How to operate a coffee shop? how to transfer to an independent coffee shop?

"You don't need a huge customer base to feed an independent cafe." Qi Ming, founder of Platinum Coffee Academy, said at a seminar on "Independent Cafe Management and Development Trends" held in Beijing recently. The small venue was crowded with coffee industry practitioners from all over the world who came to "learn" and coffee lovers who planned to open a shop.

Qi Ming believes that the key to independent cafes is to have personality and attract segmented customers through personality. "Those who focus on personality, self-expression, youthful cafes, customers are willing to spend." Today, all the popular independent cafes in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou are showing their individuality." At present, the domestic independent coffee shop market follows the principle of "long tail", independent coffee shops with both fame and fortune are rare, and most independent coffee shops constitute a long "long tail", just over the food and clothing line.

Li Qiang, a senior practitioner in the coffee industry, believes that the role of the boss is very important in operating an independent coffee shop. Before opening a shop, we should "look in the mirror" more. Whether we really love coffee, whether we have enough rationality to do business besides having feelings, and are good at contacting and expanding customers.

Jiang Jie, who has been engaged in the fine coffee industry in the United States for more than 5 years and is preparing to return to China to start a business, also believes that "team, business philosophy, love and understanding of coffee" are the three prerequisites for the success of independent coffee shops. "Teams with adequate preparation, detailed research and successful resource integration will have more opportunities and better performance. Entrepreneurs with rich resources must innovate more and copy less." Qi Ming said. For the majority of ordinary coffee shop operators, they need to have a sense of normalcy and appropriate marketing strategies as a member of the "long tail".

Integration into the business circle and community is considered to be the key strategy for the survival and development of independent cafes. Jiang Jie used to be the manager of a boutique cafe in a white community in Los Angeles, USA. He told our reporter, shop decoration is simple, coffee grinding machinery is very particular, shop assistants to coffee related knowledge master a high degree, and pay great attention to communication with guests. Many residents are regular customers of the cafe, some drinking four or five cups a day. Between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. is the peak consumption period, with sales reaching 400 or 500 cups. Because of the good location, high rent price and high income of the main consumer group, the coffee unit price of the store is relatively high.

It is worth mentioning that the status of coffee, the dominant product of independent cafes, is on the rise. According to the results of this year's market survey conducted by Platinum Coffee Academy, coffee ranked first in the list of consumers 'consumption goals to coffee shops. In 2009, coffee wasn't in the top three. And coffee shop operators surveyed in 2015 said the biggest source of revenue was coffee. These changes mean a shift in consumer attitudes and an improvement in consumers 'ability to taste coffee. "Therefore, independent cafes must focus on improving the quality of their coffee." Qi Ming said.

For the operation of independent coffee shops, Qi Ming gave a set of suggestions: smart site selection, avoiding its edge, differential management, not humble but not overbearing; Love coffee, enter coffee education, join the third coffee wave; Focus on coffee, comprehensive management, pay equal attention to beauty and delicacy; Express personality, strengthen brand, implant theme, and dare to express; Besides opening up, strengthen management and strengthen throttling; Integrate into business circle, thank neighbors and take the route of surrounding masses.

Source: International Business Daily

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