At the risk of sounding superficial, you can learn a lot about someone from what coffee they choose. Coffee today is so widely available and so popular, so it’s only natural that many variations of the caffeinated drink are offered.
To help improve your hospitality business, we’re running through the most popular coffee orders and what sort of audience they attract. This way, you can keep on top of the trends and offer a menu that suits the needs of your target client base. Let’s begin.
Flat White
A Flat White is far and away from the most popular coffee drink. It hits that perfect middle ground for consumers who can’t stomach it straight-black, but also don’t want to sweeten and decorate the drink until it’s barely recognisable.
Any barista worth their salt should know how to concoct a mean flat white, and chances are it’s already a staple on your menu. If not, we’d definitely recommend making a change as soon as possible.
Long Black
The long black is for the caffeine addicts that don’t like to mess about. These customers are usually older and more accustomed to the bitter taste, and no, even a Youtube to mp3 conversion wouldn’t make them switch to a sugary alternative. The long black is also a favoured drink for those in a hurry because it’s simple and quick to make. Shot of coffee + hot water = long black. It’s really that simple. If your business serves long blacks, you’ll be satisfying your older audience and anyone in a rush on their way to work.
Dirty Chai
The Dirty Chai is the coffee of choice for hipsters looking to switch the game up a bit. It’s for the sort of audience that wakes up listening to Bon Iver covers instead of learning how to tie a tie.
The drink is literally a chai with a shot of coffee mixed in, however, it’s actually quite a pleasant mixing. If your business is popular for its coffee selection, consider diversifying even further with a dirty chai.
Iced Coffee / Cold Brew
Now here’s a polarizing drink. Coffee purists will tell you that cold coffee is sacrilege, but the truth is, coffee is incredible either way. We’d definitely recommend ice cold coffee for the warmer seasons, but if you want to run it all year round, we wouldn’t blame you either. It’s a sugary drink that has a very addicted fanbase. In all my coffee shop endeavours, I’ve met a surprising number of people that will loyally stick to the iced coffee. Rain or shine.
Latte
The latte is fancier and sweeter than the iconic flat white, but it’s not overboard. If a consumer has a little more time on their hands, chances are they’ll be treating themselves to a latte while they skim over the best new books 2021. There’s a reason this drink is the no. 1 coffee order in Italy, and that’s because it’s delicious. We’d highly recommend running this option for your fancier customers.
Cappuccino
At long last, we have the entry-level coffee – the cappuccino. The cappuccino isn’t heavy on the coffee, but it decorates the flavour with chocolate dustings and the frothiest of milk. It’s heavenly to drink but doesn’t score you much respect as a coffee drinker. If your store is popular with teenagers and younger people, definitely stock the cap. It’s the perfect way to open up the world of coffee to hesitant or intimidated customers. And once they’ve tried it chances are… You’ve got them for life.