Fresh Cup Magazine, providing specialty coffee and tea professionals with unique insight into the trends, ideas, products and people that shape their world.
Issue link: http://freshcup.epubxp.com/i/59523
NINE BARS BY ALEXANDER WYLIE The café-bar balancing act ost café owners and managers die a little inside when we look at our sales figures and see the numbers plummet around 2 p.m. each day. I know I used to have this feeling when I'd peruse the figures at our family-owned business, the Brew Station in Corvallis, Ore. However, the Brew Station now keeps a steady flow of customers from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Of course, this type of magic doesn't happen overnight, but one move was critical: turning ourselves into a destination for alcohol-based drinks later in the day. We first decided to transform our little coffee shop into a "café and pub hybrid" a couple years ago, and since then we have seen nothing but financial growth and happy customers. Here are a couple quick disclaimers before I get into the meat of things. First, before you decide to bring alcohol into your establish- ment, be sure to become familiar with the liquor laws in your state. Because we're located directly across from Oregon State University, we are always being watched by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, and it would take nothing more than a snap of their fingers to shut us down. Make sure you know the laws, and make sure you follow them to the letter. Second, consider your location. If your coffee shop is sand- wiched between a retirement village and an elementary school, adding draft beer might not be the best choice. We are fortunate 62 Fresh Cup Magazine freshcup.com enough to have a few thousand thirsty college students across the street, so the additional libations were almost a necessity. If those disclaimers haven't deterred you from considering beer and wine for your shop, here are a few tips from the trade that can help you succeed. THE EDUCATED STAFF One key to success when it comes to expanded service is hav- ing a well-trained staff. In this business, your employees must know everything there is to know about both coffee and beer. We are thankful to have a devoted coffee roaster—Portland- based Stumptown Coffee—that has trained our staff on cor- rectly pulling espresso shots, steaming milk and caring for the machine. We've developed a staff of coffee lovers who don't just clock in and do their jobs, but are instead fully committed to excellence. It's vital to adhere to those same standards of education and enthusiasm when it comes to beer and wine. If you are like us and don't have the ability to add team members who are specific bar- tenders, your staff will need to develop new skills and knowledge sets. They need to be alcohol aficionados. When our employees are first trained, we take great care to show them everything COURTESY OF THE BREW STATION