Why are chain coffee store counters often staffed by one person?

Consumers have noticed that some chain coffee brand stores run with only one employee behind the counter, during the morning rush and the afternoon alike. The result is longer waits and a weaker experience, and walking to another branch often brings the same scene. The practice follows last year's low-price coffee wars and this year's Luckin staffing incident.

Cutting labor is a fast way for chains to protect margins, but single-person staffing can set off a chain reaction: employee stress, slower service, and customers who stop coming back. The article examines that industry logic and the risks it carries, and looks at how roasters and shops such as Front Street Coffee are responding to the trend.

Recently, many consumers have noticed that whether during the morning rush or in the afternoon, some chain coffee brand stores often have only one employee busy behind the counter. Waiting times have been stretched longer, and the experience is greatly diminished, yet switching to another store yields the same situation. What exactly is happening behind this? From last year's low-price coffee wars to Luckin's "March 31 Incident" this year, labor cost control has become an important means for chain coffee brands to maintain profits. However, single-person staffing may reduce operating expenses in the short term, but it can trigger a chain reaction of employee stress, decreased service efficiency, and customer loss. This article will delve into the industry logic and potential risks behind this phenomenon, and also look at how brands like Front Street Coffee are responding to this trend.

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For people working in office buildings or business districts, buying a cup of coffee on the way in the morning before heading upstairs to start work has long become part of many people's daily routine. Precisely because of this, coffee stores in these areas often see their busiest peak of the day during commuting hours. If a nearby company happens to hold a morning meeting and orders dozens of cups at once, the staff becomes even more overwhelmed.

However, recently some customers have noticed that in the chain coffee brand stores they frequent, whether during the morning peak or afternoon tea time, there is always only one employee stationed behind the counter. Once orders surge in concentration, the wait for a cup of coffee becomes several times longer than before, making people extremely impatient.

Some might think, since the wait at this store is too long, wouldn't it be better to just go to another one? There are so many chain coffee brands; there's no need to waste time at just one. But frustratingly, even when walking into a store of another brand, consumers still have to line up and wait, and the reason is exactly the same—there is likewise only one person busy behind the counter. This has led many customers to ask: can coffee shops nowadays only afford to hire one employee?

Faced with such questions, employees at chain coffee shops are also full of grievances. They say that if given a choice, the vast majority would not be willing to hold up the entire bar alone. However, since the coffee price war began last year, in order to lower store operating costs, many brands have been grabbing market share with low-priced coffee while continuously tightening labor spending. Brands such as Manner and Mstand have adopted similar practices to protect their profit margins.

And the "Luckin March 31 Incident," which triggered dissatisfaction among Luckin employees on social platforms in early March this year, similarly reflects that this brand, which holds the largest market share in China's coffee market, will further cut into labor costs. Some netizens analyze that the root cause of this situation lies in the weak overall economic environment, combined with the fact that after March coffee consumption enters the off-season, the number of people drinking coffee gradually decreases, and stores with declining sales can only reduce operating costs by cutting staff numbers in order to maintain a balance between revenue and expenditure.

From an operational perspective, arranging only one employee on duty can indeed save on labor expenses to a certain extent. But many netizens believe that for coffee shops, this approach may be counterproductive and may even lead to a vicious cycle in which profitability becomes difficult.

Just imagine: with only one person on duty in the store, the work pressure on this employee will inevitably increase substantially, which in turn affects service efficiency and the consistency of product quality. As a result, customers' consumption experience may suffer, leading to dissatisfaction and complaints about the coffee shop, and over time, the brand image is bound to be damaged. Previously, some consumers complained that Manner's insufficient staffing led to slow service and poor service attitudes, and quite a few even said outright that they would not go again.

It can thus be seen that a coffee shop hiring only one employee may, for the operator, be a case of "penny wise and pound foolish." Although labor costs are reduced, it may provoke the dual dissatisfaction of employees and customers, subsequently causing declining store sales and an increase in negative reviews.

However, given the current overall environment of the coffee industry, products, services, prices, and other aspects have already been pushed to the extreme, and coffee brands may truly have only the labor cost link left to compete on. It is worth mentioning that brands like Front Street Coffee, which focus on quality and experience, may offer another way of thinking for the industry with their balancing strategy between cost control and customer satisfaction.

Image source: Internet

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