The Covid-19 crisis hit the coffee industry hard. But this doesn’t mean that your local coffee shop is now a thing of the past. Cafes are reopening all over the world and doing fantastic numbers. Many of our customers are noticing an increase in volume so as a result, you should have no fear about opening back up.
Make Sure People Know it’s Safe
Perhaps the first thing you will need to do is let people know that it’s perfectly safe to visit your shop. This will be all the more crucial if your shop is one that tends to fill up with people very quickly. Many customers will naturally have worries that they are sharing space with non-vaccinated people.
As things now stand, over 500 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered to people all over the world. This means that your chances of getting this virus by socializing at a coffee shop are lower than ever. You should still take precautions but it does seem that the worst is now over.
Your task as a coffee shop owner will be to let people know that you have taken all of the necessary steps to ensure their safety. Have masks available to anyone who needs one. Make sure your baristas continue to use masks and observe all of the other protocols that are necessary to keep customers safe.
People Need to Know You’re Still Here
Your next move after you shore up safety is to make sure that people know your shop is still here. You need to plan for a sort of grand reopening. This will be all the more crucial if your cafe has been one of the ones that were shuttered for a long time. If this is the case, you need to serve notice that you’re back.
The best way to do this is to create a buzz on the web for the reopening of your cafe. This is a trend that you need to get started some weeks or a month before you actually reopen your doors to the public. Let people know that you are coming back. Create a promotion that will have them all counting down the days.
Use all of the best and most relevant SEO content to make it happen. Post graphics and videos on all of your social media pages. Let people know what you are doing to get your shop ready for reopening. Show them some special “behind the scenes” footage that will let them know that you are working hard for them.
A few of these videos can dwell on all of the health protocols and new safety features that you will be adopting. But it’s best for you to focus mainly on making sure that people know that their favorite local cafe will soon be back. The more buzz you can create, the more business you can expect when you reopen.
Make Sure to Diversify Your Menu
During the time that most people couldn’t visit coffee shops, they had to make do with what they could brew at home. As a result, a great many people were introduced to a lot of alternatives to coffee. These can include Matcha tea, Chicory bean mix, and many others. You need to acknowledge their existence.
When you open your shop back up, you can do yourself a huge favor. Many of your customers will be there to socialize with their friends. They will naturally also be in the mood to enjoy a few of their favorite espresso or latte blends. But you can make some extra money by having some of these alternatives for sale.
If you don’t feel at ease offering these items on the menu, you can put them on the counter. Many people who don’t have the budget to visit a coffee shop every day will be happy to buy a few of their favorite home coffee or alternative mixes. They can save money by buying from you and then enjoying them at home.
Make Sure Your Equipment is Top Level
Last, but far from least, you need to consider the quality of your equipment. It may not be the best idea for your customers to see that you are using the exact same equipment as you were the last time they were there. If it’s been a year, they may naturally expect that you have done something by way of an upgrade.
Customer satisfaction is the key to your success. The equipment you use doesn’t all have to be brand new but it definitely helps to have a few new gadgets. You want to make the impression that your cafe is back and better than ever. Newly upgraded and more precise equipment will definitely help to send this message.
