Foods @ Coffee Shops

[CoffeeLover]

I'm wondering what people have tried to serve, what did good and what they had to let go of. For instance some bakery goods last longer than others. Some people serve normal food too, what are you serving up food-wise in your coffee shop?

 

[Rowley]

How well does the "50% off pastries" sign work or dismay customers?

personally I would feel better spending twice as much for the peace of mind. =)

 

[CoffeeLover]

I've seen coffee shops do the costco muffins. They are some of the greatest muffins in existance, nice big, fresh muffins in many varieties.

I've seen more and more coffee shops carry the health bar stuff now too, something im not really into but seems they are.

 

[topher]

we carry all fresh pastries..made each night for the morning shift....an additional batch of pastries are made in the am for the afternoon...we are a bit spoiled...having pastrie chefs on duty 24/7! But I do like when I go to a coffee shop and they do their own baking(well par baked) items...forget the discount for stale goods!! Anywhere I have worked we either donated the less than fresh goods(still safe) to soup kitchens or gave it to the staff! Our stuff now never goes to waste...we either sell out or transfer to our employee dinning room.

 

[Rowley]

Bakery in a coffee shop is an excellent idea, in fact I if were to start a cafe tomorrow I would definatly work with a local bakery to make sure I have freshly baked goods.

I guess the costo muffins way for begining coffee shops is a fine way to go, and health / power bars I personally love them and they definatly keep on the shelf longer then freshly baked goods.

 

[CoffeeLover]

Zanzibar - Irvine, California

Zanzibar had a deal with a bakery shop, but they seemed to keep their day old on the shelf for that extra day When they went to change ownership it was talked about to get a sandwidch shop involved in bringing in the lunch time sandwhiches That would have been very cool. I'd do the baking myself if I had the time for the shop

 

[octalpus]

I can't say how well this is going to work, as we're not open yet, but our menu includes smoothies and a small assortment of baked goods. A friend who has recently opened a similar cafe is pushing me towards light foods, such as soups, sandwiches, and salads, as he is having a great deal of success with these items... I'm still pondering that one.

 

[Coffee Guy]

All of these are good ideas. Just depends on who you attract to your business. I happen to think Costco Muffins are good. Inexpensive and huge. I even sell some at our locations. Good quality and great prices. I also agree that you can't keep them past two days. If you have your own bakery thats even better YUM! However, there are a lot of small bakers that make great products. Hook up with them as much as possible. We just happen to have a couple of our coffee accounts that are bakeries and even though we don't distribute baked products, we do get them a lot of referrals from other espresso businesses.

Hey Octalpus, what kind of business are you opening and where are you located? It may be a good idea to work something simple first before you add on other things like food, i.e., sandwiches, etc. Unless you are the only game in town or have a lot of foot traffic it may be hard to serve that many items. In addition, if the espresso is going to be your draw, you don't want to confuse your customer and take away from the sales of your espresso.

Just a thought.