Aligning customer expectations with what is being served
Is really the focal point needing attention in many specialty coffee shops around the world. More times than often, when entering a specialty coffee shop and ordering that espresso or other brew of preference, what is served is what is currently “on grind”, in effect neglecting customer taste preferences and preventing that wow-experience of having a truly enlightening inpression of taste and mouthfeel.
The experience of getting that creamy, sugary-sweet espresso or fresh-and-fruity filter brew will satisfy most people used to a regular black cup of joe and this would be their level of comparison. But what if your level of comparison is different? What if you are experienced in tasting coffee, brewing coffee and have eatablished a reference base of taste and feel impressions?
In the latter case, the barista and coffee shop has an even greater obligation to provide customers with an experience of knowledge and experience by sharing information about the coffees being served. A way to achieve this could be through barista education founded in coffee basics and focus on an elaborative service with individual customer needs in sight, aiming to deliver that wow-experience and making the customer want to return again, time after time.