean doesn't know how to use the complicated machine, and the barista has walked away, he blows up the machine! 😂

The plot can be said to very truly reflect the current state of the specialty coffee industry and the public's demand for coffee! Nowadays there are more and more specialty coffee shops, and many are equipped with professional equipment. Baristas also pay great attention to the entire production technique and ritual, but neglect customer service. . The "specialty" in specialty coffee is an important element of a series of high-quality services, because it ensures the coffee quality that the drinker will taste, and it systematically evaluates its quality. Whether the coffee tastes good, whether it can get a high score, and whether it can attract consumers' attention all need professionalism and service to interpret.

Although many baristas are professional, they easily overlook that not every customer knows about coffee. Many times, most of the people who come to coffee shops to consume are customers who have not studied coffee. Everyone has some demand for coffee, perhaps for the function of caffeine, or perhaps for socializing. Therefore, in the process of serving, baristas need to first gain a preliminary understanding of the customer's taste preferences and needs, and then recommend different products according to the situation, rather than blindly recommending products that the barista is good at or likes.

Every profession has its specialization, and different trades are separated like different mountains. Not everyone who drinks coffee has an in-depth understanding of coffee culture/knowledge. For ordinary consumers, whether the production process of a coffee product is professional is sometimes perhaps not the point. Like Mr. Bean's small stall, although he used instant coffee, and the milk foam was whipped with a bicycle pump, his service was enthusiastic! At the same time, the price was affordable, and the taste was popular and stable, making customers who tried it feel satisfied and voluntarily promote this shop.

What I want to say here is that customers can feel enthusiastic service during the consumption process , but that does not mean one can be a good barista without being professional. Professional coffee knowledge and understanding of the principles of coffee extraction are essential qualifications for a barista, while enthusiastic service is the way for a coffee shop to prosper. Image, source: youtube Mr Bean

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.