How to Make Your Coffee Shop Kid-Friendly
How to Make Your Coffee Shop Kid-Friendly
More than anyone, parents need that delicious morning jolt to get their day going. Visiting a kid-friendly coffee shop would be high on any parent list.
Operating a kid-friendly coffee shop makes financial sense. This is especially true for parents who would like a safe place to go, drink coffee, and eat snacks.
Unfortunately, many coffee shops skip out on a considerable part of their target market – kids! I can attest that kids follow their parents – who often need more coffee than most people – into coffee shops only to be greeted with a cold shoulder. It’s unfortunate but true. Most coffee shops don’t cater much to kids and seem nearly always scramble to find something a child can order. The truth is that even if you have a drive-thru coffee stand or a coffee truck business, you can do a few things to make your coffee business kid-friendly.
Kid-friendly coffee shops can be a game-changer:
- Bring in more customers
- Increase revenue
- Develop community goodwill
Fortunately, it can be pretty affordable and straightforward to make your coffee shop kid-friendly.
In today’s post, I will talk about steps and strategies you can take to make your coffee shop more kid-friendly.
How to Make Your Coffee Shop Kid-Friendly
Add Kid-Friendly Items on Your Coffee Shop Menu
Having a kid-friendly menu makes financial sense. Many parents also want to order food and beverages for their children or young kids. Take some time and develop your coffee shop menu.
Add juices and lightly sweetened fruity teas that would sound appealing to parents. For example, apple juice, orange juice, or mango juices can be winners.
Additionally, healthy snacks that are low in sugar and calories but are appealing to kids may be a good option. These include fruit salad and parfait, wholegrain cereal and yogurt, as well as breakfast burritos, wraps, and even smoothies.
In addition to your beverage and food choices, make sure you offer kid-size cups, plates, and portions. Having a variety of options for the little ones is a good sign of a kid-friendly coffee shop.
Add Kid-Friendly Furniture
A kid-friendly coffee shop often has a few furniture items that are extremely helpful to kids and parents alike. Perhaps a high chair, booster seats, and smaller chairs would be beneficial. Of course, you will have to make the best decision based on your available space, but booster seats and one high chair always seem to come in handy. Adding a kid-sized table with chairs is always a good option as well.
Add a Kid-Friendly Play Area
If you have a space, a kid-friendly area can make a world of difference, no matter how small. Of course, the area should be clean and tidy and not be too overwhelming with toys. However, a few items can be enough for kids to entertain themselves for a few minutes.
If you have space outside, adding a small area where kids play together would be ideal. We all know how much kids love to play outdoors.
Train Your Employees
One of the most affordable and effective ways to improve your coffee shop’s kid-friendly scale is to train your employees.
Many of your employees will be young themselves. Some may have younger siblings while others do not. Many of them may not know what to do with small customers.
Train your employees to be very welcoming to both parents and children. A brief hello to a child and acknowledgment can go a long way.
Train employees to serve appropriate sizes and significantly change the temperature. What is seemingly a perfect temperature for adult mouths may actually scald children. Therefore, you must be aware of reducing the temperatures of the hot or warm beverages you decide to serve.
Additionally, while your employees should be using appropriate and professional language when talking to customers, they also need to be aware of how they speak to each other. Kids listen to everything. Parents notice. The last thing you want to do is ruin the vibe with poor speech and coarse language inappropriate for children.
It is also essential to keep the topics of conversation to a professional level. Coffee shops are not places for employees to spout out their opinions on any subject. The best recommendation is to keep conversations light, friendly, and amicable in today’s polarized environment.
Train employees for potential spills and messes, which is typical when you have kids. Have your employees offer extra napkins or plates to help. Training your baristas is an excellent way to ensure your coffee is consistently delicious and you deliver terrific customer service.
Additional Reading: How to Start a Coffee Truck Business
Be Aware of the Music You Play
If your coffee shop plays music, consider the type of music that is being played overhead. Coarse language with curse words is not appropriate for young children or most retail environments. Remember, the music you play isn’t for your employees. It’s for your customer’s experience. If your customers are coming in with their young children, your coffee shop needs to be mindful of that.
Further Reading: How Long Does It Take to Open a Coffee Shop
Childproof Hidden Dangers
If you can, it is an excellent idea to child-proof your coffee shop. This means putting outlet covers on particular electric outlets, moving furniture with sharp edges – and securing items that can fall or pinch little children. Of course, kid-friendly spaces first require safety and kid-friendly considerations that improve the security of your customers.
Add a Changing Table in the Restroom
Having a small changing table in your restroom is an essential item that can make a world of difference for parents with infants. They are also relatively inexpensive and easy to install and can fit in even the smallest of restrooms.
In addition to keeping your changing table clean, consider providing wipes and always have soap and paper towels.
Consider Your Aesthetics
The paint and overall vibe contribute to the feel of your coffee shop. Consider the colors of your walls, furniture, or even artwork. How can you ideally pivot to make your aesthetics more kid-friendly? While you might not have the interior of an ice cream shop, you can still make your aesthetics light and perfect for customers with young families.
Have coloring sheets and crayons
As a kid-friendly coffee shop, why not provide coloring sheets with a small bucket of crayons? Kids would love this, and parents would be very grateful that you have something to help entertain their children as they enjoy their coffee and snack from your coffee shop.
Having a coloring sheet is a simple and inexpensive way to generate goodwill and repeat business.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are plenty of ways to make your coffee shop kid-friendly. Moreover, many of these kid-friendly strategies don’t have to cost a lot of money.
Additionally, having a kid-friendly coffee shop means that you are focused on your customers’ experience. The more receptive you are to your customer’s needs, the more likely they will return.
Starting a kid-friendly coffee shop is relatively affordable. You only need a few hundred dollars to incorporate the tips and strategies given.
Further Reading: Requirements to Open a Coffee Shop
Additional Questions
How do you start an eco-friendly coffee shop?
An eco-friendly coffee shop is a great way to reduce waste and contribute to helping the environment while making money.
Some simple solutions can make your coffee shop more sustainable and eco-friendly. The best way to be an eco-friendly coffee shop is to reduce the waste from serving your items. For example, introduce composting of your spent coffee and food scraps from changing the cups and lids. You can also make design changes to your coffee shop that uses less energy. Additionally, you can choose to work with more eco-friendly or other sustainable businesses too, such as coffee roasters, bakeries, and other b2b coffee vendors.
Where should I get my coffee beans from?
Coffee shops are always in need of excellent coffee beans. Depending on where you live, you will have various options to secure your coffee shop inventory.
If you are operating a retail coffee shop, you will choose a wholesale coffee roaster that meets your needs. However, you may also decide to roast your beans yourself. Roasting your beans will require additional space, more coffee equipment, a bigger budget, and expertise. Yet, if you choose to roast your beans, you can save a lot of money over time.
Other Related Business Startups
If serving families are high on your list, you may also consider starting an ice cream shop business. Ice cream is beloved by nearly everybody on the planet, but especially young families. Consider opening an ice cream shop alongside your kid-friendly coffee shop. Or you may consider other mobile options like setting up a coffee truck that is family-friendly – offering healthy choices for families with young kids.
