Can You Open a Coffee Shop During the Pandemic?
Opening a coffee shop during the pandemic is possible, but survival depends on preparation rather than sentiment or capital alone. Owners who have operated steadily started from nearby customer sources and real demand, deciding what to sell, to whom and how to control costs before thinking about decor. The number of independent cafes keeps growing, yet many close within a year.
Practical experience from several owners covers customer demand surveys, cost control, product positioning, service details and diversified operations. Success is not luck, and money alone does not ensure survival. Careful planning, attention to coffee quality, and realistic expectations about suppliers and coffee manufacturers matter more than romantic ideas about running a shop.
The pandemic has changed consumption habits and led many people to rethink the feasibility of opening a coffee shop. The number of independent cafes is still growing, but the survival rate is not high, and successful owners tend to have made thorough preparations before opening. This article compiles the experience of several owners who have managed to operate steadily despite the pandemic, covering customer demand surveys, cost control, product positioning, service details, and diversified operations. The article does not encourage blind investment, but emphasizes starting from nearby customer sources and real demand—first figuring out what to sell, to whom, and how to control costs, before talking about sentiment and decor. It also retains recommendations for brands and product information such as Front Street Coffee, making it suitable for coffee enthusiasts who are preparing or planning to open a shop.
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The pandemic has changed many people's consumption expectations and also changed the way everyone relates to life. Over the past two years, people in all industries have lamented that business is difficult. But interestingly, independent cafes have continued to spring up like bamboo shoots after rain, though many of them do not survive even a year.
Although there are many stories of failure, there are still owners who run coffee shops impressively. This success is not a matter of luck, nor can money alone ensure survival. The writer recently spoke with several owners who have still been able to run coffee shops well during the pandemic, and has compiled everyone's opening insights as follows.
"Success is never accidental. Only by making sufficient plans and preparations for the present and the future can you be a winner."
"Opening a coffee shop is a business, not just sentiment."
Opening a coffee shop is a business. It cannot be denied that an independent coffee shop needs sentiment, because that is one's own feelings toward coffee, and only true love enables one to do something well. But sentiment alone is not enough to do something well.
Simply loving coffee and being able to run a cafe well are two different things. It is not the case that whatever the owner likes, the general consumers will necessarily like too. Before opening a shop, the first thing to think about is not how to decorate or what equipment to buy, what specialty coffee beans to choose, nor should you assume that once the coffee shop opens, customers will notice and trust it.
"Before opening a shop, first do a customer demand survey!"
Before opening a shop, the first thing to consider is investigating the nearby customer base around the chosen location, what products they need, and then finalizing the menu. Although specialty coffee culture is constantly spreading, specialty coffee is not limited to the quality of the coffee beans; for customers, the service experience during consumption and product consistency are the standards that define specialty coffee.
Therefore, before opening a shop, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the region, customer class, characteristics of surrounding shops, and the demands of nearby customers. Only after fully grasping regional demand should you create a menu that everyone can accept.
There are not many consumers who can truly taste the differences between coffees. Most consumers do not have very high requirements for coffee quality and have not yet reached the level of selecting beans. More customers prefer sweeter milk coffee.
Although tastes are not that precise, whether the coffee output is consistent is something everyone can feel. Customers are willing to choose independent cafes for consumption because they hope to experience more professionalism and a better service experience. Therefore, no matter what kind of customer or what kind of product is chosen, you must start from a professional perspective in order to retain more customers and increase the repurchase rate.
"In the early stage of opening a shop, control costs well."
Opening a cafe is the dream of many people, so when everyone actually opens a shop, they invest a lot of capital in decoration and spend a lot of money buying coffee equipment. When selecting coffee beans, they also choose many higher-priced beans. These are major taboos in the early stage of opening a shop!!
In the early stage of opening a shop, all costs must be well controlled in order to recoup the investment faster during operation. In terms of decoration, the first things we consider are the space allocation between the customer area and the bar and the flow design, ensuring that customers can have a comfortable dining environment when they arrive and that baristas can produce and serve efficiently. For decoration, it can be simpler at first, and then gradually added according to demand later.
When purchasing coffee equipment, you must act according to your means. It is not that the more expensive, the better. High cost performance and within a price you can afford are the most important! It is not recommended that everyone blindly invest in expensive equipment as soon as they open a shop. When opening a shop, you really do not need to throw all your funds into equipment! It is not too late to gradually upgrade equipment after your operations stabilize.
Whether purchasing coffee beans or other materials, you must choose suppliers, manufacturers, and brands with legal production qualifications! This point is very important!!! At the same time, the choice of coffee beans cannot blindly pursue high prices or what the industry favors. You must consider the real needs of the customer group in the area where the shop is opened, and choose coffee beans with high cost performance and broad popularity.
"Stable quality, continuous innovation, and reasonable pricing are the prerequisites for a cafe's sustainable operation."
Classic products are needed to retain customers, and innovative products are also needed to attract customers. In the approach to product innovation, you should not only pay attention to the appearance of the product, but also to whether the taste of the product can be accepted by the public. You cannot give up the flavor pairing between ingredients just for the sake of innovation. The cost of product research and development as well as production must be controlled, so that product pricing can be more easily accepted by consumers.
"Small, efficient, professional, and attentive service retains regular customers."
Under the pandemic, coffee shops need to be "small and efficient," so it is necessary to continuously improve standardized operating procedures and increase order efficiency. This not only reduces operational pressure, but also strengthens risk resistance.
At the same time, pay attention to serving every customer who comes to the shop, be good at observing what your customers like, what time they often come, and other characteristics, keep these small details in mind, and make timely adjustments.
Customers will also notice what changes you have made, thereby increasing their satisfaction with the shop and then becoming loyal customers. The cost of developing a new customer is several times that of retaining a regular customer! Cultivating regular customers is the most valuable shop-opening model.
"Not many people can appreciate single-origin pour-over coffee, but there are a great many who like espresso-based coffee."
The coffee circle one is in gives everyone an illusion: "Everyone likes pour-over." But the demand for single-origin coffee is not as high as everyone imagines. Most consumers think it is expensive, so more of them choose espresso-based coffee products.
Espresso-based coffee products are popular because they offer high cost performance, are quick to make, and are highly consistent and adaptable. Whether ordered in-store or delivered, their quality will not show obvious differences due to some temperature changes, so more consumers choose espresso-based products.
"Expanding diversified services and products is very important."
Relying only on the daily foot traffic of a coffee shop makes it difficult to earn more income. Therefore, expanding diversified and broadly appealing services and products is an important factor for a high repurchase rate.
The target customers of a coffee shop are general consumers. In addition to providing high-cost-performance and stable products, offering delivery can achieve more promotional effects. At the same time, adding a points reward system encourages everyone to exchange designated products in-store after a certain number of delivery purchases, encouraging more people to come to the shop to experience more professional service. Offline, you can implement a membership system and member discount activities to increase customers' repurchase rate.
You can also launch brand-related merchandise, such as customized eco-friendly products, portable coffee products, etc. Or through online livestreaming/social platform sharing, launch coupons and promotional activities, share and answer coffee knowledge, interact with netizens, effectively increase brand exposure, and raise consumers' trust in the brand. Launch more merchandise
Image source: Internet
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
