Coffee Catches Customers

Coffee shops, fast food restaurants, and convenience stores are all garnering incremental customers, top line sales, and bottom line profits driven by an increased demand in fresh full flavored coffee according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Today consumers purchase an average of 3.6 beverages per week from c-stores, restaurants, and new non-traditional foodservice locations. Simply put ‘On-the-go’ beverage consumption is fueling coffee visits thus foodservice outlet visits according to Johnson. In fact 64% of consumers have drank coffee within the past month, either at home or from a foodservice outlet.

Erica Colgan, Product Manager at Huhtamaki stated that many of these visits are likely happening on-the-go. “In general, consumer lifestyles are becoming more mobile”... “Coffee has always been an important part of the morning routine for many people, but with busier schedules, it’s often easier to grab a cup to go while on the way to work, school or errands.”

Colgan continued “A great to-go cup starts with proper insulation. While many busy professionals don’t have the time to linger over a cup of coffee in the morning, they want it to stay hot on the go. Not only do quality cups keep beverages at the right temperature for a longer period of time, but they also make it more comfortable to hold—something that’s important for customers who stop in before their morning commutes. “With proper insulation, drinks will stay hot and the cup stays comfortable to the touch, making it easier to hold during commutes and while on-the-go,”

Fresh fast full flavored coffee service in the morning has incremental brand-building power for foodservice outlets. Retail foodservice outlets can print logos and other branding on the outside of cups, which increases brand recall for consumers. With branded cups, an operator can gain additional exposure. Colgan says “allows operators to showcase their brand in a high-quality way. And now, the extended sleeve provides even more room for branding.”

More and more municipalities are banning legacy plastic and Styrofoam cups.  Are you prepared with the proper cups for takeout?  Do your brand cups look more like yesterday than tomorrow? The best-designed to-go cups will take into consideration consumer needs and preferences, and adapt to those needs.

Success does leave clues and being prepared with branded cups of fresh brewed coffee that is full flavored is a clue not operator should over look.  Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869