Diversifying your coffee shop’s menu beyond just coffee is a strategic move that can significantly boost your revenue and enhance customer satisfaction. Our comprehensive guide highlights 30 exceptional items that go beyond the standard coffee fare, aimed at meeting and exceeding the expectations of your clientele. From savory snacks to sweet indulgences, as well as coffee-related merchandise, this list is designed to cater to a wide range of preferences and occasions.
Understanding the dynamics of a coffee shop environment is crucial when selecting additional items to offer. High turnover items that are quick to serve not only streamline operations but also contribute to an increase in average sales per customer. Given that coffee shop visits are often brief, with customers opting for a drink and perhaps a quick snack, the focus should be on items that are either ready-to-eat or require minimal preparation time. This approach not only maximizes efficiency during peak hours but also ensures a steady flow of satisfied customers.
Most Profitable Things to Sell in a Coffee Shop
1. CAKES
A staple with high profit margins, cakes can significantly boost sales. Favorites include chocolate cake, along with varieties featuring pumpkin, banana, cherry, and strawberry. These selections cater to diverse tastes and are quick to sell.
2. COOKIES AND MUFFINS
Pairing excellently with coffee, a well-made cookie or muffin can enhance the overall experience. Top sellers include millionaire’s shortbread, flapjacks, chocolate chip cookies, and oatmeal cookies. These options provide a range of flavors and textures to complement your coffee offerings.
3. SANDWICHES
A morning rush favorite, breakfast sandwiches typically feature bacon, egg, and cheese, offering a hearty start to the day. Throughout the day, patrons gravitate towards grilled paninis, mozzarella-basil-tomato sandwiches, and varieties containing chicken, cheese, sauce, bacon, or salami. These options satisfy a range of tastes and hunger levels.
4. SALADS
As a cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle, salads are popular for their convenience and nutritional value. Favorites include the grilled chicken Caesar, feta cheese salad, tuna salad, Cobb salad, and pasta salad. Packaged for easy transport, they’re perfect for customers on the go.
5. YOGURTS, GRANOLAS, AND OATMEALS
For health-conscious customers, these options are a draw for their nutritional content and versatility. Offering a mix of dairy, seeds, cereals, and fruits, they cater to those looking for a nutritious start to their day or a healthy snack option.
6. CROISSANTS
Nothing says “fresh” quite like a croissant. Whether it’s plain, filled with chocolate, cheese, or turned into a sandwich with ham or vegetables, croissants are a beloved choice for their flaky texture and delicious taste.
7. WRAPS
Known for their convenience and variety, wraps are a hot favorite. With fillings ranging from ham, bacon, sausage, pastrami, and turkey to vegetarian options like tomatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, avocado, and spinach, there’s a wrap for every palate. Cheese varieties such as mozzarella, cheddar, goat, and feta, along with tuna, eggs, and diverse sauces, ensure a rich selection that’s easy to customize and serve.
8. COFFEE AND TEA MUGS
High quality, nice and unique coffee and tea mugs are a really good idea for sale in a cafe. It is important, after all, to sell mugs which are really unique and nice, often in large sizes. People do not buy crap mugs, but such nice and unique find many takers.
9. THERMOSES AND FLASKS FOR COFFEE AND TEA
Many people who come to cafes love good teas and coffees and always want to have them in their backpack or bag. For this reason, many cafe customers are happy to buy special thermoses and flasks to be able to store their favorite drinks in them regardless of where they are.
10. FRUIT INFUSER WATER BOTTLES
Fruit infusers have become very popular recently. They allow you to add vitamins and healthy ingredients to water. In a fruit infuser like this one, you can fit enough fruit for a full day of refilling water. In addition to cups and thermoses, it is a very popular product that can be sold in cafes.
11. BULK COFFEE GRAINS
Because good cafes make coffee from the highest quality beans, many coffee fans are eager to buy coffee beans straight from the cafeteria, because they believe that they will be as high quality as those which coffee is made of and the coffee made from them will taste as good as the one in the cafe.
12. COFFEE RELATED EQUIPMENT
The cafe is also a good place to sell various accessories for making and drinking coffee and tea takich jak filters, drippers, coffee grinders or goose neck kettles.
13. SMOOTHIES
Tasty fresh smoothies made from various freshly mixed fruits.
14. PRALINES AND CHOCOLATES
Chocolates and pralines are a good thing to sell quickly with a large margin in coffee shop. These small delicious chocolates go perfectly with coffee or tea and are worth recommending to customers who often buy them eagerly.
15. MACARONS
Delicious French macarons attract many customers with their colorful and tasty appearance. It is worth placing them on view. They go perfectly with coffee.
16. TOASTIES OR FRENCH TOASTS
Toasts are a good idea for a breakfast offer in smaller cafes, as well as an attractive delicacy during the rest of the day. If only it is possible to quickly prepare them for customers, there will certainly be many who will gladly eat them coming to the cafe. Good toasts examples are cheese and tomatoe sauce toasts, avocado and egg toasts or ham and cheddar toasts.
17. FRESH FRUIT JUICE
Fresh juices squeezed straight from the fruit contain a lot of vitamins and microelements and revive their drinking customers. It is worth recommending such healthy juices to people who are tired of work or have no energy. For sure they will feel better after drinking such delicious juice.
18. TEA
Many people come to cafes to drink something other than coffee, and they most often choose tea. The most popular are black teas, green teas, herbal teas, teas with pieces of fruit, as well as white tea.
19. BAGELS
Bagels can be sold in various forms, sweet or savory, and above all as sandwiches with delicious ingredients inside. Popular types of bagels are bagel with sesame, bagel with poppy seeds and bagel, blueberry bagel, as well as bagel with tomato, spinach and ham.
20. YERBA MATE
Yerba mate is a special plant from South America that is drunk by many Latinos and has many fans around the world. Yerba mate adds energy and has a stimulating effect similar to coffee. It is not available in many cafes, despite the fact that many people like to drink it, so it is worth having at least one type of yerba in the offer.
21. SOUPS
Soups, especially organic and healthy, are willingly bought in take-out dishes. Many people at work want to eat soup during the break and buy it at the nearest store or cafe.
22. HOT CHOCOLATE
For those who want to drink something sweet and hot, which is not coffee – hot chocolate made from real cocoa should be perfect.
23. LEMONADE
Lemonades are one of the most refreshing drinks ideal for drinking on hot days. The most popular types of lemonade besides the classic lemon are those with mint, ginger and also with strawberry or other fruit.
24. BOTTLED DRINKS, JUICES AND SODAS
Many people also want to do mini shopping when buying coffee. All people need to drink, so you should also offer ordinary drinking in bottles such as water, soda, and other popular drinks.
25. BAGS OF TEA
Just like many people like to buy coffee beans in a cafe, many people buy tea in a cafe, especially tea blends.
26. FRUITS LIKE BLACKBERRIES OR STRAWBERRIES
Everyone knows that fruits are delicious and healthy. Fruits such as blueberries, strawberries or raspberries, pineapples or bananas can be served alone (or cut into pieces) or with the addition of sweet sauces, chocolate, maple syrup or other delicious ingredients.
27. OMELETTES PANCAKES AND CREPES
If the cafe has enough space and employees, consider preparing and selling pancakes, omelets and crepes with the addition of delicious ingredients such as chocolate, fruit, or ham, spinach leaves and more.
28. NACHOS AND CHEESE, CHIPS OR POPCORN
Chips are not often found in cafes, but offered in an interesting and attractive way can be a profitable source of income even for cafes.
29. PIZZA SLICES
Pizza slices can be quickly heated and sold. Good pizza will be delicious even if we sell it in a coffee shop in slices. If the pizza is really delicious and of high quality, it is possible that it will attract customers who will come to the cafe specially for it, and additionally buy coffee or something to drink.
30. DONUTS AND PRETZELS
Sweet donuts and pretzels have many fans, so if your customers like to eat them, it’s worth having them on offer.
OTHER MUST-HAVES OF EVERY GOOD CAFETERIA
COFFEE:
Espresso
Drip coffee
Cappucino
Cafe latte
Caramel macchiato
White chocolate mocha
Cafe frappe
Iced coffee
Decaffeinated coffe (and tea if possible)
EXTRAS:
Flavored syrup
Honey
Steamed milk
Soy / almond / coconut milk
Cookies
Cakes
Preparing a coffee drip
French macarons
Fresh fruit such as blueberries, strawberries or pineapple is often chosen as a coffee additive
If you want to find more ideas for goods and things to sell in a coffee shop you might be interested to read also: 50 Small Space Business Ideas That Make Good Money
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