Marketing for independent coffee house

[joeburr]

Hi, I am a newcomer to this site and this is my first post. I opened a cafe 5 years ago in Berkeley, CA. I am interested in a recommendation of "Effective and Essential Marketing for the Specialty Coffee Retailer". Also, any other recommendation or suggestion for marketing literature or marketing ideas for small, independent cafes would be much appreciated.[/b]

 

[NordstromCoffee]

It might be helpful if you explained your situation. You have been open for five years. Are your sales struggling or are you looking for ways to grow on an already successful buisness? What marketing have you done in the past? I might have some suggestions if I knew more.

 

[joeburr]

marketing for independent coffee house

Thanks for your reply and interest. For four years we were operating successfully, but in very tight quarters. We had really high volume both in house, take out and catering to the University. We reached the capacity of our cafe could produce since the space was so small and the design so poor. So, this past summer we remodeled and expanded - we added more seating, storage and prep area. Now, we want to grow our business in all areas - in house, to go, catering. We have room for growth now and we need to reach out beyond our loyal customer base. We never really did any serious promotions so we are starting to explore this.

 

[NordstromCoffee]

Hope this helps

I would first locate areas where there are a lot of people such as an office building or hospitals so that you are targeting a mass audience. I would then approach the area in person with samples of coffee, money and any litterature. Do you use those insullated cardboard coffee to go containers (where you can hold a full brew of coffee)? If so I would set up a fax system so that your target areas can fax orders and this way you can make a larger amount of money in a short period of time. Litterature is important and you can do a lot with Microsoft Publisher and a digital camera. That way you are only paying for the paper. If you were looking for a larger idea let me know.

 

[NordstromCoffee]

sorry muffins not money