It’s the fourth quarter, your team has played a great game so far, there’s 13 seconds left on the clock and you’re ahead by three. The game is in your hands, so everyone lets their guard down a bit at kick off. The ball sails high and end-over-end as it lands in the hands of your opponent at their 20-yard line. A defender misses a tackle at the 25-yard line, and then another lets the anxious runner slip through his hands at the 32. Another strategic block by his teammate and he’s off to the end zone. The clock runs out as he celebrates the six points that gave your competition the game. What happened? You lost sight of the fact that the game isn’t over until it’s over and every play, every defense, every second counts, until then.

The same is true in restaurants. Your interaction with a guest and their experience isn’t over until they leave your parking lot and head home. A warm atmosphere, great view, friendly greeting, exciting menu, wonderful food and beverage and attentive service have been “spot on”, UNTIL you brought that closing cup of coffee or tea. You dropped the ball with 13 seconds left in the game. So, why is that closing product so important?

I met with a client in recent months who tried to argue that serving good coffee was not important – in fact, he claimed that it really wasn’t important to serve coffee at all. I didn’t know how to respond. His thought process was so out of step with reality that I simply knew that any argument would be a waste of time. Coffee or tea are important – VERY IMPORTANT. A great dining experience without GREAT COFFEE or TEA is incomplete and may very well turn an otherwise great experience, sour.

People have an interesting relationship with their beverage of choice and today many consumers are very aware of the difference between poor, fair, average, good, and great coffee or tea. Coffee shops have never been more popular than they are right now with guests lining up to spend $5 (or more) for their beverage of choice. They are fickle consumers who are dedicated to their choice of pour over, drip, espresso, latte, café au lait, Americano, or a litany of other coffee choices and tea lovers know the brand that floats their boat whether they prefer loose tea, silk bags, herbal blends, orange pekoe, English breakfast, Red Rose, Lipton, or Salada. They have a preference to how it is brewed (bag in first or water in first) the preferred water temperature and the length of time that it is allowed to steep. Both coffee and tea lovers are fickle about the type of cup or mug, weight of the vessel, whether the tea is steeped in a cast iron pot or ceramic, and the type of sweetener that you offer. These beverages are a “thing” and as important, if not even more so than any other part of the meal. They KNOW THEIR BEVERAGE.

At home, many consumers have elaborate brewers, espresso machines, grinders, and in some cases even tabletop roasters for green beans. They have a relationship with the beverage and expect that you, as the professional, are even more committed to doing it right. So, are you?

According to national statistics, more than 400 million cups of coffee are consumed each day in America, 80% of Americans have at least one cup each day, 150 million are avid drinkers of the beverage, and 36% turn to espresso drinks such as cappuccino, latte, and café au lait. Increasingly they prefer environmentally and ethically sourced beans. That equates to an $80 billion industry – one that can’t be ignored.

There are 159 million tea drinkers in the U.S. who consume 85billion cups per year. That’s 50% of the U.S. population. Like coffee culture participants, tea drinkers are hard-core loyalists who know what they want and can explain, in great detail, how their beverage should be made.

Coffee is associated with boosting energy levels, waking people up, providing that needed mid-day refresh, and fueling the drive that everyone seems to thrive on today. While tea is connected to a sense of calm, relaxation, a psychological crutch, being somewhat medicinal and healthy. Opposite ends of the spectrum and in some cases a person can align with both. One thing is certain – coffee and tea are important.

So, what is your restaurant doing to connect with the passion that surrounds coffee and tea? You may not be able to support full time baristas to handle the last course in your restaurant experience, but you certainly can invest the time to buy great beans, grind them in house, learn proper temperatures and process for brewing each, train your staff to be excellent at handling and serving this most important part of the dining experience.

When in doubt, remember this: The last product you serve is also the product that accompanies the check for a guest’s meal. This is when a consumer takes a moment to assess what they are spending their hard-earned money on. Set the stage for those last 13 seconds, don’t drop the ball. Remember, the game isn’t over, until it’s over.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

www.harvestamericacues.com  BLOG

(Over 900 articles about the business and people of food)

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