Should You Serve Both Coffee and Alcohol in Your Cafe?
If you have a cafe business, you’re probably wondering if you can serve alcohol and coffee. When serving alcoholic beverages together with coffee will extend your business hours. It also gives your customers a wider range of options and lets you attract a larger customer base.
However, selling alcoholic beverages must be time-consuming, costly, and complicated. Is it worth the hassle and the right decision for your business?
To help you become more informed to make the right decisions for the business, this article will help you know the things to consider, as well as the advantages and disadvantages when serving alcohol on your menu.
You will learn about customers’ preferences and even how to profit. So, if you are considering adding alcohol to your menu, you’ve come to the right place.
What You Need to Know About Serving Alcohol in a Coffee Shop
If you add alcohol to your coffee shop’s menu, it could improve sales, yet it comes with a price. Of course, a coffee shop plays an important role in many elements of the coffee business.
From the brewing equipment to the space and location, working with other suppliers, and hiring baristas, are just some of the few things to consider. And since your menu plays an important role when you compare your business with other competitors, then you really must be certain of it.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Serving Alcohol in a Coffee Shop
It would be very exciting when you serve alcohol at a coffee shop. However, having alcohol may change the vibe or ambience of a coffee business. Below are the pros and cons when serving alcohol in a coffee shop.
Advantages of Serving Alcohol
Attracts More Customers
Ever noticed that alcohol businesses always increase their sales? Among the benefits of serving alcohol is attracting or expanding the customer base. If there are many customers, there will be more sales and profits.
Having alcoholic beverages on your menu helps expand the customer base from the coffee shop, especially if you want to spend your afternoon with your friends.
Of course, the trend depends on the concept of the coffee shop. You would expect beer geeks and even wine connoisseurs to frequently visit with your regular customers.
In most settings, this strategy would work very well, mainly because being customer obsessed could bring significant revenue to the coffee shop.
Extended Working Hours
Coffee shops usually have business hours from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Some cafes open before 6:00 AM, and others close earlier. But then, keep in mind that the opening hours may vary on several factors, including the target market’s availability.
And if you serve alcohol at a coffee shop, it would allow you to extend your working hours. The longer hours you open, the more sales and profit you generate.
More Marketing Opportunities
Any product you launch could bring more opportunities to promote the coffee shop business. When you serve alcohol, it could generate more opportunities in marketing your coffee shop for extended hours in the evening. With that, you will find the best strategy to employ in promoting the coffee shop.
Increase Sales Volume
The products at the coffee shop would make a great impact on the sales numbers. So, when you do thorough research for the job, the more products you offer, there more sales will be generated. That said, there will be more money that the coffee business would make.
Disadvantages of Serving Alcohol
Administrative and Legal Requirements
You should know that the process of just opening a coffee shop requires many requirements. How much more if you intend to serve alcohol on the menu? It may also require additional steps when opening the shop. If you want to know more about the requirements, click here to guide you.
Considerations When Hiring Staff
When you hire servers for your coffee shop, you should hire servers that are over 21, especially when they serve alcohol. Also, you should look for people to hire who have bartending experience and certifications. To know more about alcohol serving certifications, click here.
Dealing with Drunk Customers
Coffee shops are intended to be peaceful and solemn places. However, when you also serve alcohol in a coffee shop, chances are, you will likely encounter drunk or tipsy customers from time to time. It defeats the purpose of a peaceful ambiance.
Wrapping Up
While it’s a good strategy to sell alcohol in a coffee shop as it increases profits and attracts more and more customers, it’s also important to always consider taking safety precautions and being responsible enough to serve alcohol to clients. Of course, it is your duty to serve legally and with careful consideration and planning. You only have to comply with all the requirements and you’re good to go.
