CAFÉ FINANCE
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it's unlikely they will come back to your location for a sandwich or salad. But if your morning customers work close to your shop or are neighborhood residents, you may be able to get some repeat visitors or expand your base. Determining a compelling lunch program is the next challenge.
You will want to determine whether you will sell cold sandwiches, panini, soup or even more complex items. While each layer of complexity adds more sales potential, each also adds an additional layer of risk. Cold sandwiches can be fairly simple if they are pur- chased from a commissary that currently delivers to you. Once you start adding items like panini, you need to factor in equip- ment costs, labor costs and additional inventory costs.
There's also the risk of alienating customers who currently
come to you for a relaxed atmosphere or coffee-focused approach. Identify what makes you stand out as a business and be sure to build around that attribute—under no circumstances should you be weakening it. As stated earlier, for some shops, offering a very limited menu is the smartest move. These are places where high- quality beverages and baristas are the center of attention.
DIGEST ALL THE FACTORS Food within your coffee shop can clearly be a complex ques-
tion. Simple things like ordering the wrong quantity or offering too much can be very costly to your bottom line. However, if managed correctly, food can be a terrific add-on that nicely com- plements your coffee sales and profit. The right baked goods, sandwiches or other innovative items can feed demand as well as your bottom line.
34 Fresh Cup Magazine freshcup.com