Considering Opening A New Cafe? Check Out These Tips

Melbourne is arguably home to the world’s best coffee and with hundreds of cafes scattered throughout the city some might consider it crazy to be considering opening yet another one. However, with independent coffee shops ruling the roast, in our opinion there’s always room for another, but the trick is getting customers through your doors. So with that in mind, just how do you attract customers to your brand new cafe and be successful?

Be different

It seems that being different from other generic cafes really does pay off. We heard of a pop up cafe in London that opened in January named “run for your bun”. The concept was that customers got their lunch in exchange for doing a work out at the cafe. Apparently the idea generated lots of media attention just because it was something different.

With so many cafes for customers to go, it’s important to stand out from the crowd by being unique or having a speciality. You could choose a décor that’s unique or you could devise a speciality theme for your menu or a speciality coffee.

Attractive exterior

A lot of people make their decision on which cafe to visit based purely on how it looks from the outside. It stands to reason that there’s not much else they can base their selection on when there are so many cafes to choose from. That is unless they’ve visited every cafe in the area and made their choice based on their experience at each one. To gain the attention of those who are uncertain where to go, then your cafe needs to look warm and inviting.

High quality coffee

Australians are a nation of coffee connoisseurs so well made coffee is a must – lukewarm instant coffee is just not acceptable. Coffee is the main reason a person visits a cafe and your customers won’t come back again if it doesn’t live up to expectation. Variety and quality is a must and your barista needs to be good at serving delicious coffee.

It’s not just about coffee

Naturally coffee is important but you can’t rely on just that for your income. You need to be pushing sales of delicious pastries, cakes, and muffins. If you have the space, then try and offer enticing hot and cold food options too.

Loyalty cards

Loyalty cards are one of the best and cheapest ways to gain more customers. Provided your offer is attractive and rewards the customer, then they do work. To give a new customer even more incentive to return, why not stamp his or her card twice on their first visit?

A variety of seating areas

Cafes are still viewed as a place to be social and to meet up with friends simply for a chat. Be sure to offer a variety of different seating areas, some with sofas and larger tables for group booking, as well as areas for freelancers to work, and even an area for young mums and their children.

Here at Cafe Furniture Melbourne we can help with all of your cafe furniture requirements including tables, chairs, and stools. Why not explore our online store or visit our showroom in Campbellfield to see for yourself. Call us on (03) 9125 6859 for more information.