Food in an Espresso stand

[ChopShopCoffee]

Ok so I recently opened and own a drive thru espresso stand. My question is what kind of foods do you think would sell best? I have muffins...was thinking of doing a breakfast burrito but really cant decide. Any ideas?

 

[topher]

I used to do eggs on a croissant. You take 2 or 3 eggs and a splash of half an half in a frothing pitcher. You can add sun dried tomatoes , chives or even just some shredded cheese. Steam the mixture and it will come out like a puck of perfectly cooked scrambled eggs. Remember to spray the pitcher with pam or some other cooking spray....and have a wet towel to wipe off the steam wand. You do not want it to harden and stick to your wand! Good luck and let us know what you end up doing

 

[Nichols]

I used to go to a coffee shop in San Diego that unfortunately went out of business. They served a Monte Cristo on a toasted raisin bagel with a dijon mustard (including seeds) It was unique in my mind, tasted amazing, and made it worth going there instead of one of the chain shops!

 

[ChopShopCoffee]

Both those ideas sound great! Thanks!

 

[evanclosson]

I'm going to give this a try! Very cool.

 

[PinkRose]

Do you get many customers in the morning hours, or are they spread out throughout the day? Unless their coffee stop is for a quick meal, people are usually looking for something tasty to go along with their coffee - more so than a breakfast sandwich, etc.

If you don't get much of a breakfast (or lunch) crowd, the muffins that you offer now, along with some cookies, biscotti, etc. may be all you need. Have people been asking for something in particular?

Rose

 

[ChopShopCoffee]

People havent asked for them yet but I get alot of construction workers and truckers. I worked at this stand about 3 years ago when it was different owners of course and back then people came and asked for different options for food. I added mini cinnamon rolls and am going to order cookies today....So I am just hoping to get more people over here rather then the Starbucks across the street. =)

 

[PinkRose]

Maybe you should go sit at the Starbucks across the street and see what people are buying there.

 

[CoffeeJunky]

Maybe you should go sit at the Starbucks across the street and see what people are buying there.

Agree with Rose and see what is big seller there... I am sure if you have something similar and better and people don't have to wait on endless line, with unwilling employees, you will get much needed traffic.....

 

[EmeryCoffee]

Another vote for spying across the street. On a personal note, I recommend anything bread. Coffee cake, muffins, scones, bagels, etc. that is not super sweet and handheld for your stand. Coffee in one hand, cake in the other.

 

[JLew]

Ok, does anyone else not feel comfortable about steaming eggs on a steam wand????? Maybe I totally misread that but I don't think it sounds like a good idea??? Maybe I'm wrong...

 

[CoffeeJunky]

I tried couple of times and eggs came out too mushy...

 

[PinkRose]

I can't tell you how many times I've seen people wipe off the steam wand with a dirty towel that was sitting on the counter. Even though I know the steam wand gets pretty hot when frothing the milk, I doubt that it gets hot enough to sterilize it. But, that's what people do . . . and I guess no one has died from it yet.

If I knew that the person behind the counter was steaming eggs with the same steam wand that they use to froth milk, I think I'd go buy my coffee elsewhere.

Rose

 

[JLew]

Thank god, I was thinking the same thing. In our county health regs say you can't even do that, we would need a whole different classification because you are actually cooking the egg. I would never buy a coffee from someone that steams an egg on the same wand. Yeah the steam wand gets hot, but the problem really comes when people don't purge the old milk out, and they don't clean the wand with a lean bleach rag the the milk stays on there growing bacteria in a nice warm environment, the they stick that nasty wand in the next milk.....BARF! Ugh, I have been in enough coffee places and have seen some disgusting things.....makes me want to do my own health inspection before I order a drink somewhere! Ewwwwwwwww!

 

[graham]

A lot of independent coffee shops are having success selling our Kifa Bars. They are unique, made from whole food, super delicious and filling. Our customers are also experiencing a lot of repeat business for the bars, much like Nichols said in the 12/7/12 post. You can visit kifabars.com to see pics and reviews of our 10 flavors or email me directly at graham@kifabars.com for a wholesale price list. We're also happy to offer FREE samples that you and your staff can enjoy and use as a trial on your customers.