Jan
07

Five Cafe Trends of 2017 that Failed

Posted on November 24, 2017 by Ash Bennett

If you are in the food service or cafe business in Australia, you know the importance of keeping up with the trends. But just because something became a trend doesn’t necessarily mean that it is something you should adapt in your cafe business. Some trends seemed interesting at first but didn’t stand the test of time regarding customer satisfaction and opinions. You don’t want to fall into the trap of serving up trendy ideas if they crash later as bad choices.

To avoid this scenario, we have rounded up five of the least-liked trends of Australian cafes for the year 2017 so that you can avoid them in 2018.

1. Coffee served in wine glasses– One seemingly innovative idea thought up by some Australian cafes was to serve coffee in something other than a standard coffee mug or cup. The idea of serving coffee in wine glasses was an original one, it did not last with regular coffee drinkers. It made people think they should sip, swirl, and swallow their coffee and seemed silly after some time.
2. Milkshakes with whipped cream and toppings– In 2016, many cafes and fast food establishments decided to serve extra whipped cream and toppings on their shakes. But it didn’t go over that well with customers; it just went over the top of the glass and made a huge mess.
3. Serving extra large coffees and lattes– Some business owners decided to invest in much larger coffee cups so that they could serve large and jumbo-sized coffees. But the statistics on Australia’s coffee lovers’ behavior indicates that most Australians prefer smaller sized beverages over larger ones. In fact, Hospitality Magazine reported that over 80 percent of coffees purchased in Australian coffee shops are smaller sizes. Only 18 percent of Aussie coffee drinkers preferred large coffee sizes.
4. Putting kale on everything– In an attempt to make everything healthy and to qualify as a “super food,” some coffee shops and restaurant owners try to make all of their foods and drinks healthy. But there are not as many super foods as some so-called experts claim. So you should be careful about adding kale or other ingredients to your coffee drinks in an attempt to call them “super foods.” You have to be able to prove that the drink will boost someone’s immune system or improve their overall health in some way to label it as a super food.
5. Donuts and pastries– The popularity of donuts and pastries has declined as more people realize the lack of health benefits of these overly sweet delights. Instead of these choices, consider healthier foods such as bagels or wheat crackers if you want to build your cafe brand around a healthier philosophy.

It’s fine to follow the trends to some degree and keep up with what Australians like when running your cafe shop. Try to avoid the fads that can cost you a lot of extra money up front and leave you with surplus inventory. But be sure to stay stocked up on plenty of small coffee cups and other paper products for your cafe, so you won’t be left “holding the bag.”