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Winter and Coffee
Here’s a thought. I know that colder weather usually brings the idea of higher coffee sales. How true is this really? Aren’t frozen blended drinks at least as popular as traditional espresso-based drinks and brewed coffee? Is not the markup higher when there is less substance involved (read: crushed ice by volume)?
Or is this thinking flawed, and sales actually DO increase during the winter months?
My experience has told me that people are more likely to hang around in the shop when it’s colder outside. It appears as though just the experience of BEING in a coffee shop is a comfort to a lot of people when it’s cold outside. Even if they only order one flavored latte and maybe a side-item (i.e. - pastry) to last for an hour or three.
Do you find it easier to sell purist type drinks like the Traditional Cappuccino, Macchiato, or straight Double to regular customers, or do you find that people will usually stick to their “usual” as a comfort item when the temperature outside drops?
Does it even really get THAT cold in your part of the state?
Do you still sell a lot of iced and/or iced blended drinks despite the weather?
In short, how does the weather affect the products you sell?
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from my experience profit margins are higher on traditional coffee drinks vs, blended drinks. This is based on using some kind of mix for your blended drinks, which most people do.
In college station our two best sales months were February and October, most likely because these two months have no holidays and school is in session, combined with it being cool enough weather to enjoy warm coffee drinks.
As far as what type of hot coffee drinks sell? well in this market younger people buy sweet drinks (with a few exceptions) and older people are more likely to buy drip coffee or a traditional latte, capp etc. That said, I always trained my employees to help the customer choose what they wanted rather than to sell them a particular item.
I don’t like iced or blended drinks at all. When I was in college though my marketing prof. told me that ice cream sales actually increase in the winter.
Hey, Dan. Where in College Station did you work? Before I was really “into” coffee I hung out at Sweet Eugene’s all the time (from about ‘94 to ‘01). I haven’t been back since (moved) but I’d like to go back now that my tastes are more refined and see if I still like it.
I don’t much like them myself, but I know that for a lot of tiny shops, it’s helping to keep them afloat financially.
I have heard that icecream sales increase in the winter.
That’s part of where the curiosity came from.
It’s strange, I think.
Brad,
I managed Java Joy, a store that opened in late 2003,
Sweet Eugene’s in my opinion is hit or miss, but that has just been my experience. They have great atmosphere though and are still very popular with students etc.
As far as Ice cream sales increasing in the winter, I find that odd, but… isn’t ice cream always on sale in the winter? Dunno but for something like that I would think price is a huge determinate.
I echo what Dan has already said. As a wholesaler I can tell you that most retailers busiest months are October and February. I also echo the point that traditional espresso based beverages “usually” command a higher profit margins especially if the frozen beverages in question use any milk product for reconstitution. Without the benefit of stretching the milk in the hot espresso drinks, you end up using substantially more milk in the cold drinks to meet the volume of the cups. I also will say based on our sales of frozen smoothie and frappe mixes and our experience with gelaterias, contrary to what most of you have said, frozen beverages drinks from November through March are typically less than 60% of typical summer month volumes when one would expect to serve more of these beverages.
Aaron,
That’s what I would think too regarding the frozen drinks. I don’t know where that professor got the ice cream info or what statistic it was based on.
Brad in Waco
Dan,
Where is Java Joy and is it worth going there when I visit BCS?
Brad,
Java Joy is one block south of 2818 on longmire. In my opinion it is the only decent place to get coffee in BCS, but it is in a pretty out of the way location.
What’s your take on Waco? I grew up there and have had mixed results with the places that have opened since I went to college.
Re: Waco coffee
I like Waco but I don’t go to the coffee shops. I’ve tried one and it was horrible. I know there is Common Grounds by campus but I’m just going to say I’ve never tried their coffee because it was 8 or 9 years ago and I have no recollection of it. I live in the Woodway area and two indy coffee shops have recently opened here. One is the one that is horrible. Haven’t tried the other. I’d rather just make it myself.
I can relate to that, but I still visit random shops with the hope that maybe I’ll find a fellow coffee lover behind the bar, or better yet, behind the books.
It’s rare. Like, not even been filleted, much less cooked, rare.