Fad – any form of behavior that develops among a large population and is collectively followed with enthusiasm for some period, said to “catch on” when the number of people adopting it begins to increase rapidly. The behavior fades quickly once the perception of novelty is gone.
Trend – Though the term trend is sometimes used interchangeably with fad, ‘fad’ is a fleeting behavior where ‘trend’ is a behavior which evolves into a relatively permanent change.
Speaking of fads…
- The 60′s – American Bandstand, Lava Lamps, Twister, Mood Rings, Platform Shoes, The Smothers Brothers, Sea monkeys, The Mickey Mouse Club, Drive-in theaters, Troll Dolls, Paisley, Men wearing beads and GI Joe.
- The 70′s – Lava lamps, Muscle Cars, Star Wars action figures, CB Radios and CB radio sayings (like “breaker, breaker” and “That’s a 10-4 good buddy”), Rocky Horror Picture Show, Leisure Suits and Dorothy Hamil haircuts.
- The 80′s – Atari, Legwarmers, Swatch Watches, Rubik’s Cube, Friendship Bracelets, Josie and the Pussycats, Mullets and Rat tails, Dungeons and Dragons and Hanging out at Video Arcades.
- The 90′s – Pokemon, American Gladiators, Beavis and Butthead, Wide leg jeans, Oprah’s Book Club, Pogs, Polly Pocket Toys, Mortal Kombat games, Tickle Me Elmo and Slammer Whammers.
- The 2000′s - Napolean Dynamite, William Hung, Big Mouth Billy Bass, Atkins/Low Carb Diets, Razor Scooters, Uggs, Pocket Bikes, Jared the Subway Guy, Napster, US flags on cars and Botox.
What seemed critical yesterday may be forgotten tomorrow. Ask the manufacturers of the mood ring, lava lamp, CB radio or pinball machine how many orders they’ve gotten lately…if you can find them. Many of these items seemed important at the moment, but are just a memory today.
What does this have to do with coffee? Lots. For example, yesterday I had to chat with a couple girls in our store who didn’t seem to get it that sitting in a booth with their laptops studying and not making a purchase was not an acceptable option. Years ago this was not an issue, at least not as it is for shop owners today. Affordable laptops with long battery life and omnipresent Wi-Fi often make our store a personal office. “Oh, I need to buy something??”
What about coffee as a product? We know that auto-drip coffee has stood the test of time, served in virtually all locations selling coffee. Restaurants, cafes, gas stations, offices and coffee shops have built their business on the auto-drip method of brewing. But, recently brew-by-the-cup (BBTC), something that has existed for decades, has seemingly taken the industry by storm. Is this a long-term shift in the public’s mindset on how coffee should be enjoyed? Does it signify a shift in what customer’s want? Or is it a coffee geek’s passion, self indulgent to the core.
Your view on these questions will have a direct impact on your business: If you offer BBTC how do you adapt your store layout to maximize sales? Will you add the labor-intensive pourover, or spend money on a Bunn Trifecta or two? Do you eliminate auto drip brewing as on option or serve both? If you sell whole bean coffee, do you offer customers the option to choose from all of your coffees or just a few? For some coffee shops BBTC makes perfect sense and fits with who they are, for other businesses not so much.
Is it possible that BBTC is a fad? That it will be unable to make the leap to the mainstream and be relegated to a narrow slice of the coffee industry. Or will the coffee buying public’s idea of coffee be so altered by the experience of BBTC that they demand a shift in the industry and any coffee retailer failing to offer it as an option will soon be left behind?
I’m not sure yet, but I do know this. If I hire the right people, train them well, serve great coffee (however I make it), in a great atmosphere, I maintain profitability and keep a smile on my face everyday, I can take my time evaluating whether or not BBTC is a fad or a trend. And JP’s will be here in business either way.
(Reprint of March 2011 Jack’s Blend column from the Specialty Coffee Retailer magazine, copyright 2011)
5 Comments
Consider the following scenarios and benefits of Brew-to-Order (BBTC):
Fresh: No coffee is ever pre-made. Pre-brewed in a low-volume environment will not be delicious. A cup brewed while a customer watches is the freshest and most engaging way to prepare coffee. It also tastes delicious.
Best Flavor: BBTC is the best way to extract the flavors that make coffee outstanding. Urns or other volume brewers can make a great cup. However, it frequently sits around, or is put into dirty pots, and ends up being a disappointment.
Commitment: BBTC is a visual representation of your commitment to made-to-order and illustrates quality ingredients and preparation.
Value: customers perceive higher quality when their food or anything is made-to-order which translates into higher returns on your investment.
Less Waste: restaurants that brew volume tend to use twice as much coffee because they dump or drink half of it or give it away as free refills. This is a disgrace. Cafe’s are different but in my experience brewing into a dirty airpot can ruin perfectly good coffee and you are harming your business by doing so.
More Fun: Starbucks uses BBTC in certain stores during off-peak hours. Their staff reports less waste, happier customers, more profit, and they think its “more fun”.
Differentiation is the key in a highly competitive and highly fragmented industry. If you are satisfied with your business, you have already achieved differentiation, and have little incentive to change. If you are new or you prefer the quality route you will likely choose the simpler, custom approach. Both have their time and place and neither is right or wrong. But wouldn’t it be ironic if coffee brewers ended up on the trash heap alongside the hula-hoop and not the pourover?
What do you think about the k-cup mania? I’ve lost some whole bean customers to the Keurig brewer. The customers like good coffee, but value efficiency over taste (and environmental impact, and buying local, etc). I asked some of them “if I was able to provide you re-usable k-cups with our coffee, would you use it?”. Answer at first was sure, then 2 seconds later, “no, that wouldn’t be very easy to clean up.”
So… what to do? I see many people praising the wonders of the brewer on facebook (including my friends).
They still come in to buy my brewed coffee, but not the whole bean, take home coffee.
The K-cup mania is real. Whether it is K-cup or some other variety of a single cup brewing system that is more concerned about convenience than quality, they are here (and have been here) to stay. It’s just that K-cup has done the best job in bringing the machine to market (engineering and technology, cup quality, coffee selections, convenience, etc.). I think the key is to offer the alternative to K-cup (quality focused, coffee shop experience, friendly service and relationships, etc.). I own a K-sup brewer and my wife uses it regularly. She loves it. I use it occasionally because of convenience and “only wanting one cup”. Don’t worry about the others, focus on your stuff and execute well.
As a side note, here is a conversation I had with a friend with a couple of other people putting in thoughts. Shines a little light on the conversation. As a disclaimer, the conversation is light and although we disagree somewhat, we are still friends. There are 4 people in the conversation; CD, JS, MG and me.
Original post:
CD-die “K cups” DIE!!!
Comments:
JS-Agreed. I need a more concise, diplomatic way to tell my customers why they aren’t “sooo awesome and easy”. (Because people seem to be asking about them all the time. And asking when we’re going to get our coffee put into them. *shudders*) Any good blogs on the topic that you’ve come across? I’d love to get my hands on one just to refract some coffee, play around and see how the thing works…but I can’t bring myself to spend my money on one.
Me-Why? Our goal should not be to convince people who think that K-cups are “awesome and easy” they are not (repeat after me, “I do NOT love K-cups, I do NOT love K-cups, I do NOT love K-cups”). They fill a need. Many people love the ease and efficiency of the K-cup brewing system. I have a Keurig brewer at home and even as a coffee shop owner, I think it is an excellent solution for many a coffee drinker. Notice I did not say it produces the best coffee.
CD-bah! Disagree.
Me-Bah! That’s OK.
CD-:-)
MG-They’re easy to use. The silly thing is people think they’re cheaper too. Correct me if I’m wrong, but putting money towards a decent grinder and a french press are equal in price(if not cheaper) and not terribly difficult to brew(not to mention more satisfying)
Blah…if only if only.
Me-The main reason my wife loves it is it allows her to have one cup without brewing a whole pot. If you compare costs, coffee at $12/pound will cost about $1.50/pot. A Keurig K-cup costs about $0.40/unit, thus for the person who wants one cup it is much cheaper. Of course if you French press you can bring the price down, but my wife does not prefer French presses coffee. For us, it is a good supplement for the occasional cup. Also, I got my accountant to use it in his office and it is a big improvement in selection, quality and cost savings for them. Many offices have adopted the K-cup as it allows each cup to be brewed fresh and gives the choice of which coffee to each person (my accountant has a basket with French roast, Colombian, Kenya, flavored, decaf, etc.).
CD-if the only redeeming “quality” the k cup has is that it is easy and convenient then I still hope to see it fade away. Promoting this type of thing is just like enabling someones addiction. We like to see them happy but at what price? Not talking dollars here…talking waste, and talking most importantly taste…if we are going to be and are raising our prices then the value added element that will keep customers will either be convenience and marketing, or taste and marketing…I prefer the later. I think if we can get customers to taste our coffee without having to deal with hints of the last users orange pekoe or raspberry latte then we are winning in the long run instead of being satisfied by illusory wins of convieniences based customer service.
Me-I wouldn’t say the only thing the K-cup has going for it is convenience, because I don’t think it would be as popular as it is. It is a solution in a category called “single cup coffee brewer” and it tastes better and works better than most or all of it’s competition. Notice I didn’t say tastes great. But, we (you and I) are not promoting it. We have always tried to differentiate ourselves with our quality. Let’s face it. There is a HUGE group of people who don’t or can’t or don’t want to taste the difference between good and bad coffee. They are not wrong. They are what they are. I eat and drink stuff that others would have a fit over. Doesn’t make me wrong…or them right.
MG-Hario V-60 pour over does single cup brewing as well and is much cleaner in taste than a french press because it holds back a significant amount of the oils and sediment. The K-cup being a good solution to single cup brewing is…an illusion.
Even easier than that…why not pour french pressed coffee threw a rinsed paper filter before serving? Not that you haven’t thought of this, I recognize you’re an industry person. I’m all for providing customers with solutions.
I really think the only thing going is convenience. These other methods do take a few more minutes to prepare and clean up…and it seems thats the sort of thing people aren’t willing to do.
Me-To be clear, this is not a discussion about quality. It is about convenience. And there is a HUGE, let me repeat HUGE, group of people to whom that is the most important, or quality is secondary to, the convenience issue. I just think it is funny when coffee people point fingers at people who value convenience and say, “No you don’t”.
MG-I guess I question convenience. If I give off the “point fingers” attitude I apologize. I guess when it comes down to it…when do you draw the line when it comes to convenience in your lifestyle?
I don’t mind taking a couple more minutes to prepare something very tasty much like you and most avid coffee enthusiast.
If we’re justifying convenience…then we’re telling the specialty coffee industry that there really is no point to what we do…and thats not just selling coffee, it’s education too.
I can’t back k-cups even if they’re convenient. I would rather educate. I think it’s possible to get those to value what we do and let go of convenience.
CD-I look at people who value convenience and say “how can I broaden your horizons without enabling your current handicap” / See..thing is quality is king…even with folks who play dumb and say they like it for it’s convenience. If they don;t like the beverage they won’t drink. That is a quality decision. Therefore the k cup threatens to keep people in a state of perpetual adolescents by pandering to an under developed sense of quality…thereby robbing them of the joys they might have had if they were not so bound and shackled by the chains of convenience
Me-My wife makes salsa. Great salsa. The best salsa there is. The stuff from the store sucks. Why can’t everyone make their own salsa? Why doesn’t everyone appreciate great salsa? Why don’t people realize that buying salsa from the store is just convenient? I think everyone should have my wife’s commitment to make salsa and that anyone that doesn’t should be educated on why making salsa at home is the only way. People who eat store bought salsa just don’t get it. Store bought salsa threatens to keep people in a state of perpetual salsa-childhood and rob them of the joys I have of eating homemade salsa. They are bound and shackled and I am free.
CD-Coffee is a bit more simple than salsa. And…hyperbole aside…you are right. / Are they experiencing all they could? No. Why because of convenience. They are no wrong. They are generally ignorant of what “better” means. I never want to make a customer feel dumb for their tastes or questions. But I know some stuff that, if they have the patience, will bring them more enjoyment. / in your illustration…the slasa store could just as easily be a high quality coffee shop/roaster that sells brew ware. So I don’t see a problem.
Me-Yea, there’s a thousand things the illustration could be on. I know you well enough to know that you are not trying to beat people into liking quality. But it’s been a subject that has been a thorn in my side, because so many in the coffee industry have presented it that way – willingly or not. The debate is similar to being a vegetarian. I “don’t get” being a vegetarian. I love meat. I have no problem with someone else being a vegetarian. I do have a problem when they start telling others that eating meat is bad/wrong/etc.
Thanks, I know it’s kind of useless to fight the trend, but I wish I had something to offer that would meet the convenience need. Like maybe single brew “tea” bags with coffee? Or should I not even bother? Have you heard of any successful alternatives by local shops?
Quality coffee shops should not base their offerings on convenience. You need to make sure your wait time is not too long, but I would not look to adding products in the convenience category to save your business. Read my last blog post – http://www.coffeegroot.com/2011/05/they-made-me-do-it/