COFFEE SHOP SERVICE

Majority of the hotel properties offers coffee shop service for their guests. Coffee shops provide
faster service and generally offer less expensive and easier to produce menu items than the other
food service outlets in the hotel. In many city hotel coffee shops, breakfast is the important meal
of the day from a marketing perspective, followed by late-night snacks. Coffee shops in other
locations may be relatively busy daylong. Hotel coffee shops in locations with high pedestrian
traffic may do a high volume of business with non-hotel guests. Properties in remote locations
such as in resorts may offer coffee shop service almost exclusively for hotel guests and
travellers.

From the perspective of guests, the key elements of a well-run coffee shop include: a bright,
lively informal atmosphere; cheerful and efficient service; well-prepared and well-presented
food; and quiet bussing of used tableware and dishes. In the past, coffee shops offered an
atmosphere reflecting the briskness of their service and the economy of their prices. Recently,
however, many coffee shops have been designed to reflect the ambience of the hotel. Modern
coffee shops are located in main concourses, atriums, lobbies, or other public areas and may
feature waterfalls, towering sculptures, fascinating views of the hotel, or even live entertainment.

Coffee Shop Service Procedures

Coffee shop service begins when service employees perform their pre-opening duties. The tables
and counters need to be prepared for service and ensured that everything is clean. Guests in a
coffee shop are not willing to accept compromises on cleanliness in return for fast service.

 Greeting & Seating the Guests

The host/hostess should meet and greet guests entering the coffee shop by using friendly
greetings and seat the guests, whenever possible, in the area they request. Since the speed of
service is important, the host/hostess should attempt to seat guests in sections which are the
least busy.

 Offering The Menu

The host/hostess may offer the guest menus and pour water. This practice helps speed up
service as guests may decide what to order before the waiter approaches them.

 Taking & Placing The Orders

The food servers (waiters) should ask the guests if they wish to order, without any delay.
They should be able to answer guests’ questions about menu items, daily specials or foods
that can be prepared very quickly. Operating procedures often require coffee shop servers to
place orders with the kitchen as soon as they receive them.

A coffee shop marketing rule is “Always give the guest something to do.” Some suggestions
for the above may include: serving hot coffee immediately after guests are seated; offering
 newspapers to guests who don’t bring in their own; using paper placemats with games or
puzzles; serving such items as breadsticks, warm breads, and salads to guests waiting for
their main courses at lunch or dinner, etc. Information should be provided in the menu card
or by the food servers whether the special food services, as mentioned above, are a part of the
meal, or complimentary or whether they will be charged for.

 Presenting The Check

Since guests may be in a hurry, it is important for the food server to have the guest check
ready when the guests desire it. Although service must be fast, the food server must also take
the time to comply with all the sales income control procedures, which the organization uses.

********