Even smaller cafes and restaurants should be investing in quality equipment to keep their customers coming back. Once people find a place that makes exceptional coffee or brews the perfect tea, they’ll return again and again.
So, what essential tea and coffee supplies do you need to create a memorable experience for your customers? Let’s take a look.
Coffee Machine
If you’re about to invest a few thousand dollars or more on a coffee machine, you’ll want it to be feature packed and long lasting. A brand like Expobar offers both plumbed and tanked water options and comes with an electronic switchboard to control the coffee dosage. You could choose a model which includes a built-in coffee grinder or purchase a separate coffee grinder. The Expobar’s compact design makes it ideal for a café or restaurant with limited space. Remember, you don’t need to buy the biggest or most expensive machine to produce great coffee. Get a machine that’s quality made, won’t take up too much room and can manage the number of daily orders.
Plungers, Coffee Pots, Infusers and Teapots
With such a variety of teas and coffees available, you need to be prepared for any order. Keep a healthy stock of plungers, pots and infusers on hand so that every customer can be catered for.
Coffee and Tea Cups
From lattes, espressos and cappuccinos to long macs, green teas, herbal teas, everyone has their favourite drink and most expect their favourite drink to be served in the correct fashion. Ensure you have a wide selection of mugs, cups and glasses, rather than using the same style mug for different drinks. Tea drinkers will also expect their tea to be served in something that matches the style of tea ordered. Don’t be afraid to add a little colour to your cups and mugs collection with brands like Incafe, Bevande and Brew. Choose colours that fit the atmosphere of your venue. Remember, cups and mugs may only be a small financial cost but when you serve the beverage correctly, it makes a big difference to your customer.
Barista Essentials
When a café or restaurant is busy, there’s no time to scratch, let alone go searching for a product or utensil. A barista needs everything within arm’s reach. Some essential items that every barista needs include:
- Coffee tamper and tamper mat
- Stainless steel barista milk jugs
- Milk frothing thermometer
- Cocoa shaker
- Coffee knock bin
Storage and Refrigeration
All cafes and restaurants will need fridges for perishable goods. While most products will be stored out the back in larger cool rooms, you’ll need a fridge front of house to easily access goods when it’s busy. A fridge that sits under the bench is ideal. Well organised storage is also essential – as mentioned, everything needs to be within arms reach to ensure customers are not left waiting.
Takeaway Packaging
Takeaway beverages are a huge part of every cafe and restaurant’s revenue, even more so with the onset of Covid and dining restrictions. Make sure you select quality takeaway cups and lids. There’s nothing worse than a coffee cup that’s poorly insulated and burns your fingers. You should also keep plenty of cardboard multi-drink holders on hand.
