What does swiss coffee shop dessert markups reveal about costs?

Customers at some coffee shops have recognized the plated cakes as Sam's Club Swiss rolls and lime cakes, sold for 38 yuan each while the supermarket box of 16 costs 59.8 yuan, under four yuan per piece. The gap of nearly ten times has set off debate about value at cafes.

Most coffee shops lack the qualification to bake on site, and building a food-safe baking workshop takes serious money, so reselling boxed desserts is common. That links to the average startup cost for a coffee shop, where fitting out a kitchen competes with rent and equipment. Buyers say a 38-yuan dessert should match the price.

Recently, some consumers discovered while visiting coffee shops that the exquisite desserts served were actually Swiss rolls and lime cakes from Sam's Supermarket, yet the prices were nearly ten times higher. This phenomenon has sparked widespread discussion: why are coffee shops keen on repackaging supermarket finished products for sale? Why do consumers feel dissatisfied? This article will analyze the business logic and industry status behind this phenomenon from the perspectives of coffee shop operating costs, qualification restrictions, and consumer psychology.

▲

Click to follow | Daily specialty coffee culture magazine Coffee Workshop

Recently, a netizen went to a coffee shop for a visit and check-in. After entering, they ordered four cups of coffee and three desserts with friends. When the meals were delivered to the table, the guests stared at the beautifully plated desserts and were momentarily stunned.

Although the desserts had extra decorations like cream and powdered sugar, making them look extremely appetizing, the customers could still recognize at a glance that these cakes were Swiss rolls and lime cakes from Sam's Supermarket. What broke the guests was that these desserts from the supermarket shelves were being sold for thirty or forty yuan each at the coffee shop.

According to the prices on the Sam's App, a box of Swiss rolls contains 16 pieces and sells for 59.8, averaging less than 4 yuan per piece. But in the coffee shop, the Swiss rolls with added decorations and plating were sold to customers at a price of 38 yuan, nearly 10 times higher, which is astonishing.

In the view of these consumers, what they want is simply to get value for what they buy, and the same goes for spending at a coffee shop. If a dessert costs thirty or forty yuan, it should have corresponding quality, such as being made on the same day or privately handcrafted, rather than ordinary goods they could buy themselves at the supermarket .

(Image screenshot from: Sam's App)

However, in fact, it is not uncommon for coffee shops to split and sell boxed desserts from Sam's. Because they have not applied for the relevant qualifications to make baked goods, most coffee shops actually cannot make cakes, bread, and so on themselves.

Even if they have the qualifications, they need to invest a lot of money to build a baking workshop that meets food safety requirements. Unless a coffee shop uses handmade products as its selling point, most are unwilling to waste time and energy making desserts and cakes themselves, and instead purchase from qualified suppliers, then re-plate and decorate the finished products for sale.

Therefore, when purchasing desserts, coffee shop operators comprehensively consider factors such as affordability, stable quality, and whether the taste is accepted by the public. After comparing among multiple suppliers, they choose products that meet their requirements. Among them, the desserts sold by Sam's, which are both good and cheap and have quality guarantees, meet the above conditions and have become the "dessert supplier" for many coffee shops.

For coffee shop operators, the products they "stock" from Sam's basically look good. After receiving them, staff only need to simply decorate them to make a good-looking and tasty meal. Plating them on the table not only satisfies guests' eating needs but also allows them to take the desired photos that stand out. If paired with a signature bean from Front Street Coffee, such as Front Street Yirgacheffe or Front Street Colombia, the flavor layers of the dessert will be richer, but such a pairing often also means a higher average spending per customer.

However, some netizens said bluntly that although they can understand the practice of coffee shops that cannot make their own desserts reselling Sam's products, from the consumer's perspective, they cannot accept that the shop did not inform them in advance of the product source and the serious premium beyond their expectations.

Nevertheless, considering costs such as rent, utilities, and labor, a two-yuan cola from a convenience store rises in value at a five-star hotel to fifteen yuan, so it is not hard to understand why a few-yuan Swiss roll from Sam's is sold to consumers at thirty or forty yuan in a coffee shop.

Image from: Xiaohongshu

Disclaimer: Some images in this article are from the internet. For some content on the website, such as images, we will respect the original author's copyright and indicate the source. However, due to the large quantity, some images and texts may not have been credited in time. Please understand. If the original author has any disputes, they can contact the website for handling. Once verified, we will correct it immediately. Compiled and edited by "Coffee Workshop". Please indicate the source when reprinting. If there is infringement, please inform us for deletion. Thank you~!

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