Best types of food to offer at your coffee shop
Food Menu Items to Offer at Your Coffee Shop
We love our coffee at our local Seattle coffee shops. But let’s be honest, coffee shops are much more than places to get a cup of Joe.
We have previously written that coffee shops are unique community places where people can meet with friends, work, or study. However, while enjoying coffee is delightful, your customers may want delicious food too.
Indeed, one of the best ways to boost your coffee shop’s profitability is to have an enticing menu selection in addition to those vanilla oat lattes, Americanos, and cappuccinos.
Please take advantage of customer’s tastes and schedules by offering them enticing foods and snacks.
The ultimate menu question for coffee shop owners is, what is the best type of food to offer my coffee customers?
Well, we’ve visited hundreds of Seattle coffee shops. They all have their unique menus. We’ll list some of the most common that work for their neighborhoods.
In this post, let’s discuss the best types of food and snacks to offer at coffee shops.
Adding or adjusting your coffee shop menu to serve your target customer will draw more people and generate more sales. For example, instead of ceding sales to a fast-food chain, why not offer snacks and foods at your coffee shop to drive sales? By providing foods your customer wants, your coffee shop will be the preferred neighborhood hangout.
The Best Types of Foods to Offer at Your Coffee Shop
Donuts
In the United States, 10 billion donuts are consumed each year. Ultimately, that means that donuts are trendy. Therefore, you don’t want to miss the sales that these tasty treats bring.
Since coffee is your mainstay of offerings, you want to cover delicious and easy food items that go with your coffee. Easy to carry and easy to serve up, donuts make a great addition to your menu. Whether you decide to make them yourself or buy them from a wholesale donut producer, you’ll likely increase your sales.
I enjoy Top Pot in Seattle – a donut and coffee place that creates delicious and good-looking donuts. Each location is a beautifully designed coffee shop that fits the neighborhood. But, of course, I also can’t leave out Mighty-O Donuts too, another Seattle favorite. Donuts are among the best types of food to offer at your coffee shop!
Bagels
According to statistics, it’s estimated that over 10 million bagels are eaten each day in the United States. Like donuts, they are easy to make and serve. They are perfect for adding to your breakfast and lunch menu because they can be served with butter, egg, or turned into sandwiches. Bagels are a go-to breakfast item that both satisfies customers and fills their bellies up. It also goes perfectly with the coffee you are serving.
Coffee and donuts go together perfectly. Just ask Seattle’s favorite Eltana Café – which makes incredibly delicious bagels that are good any time of day: They rake the daily sales from hungry customers! Bagels are among the best types of food to offer at your coffee shop!
Pastries & Baked Goods
Delicious baked goods may not be suitable for our waistline, but they are great for our taste buds – and bottom line! The truth is that most customers expect coffee shops to carry pastries and baked goods. Baked items are among the best types of food to offer at your coffee shop!
You can go to town with tons of great options – muffins, croissants, puff pastries, tarts, cakes, cookies, fritters, and everything in between.
Other popular coffee shop pastry items:
- Cannoli
- Strudels
- Danishes
- Macarons
- Éclairs
- Pies
- Pretzels
Each of these goes exceptionally well with coffee. Additionally, they are all great for upselling. Encourage your customers to take one for that particular person at home. I love coffee shop bakeries.
Some of my favorite bakeries in Seattle are:
- Bakery Nouveau
- Coffee Shop Startups Costs
- Fresh Flours Bakery
Sandwiches
Sandwiches are a great addition to your coffee shop menu. Perfect for the lunch crowd and generating sales after the traditional morning coffee rushes. You can go all out with sandwiches:
- Turkey
- Beef
- Vegan
- Sausage
- PB & J
- Paninis
Sandwiches can boost profits and increase your lunchtime receipt. After all, who doesn’t like a tasty sandwich and cold brew coffee? (I’m in). Sandwiches are among the best types of food to offer at your coffee shop!
Some of the best sandwich places in Seattle:
- HoneyHole Sandwiches
- Husky Deli
- Paseo Caribbean Sandwich
- Valhalla Sandwiches
Best Types of Foods to Offer at Your Coffee Shop
Soups
Soups and sandwiches go together like coffee and milk. They also add to your bottom line. Cafes that offer soups generally increase their bottom line. Especially in cooler months, sandwiches, soups, and coffee are the ticket to great sales.
Soups are relatively easy to prepare, store, and serve to hungry café customers. If you are a small coffee shop where space is an issue, you can offer two or three soups for the day.
Soups, sandwiches are complementary to each other and make for excellent product bundling that drives up sales.
To-go items
Many coffee shop customers are interested in just picking up their coffee and going. They may also want to take their food to go, which is super convenient. Already prepared and packaged to-go items would make great additions to your coffee shop menu.
While your coffee shop will have its vibe, style, and product offerings – customers still have preconceived notions of what a coffee shop is supposed to sell. And these are food bars, healthy snacks, chocolate, cookies, etc. To-go items are among the best types of food to offer at your coffee shop!
Healthy food options
Healthy food options – those with less fat, refined sugar, or carbs are also expected from many coffee shops today. Develop your menu choices to offer healthy food choices that cater specially to your customer base.
These may include:
- Kosher food and snacks
- Gluten-free snacks
- Nut-free snacks
Research your target market for details. Certainly, healthy snacks are among the best types of food to offer at your coffee shop!
Signature Items
I think that every coffee shop should have its signature item. Your signature food item should be special and unique to your coffee shop. For example, be the only place in town where you can get this type of panini, soup, or beverage. Signature items make your coffee shop the place to go in the eyes of your customers.
The Best Types of Foods to Offer at Your Coffee Shop
Display Cases
We just discussed the best types of foods to offer at your coffee shop. But what about your display case? The truth is that while your food has to be sharp, you also need to present your food options in an aesthetically appealing way. So invest in good display cases that suit whatever food types you decide to offer.
Seattle’s Best Display Cases Examples:
- Fresh Flour Bakery
- Café Ladro
- Milstead Coffee
- Zoka Coffee
Room for storage and prep
The more types of food you offer at your coffee shop, the more space you will need for additional storage, prep, and serving.
Keep in mind that you will need shelving, storage bins, refrigerators, and perhaps extra counter space.
Space is always a significant factor when it comes to retail. You want to maximize your space to store and serve several different types of food that will appeal to your customers, widen your target market, and increase your revenue.
If you don’t have a lot of space – you just might have to get creative. For example, many coffee trucks and drive-thru coffee stands know how to pack their inventory, equipment, and necessities to serve their customers the best types of foods they want.
Additional Staff
Serving different types of food at your coffee shop will likely require additional hours of work from your employees. You may also need to hire other staff to prepare, cook, and serve extra food.
Additional baristas that serve the best coffee along with your chosen coffee shop menu will help keep the lines moving and customers happy.
Menu board Development
The best types of foods to offer at your coffee shop are the ones that your customers know about. In other words, be prepared to showcase your food options with interior signage, pictures on social media, your display cases, and your menu board. Develop an appealing menu board that gets your customers’ attention and helps answer any potential questions. Be clear on the name, the price, and the ingredients to your food items.
Conclusion
One of the ways to improve your bottom line is to offer a variety of foods at your coffee shop that people love. Ultimately, the best type of food to provide at your coffee shop are those items that your customers love. To find the best food, you need to know your customer. Spend time researching what they like. Just as important, understand what foods they don’t like. Know what type of food your coffee shop competition is serving as well.
If you offer delicious foods consistently – and if you mix up your menu from time to time – you will keep your customers coming back. Repeat business is the name of the game when operating a successful coffee shop.
The Best Types of Food to Offer at Your Coffee Shop
Related Questions:
Should you roast your beans?
Many coffee shops buy their coffee inventory through wholesale coffee roasters. We think that local coffee roasters provide an excellent option for your coffee shops. However, you might be thinking about roasting your coffee beans. This is also a good idea, but the decision does take some consideration. If you roast your coffee beans, you will need to get a wholesale green coffee connection, additional roasting equipment, and expertise.
Why do coffee shops fail?
Coffee shops are lovely community treasures that are profitable. However, from time to time, coffee shops fail and go out of business. If you run a coffee shop, the last thing you want to see is your business slowly dying. So why do coffee shops fail? Much of the time, it’s a lack of planning, not enough cash on hand, and poor management. The good news is that you can often avoid these reasons. Read this article for an in-depth look at why coffee shops fail.
How much does it cost to start a coffee shop?
Determining the cost of a coffee shop should be focused on the details. They include the type of coffee shop you want to open and where you want to open it. Additionally, the larger the space and the deeper the menu is, the more equipment you will need. All of these add up to various startup costs. For additional information, you’re going to want to read Coffee Shop Startups Costs.
