4 ways to an efficient coffee program

We know that with a busy staff that have little time to waste and demanding patients that expect a quality cup of coffee you need to keep an organized and efficient coffee program. Plus, serving coffee in multiple locations throughout your facility makes it much more important to offer fresh hot coffee all day long.

Demand is high. Millennials are much more likely than the overall population to order beverages away-from-home, and coffee is a popular choice. Twenty-fur percent of young consumers buy four or five beverages per week, compared to just 15% of those 35 and older, according to Technomic’s 2016 Beverage Consumer Trend Report. Plus, young consumers are willing to pay more for coffee (both specialty and regular) made onsite, compared to older consumers.

Whether you’re serving a millennial or a boomer, coffee is enjoyed throughout the day and in a variety of ways—from hot to iced to specialty.

Making it a priority to boost your coffee programs efficiency, while keeping standards of service and preparation high will not only ensure you’re meeting demand of patients, staff and guests, but will also boost your profits.

So, how can you craft a more efficiently-run and successful coffee program to take advantage of this audience?

Make the format fit the need

Review your current coffee program to determine inefficiencies. Use pot brewers in lower-volume locations, such as in-room service. Consider liquid coffee equipment and thermal brewers for higher-volume locations like cafeterias and nurse’s stations. Airpots featuring a variety of brews work well in waiting rooms to meet a variety of tastes.

Consider an easy-to-use brewer

Consider innovative equipment that does the work for you. Today’s brewers offer a range of features, including programmable menus and self-diagnostic maintenance systems. The Select Brew® Coffee System, for example, offers a broad selection of quality, customized coffee beverages at the touch of a button. With no-mess usage and minimal maintenance, the system requires almost no labor and produces virtually no coffee waste. From hot to iced to specialty coffees, you can offer patients, staff and guests a variety of their favorite beverages all day. 

Keep an organized coffee station

Design your coffee stations to align with traffic flow. Keep consumers in mind by arranging cups on one side, then clearly labeled coffee brewers, followed by condiments and stir sticks, napkins and lids. Make sure all necessary materials are easy to access and that the area’s cleanliness is frequently maintained. It might be wise to hire a consultant to help design your coffee set-up, especially if you’re working in a small space, in order to streamline your coffee offerings to meet demand. Consider always offering a dark roast, lighter roast and a decaf and cut back on less-popular brews. Spice things up with a weekly or monthly LTO roast. 

Work to keep strong employees

Well-trained employees are hard to replace and you want to ensure your employees are projecting positivity and good customer service to your guests so look for ways to boost morale and engage them on a regular basis. Be choosy when selecting employees, especially managers. “Not everyone’s a good manager,” says Holly Bastin, project coordinator for Licata Coffee Consultants in Kansas City, Mo. “People don’t typically leave jobs; they leave managers.” Plus, investing in innovative equipment and products that offer labor savings will help your bottom line and allow your staff to focus on other tasks throughout the day.

Follow these steps to increase efficiency and grow sales within your coffee program.