• The number of single visits has increased, people have become less likely to go in companies.
• It is also obvious that people are switching from expensive consumption to more affordable.
• Coffee houses turn out to be the most sought after by people over 45. But over the past year, the number of visits by the most solvent part of the population has grown - 35–45 years old, which confirms the thesis about the arrival of visitors from the restaurant segment to us. This is especially common in regions where Shokoladnitsa is considered an expensive coffee shop. In Moscow, our coffee shops are popular both among young people (20-30 years old) and among older people.
• We have become more in demand Special offers... In particular, breakfast and lunch fixed price... The share of package offers for breakfasts and lunches increased by 20-25%. But this did not happen overnight. We quite consciously and long ago started working in this direction - we are improving our package offers for breakfasts and lunches every quarter. And every time we note that their popularity is growing. Of course, there is a risk that they will become so attractive that they minimize the rest of the sales, but at the same time, we meet the needs of people to save money, help them optimize costs. In the same "Coffee House" we have a very budget proposal - breakfast for 149 rubles.
• In today's time of crisis, fast food wins. Nevertheless, coffee shops are quite attractive for guests with their affordable offers, takeaway trade, and all sorts of pleasant trifles.

Sales structure in our coffee shops

1. Coffee is the permanent leader of sales in Shokoladnitsa. It is ordered in 61% of cases.
2. The second most popular are main courses. Their share is approximately 50%.
3. Bakery.
4. Beverages.
5. desserts
6. Salads.
7. Side dishes.
8. Soups.
9. Alcohol.

Guests want a personal touch

People want personalization, which is kind of a service. A high level of satisfaction is impossible without variability, especially among the younger generation - all those X, Y, Z. They say: I want porridge without salt or without sugar, with skim milk or cream. And if they don't get what they want, this place is closed to them.

I want breakfast at two in the afternoon, and I don't care if you have it before noon.

Over time, the proportion of such people in business will grow dramatically. We will notice this in a few years, but we need to focus on them now.

First of all, the menu - it should be 100% variable.

In the United States, there have been restaurant chains for a long time, where there are five basic products on the menu, but they can be turned upside down. And 10-15 more options for what you can order or remove in addition to them. That is, the guest must be given the opportunity to make a personal order inside the dish.

We need an individual approach

To be on trend, the establishment must be aware of the individual preferences of its regular guests. For example: you come, they identify you, they know what you are ordering approximately, and they say: are you as usual? From an operational point of view, this is difficult. But this format will be more in demand than an assortment of 20 fixed dishes without the ability to change anything.

New pricing to increase loyalty

Everything goes to the fact that pricing will be fundamentally different. Now this is happening in the field of the Internet and telecommunications. But this will also affect restaurants sooner or later.

Suppose we select a basic package - some simple things that can be shareware (for example, Americano), and food and desserts are at a special price.

Still fighting for guest loyalty! And in fact, the success of a business is determined by the number of repeat purchases.

The potential for repeat purchases varies from industry to industry. Some industry can claim 80%, some - 20%. If the number of repeat purchases or the number of loyal guests in the coffee shop is at the level of 40%, then due to the new pricing, the attendance ceiling can be raised by 20 percentage points. Because loyalty is contentment, which means consistency.

World coffee prices have recently reached a half-century high. Arabica was more prone to rise in price. According to the observations of coffee expert Chris Spears, many investors turned their backs on traditional investments after the financial crisis. And what is happening now in the global coffee market is the result of the accumulation of speculative futures contracts. This is reflected in the prices of physical coffee, which is very sensitive to conjuncture, various rumors and therefore is endowed with significant volatility.
The second factor that influenced the rise in coffee prices is that the producing countries began to actively consume this product, which they had only exported earlier (they drank mostly instant). This is the case in Brazil and India, where a government program is underway to make good local coffee more attractive to the public.

The expert also noted that the unrest in the Middle East does not affect the coffee market, since the countries of this region participating in the supply of this commodity are relatively stable today.

By the way, in the 2009-2010 agricultural year, the total production of coffee in the world fell from 128.1 million to 120.6 million bags. Due to the poor coffee harvest, according to experts, in the next few years, the average prices for instant and freeze-dried coffee will grow at a rate of about 10% per year, and for natural coffee - 5% per year.

For reference:

The most popular variety in the world is "Arabica", it accounts for about 70% of the total world production. It is characterized by a rich aroma and chocolate flavor with a slight sourness. The grains are oblong, green in color with a longitudinal light groove. The caffeine content in "Arabica" is low, about 1% - 1.7%. The historical origin of "Arabica" is from Ethiopia, but nowadays this variety is grown on an industrial scale in Brazil, Colombia, India, the countries of Equatorial Africa and on the island of Sumatra. "Arabica" is very sensitive to weather conditions, various diseases and pests, which naturally affects the price, this variety is considered aristocratic in all respects. In addition, during the cultivation period of the coffee culture, many hybrid varieties based on "Arabica" (typica, bourbon, Colombian, Jamaican Blue Mountain, mocha and others) have been developed, which have varying degrees of saturation, possessing various flavor motifs, from cognac, chocolate and nutty to wine and fruit.

Unlike Arabica, Robusta is more resistant to climatic whims, has a rich aroma, rich bitter taste and contains more caffeine - about 2% -4%. Its grains are rounder and smaller than Arabica beans. And the age of cultivation of this variety is much younger, about 150 years. The largest producer of "Robusta" is Vietnam, in addition, this variety is grown in Cameroon, Zaire, Uganda. "Robusta" is the main raw material for making instant coffee and cappuccino.

Coffee market in March 2011

To imagine what the democratic restaurant of the future will look like, you need to listen to what experts in the field of restaurant technology and environmental designers have to say.

The collapse of culture seems inevitable to them. fast food... Taking into account the latest trends, the places we are accustomed to fast service as a result, they will be ousted by democratic restaurants, striving to win the favor of a new generation - the more fastidious, who strictly monitors their health. You can call it a kind of karma for what fast food chains have created in their time with American restaurants.

Experts believe that these democratic restaurants will emerge in the very near future. They will be somewhere between eateries and traditional fast food restaurants. Also, when you consider style, price level, food quality and service, they will become even more prevalent and popular. One can only guess what will become of such establishments over the next twenty-five years, but recent trends cannot but lead to certain thoughts.

According to Jeremy Julian and Gary Stotko, also known as The Boys from restaurant business, restaurants of the future will have more computers and fewer people. As CEOs of restaurant technology company Custom Business Solutions, Inc., Julian and Stotko strive to convince restaurant owners that the digital age inevitably presents them with a choice: they'll either keep up with the times, or lose their customers, or maybe they don't. all your business.

“Restaurant owners are realizing that if they don't use technology, they will have to raise prices,” Julian says. Julian and Stotko argue that in order to adapt to wage policies, cultural changes, and technology, restaurant owners must embrace modern digital tools such as wearable gadgets, big data, or omnichannel marketing in their businesses. Thus, in the modern world, restaurant chains will be able to store various types of information about each customer, being constantly present in their digital life and studying their desires and needs.

Based on this finding - as well as statistics, researching current trends with the help of an environmental designer and illustrator, one can imagine what a fast food restaurant will look like in twenty-five years. Welcome to the visual tour!

Imaginary look into the future

The year is 2040.
Millennials who are known for their innovative ideas are approaching 50; The environmentally conscious Generation Z is gradually giving way to Generation Alpha - high school and college graduates - and the marketing world is now targeting them. You are standing in front of a new democratic restaurant in your city that sells, for example, pasta or sandwiches. Your friend has already been to this establishment more than once, you follow him.

As soon as you walk into the dining area through the automatic doors, you see a combination of environmental awareness and modern design: walls made from seemingly plant materials, cork tables, bamboo counters, solar-powered lamps. All this is beautifully highlighted by multi-colored LED lamps. You'd be amazed if you haven't seen this shameless attempt to address Gen Z's eco-trends in restaurants like this a million times. From all sides you hear snatches of conversation, energetic melodies of classic hip-hop and unusual electronic signals - all sounds unobtrusively merge into a cacophony, all this creates a relaxing atmosphere.

Your friend takes a smartpad (formerly known as a “phone”) from his pocket and unlocks the screen. “Glad to see you again,” he receives a message. This is part of the loyalty program in which he takes part, as well as many others at this time. You look up to see a small black beacon reading your friend's smartpad and delivering messages. “You got 10 points! Dial 50 more and you can get a free sandwich! "

Self-service terminals

Now you have to find free seats. You go to the back of the restaurant, where booths with tables are located, and to your right you see self-service terminals. They remind you of the distant 2010s, when self-service kiosks had to be installed in many fast food restaurants such as McDonald's due to continuous protests over wage policies.

You realize that that strange electronic signal that you heard comes from the terminal screens, where young people cleverly place an order or pay a bill.

The girl, who is standing in front of one of the terminals, brings the smartpad to the screen. "Thanks! Your bill has been paid! " Number 34 appears on the screen.

A girl walks past you and walks towards a green moss-covered wall with about 50 small offices built into it. You will recognize these automatic “bins” that were so popular in modernized, fully automated restaurant chains about twenty years ago. The girl approaches the cell at number "34" and touches the screen-door with her hand. The cell door opens and the girl picks up the brown bag.

Wearable gadgets

You and your friend have finally chosen a table at the back of the room. You already want to sit down, but he stops you: "This table is very dirty." You notice that the tabletop is strewn with crumbs.

A friend runs his hand over a digital screen on the table surface, before that he was in standby mode. Then he clicks the "clear" button. In a matter of seconds, a worker appears, his badge says "Jamie", he runs up to your table. Jamie is "armed" with an aluminum can of detergent and a rag. Are you wondering how long Jamie's work will last? After all, 90 percent of restaurants these days are already operated by computer labs remotely, and the average number of their employees has dropped to 3-5. You know Jamie's job is one of the lowest tech and lowest paid jobs ever - and you remember your first job at a fast food restaurant in high school in high school.

You see a neon green bracelet on Jamie's wrist. It vibrates and lights up as Jamie wipes the smart table. A few seconds later, the inscription "Table 7" lights up on the waiter's smart watch. You thank Jamie, who is now in a hurry to clean table # 7 - wherever he is.

"What did you choose?" Your friend asks, placing his smartpad on the table. Smart table "comes to life" again: "Welcome back! Check out the recommendations based on your previous orders. "

You touch your side of the table with your fingers to let the system know that your friend is not dining alone. The screen is split into two and a menu appears. You slide your finger along the table surface, studying the restaurant menu, which presents different kinds organic whole wheat pasta, freshly made sandwiches that are made with locally sourced ingredients. You grin, because in the past the word "freshly made" meant "made by hand." The dish is now being prepared by kitchen robots that mimic the recipes of famous chefs and are designed to cut labor costs.

Studying nutritional properties and the composition of the dishes, you understand that the menu is tailored to your friend's vegetarian diet, so you are looking for a section with a full menu. After a while, you are ready to place an order.

"Select a Payment Method". Your friend swipes the smartpad over the table. The menu disappears and new screens appear. Without much interest, you watch the news anchor list the headlines of the hot topics. Noticing that you are bored, your friend swipes from right to left across the screen. Questions from the quiz appear. This time, you swipe across the screen, launching a game like Naval Combat.

Near the table, you spot a solar-powered mobile charging station and decide now is the time to recharge your smartpad. You plug the device into the universal jack and keep playing.

Multichannel marketing

After 5 minutes, your game is interrupted by the message that the order is ready. On your side of the screen, the number 21 lights up. You go to the green wall and look for a cell with your number.

The small box contains your sandwich and drink. You press on the cell door, but it does not open. The message "Download our app and get $ 2 on your next order" appears. Instead of tapping “No thanks,” you swipe your smartpad over the screen and feel it vibrate when you download the app. The door opens, you pick up the tray and return to the table. For the next hour, you enjoy lunch by answering quiz questions and listening to the sweet sounds of hip-hop and good old electronic music.

"Ready to go?" - the friend asks you, getting up from the table. You walk up to a solar-powered waste container and throw away paper waste.

When you leave the restaurant, you feel your smartpad vibrate. “Did you like it with us? Please rate your lunch! " This is a message from the app you downloaded against the cell wall. Most likely, a tracking beacon above the entrance has detected that you are leaving the restaurant. You put five stars, thank your friend and go home, not even realizing that this high-tech democratic restaurant is already planning your next visit - picking up your favorite dishes, entertainment, and not forgetting about your companion.