10 Ways To Know You Found A Great Cafe’

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From atmosphere and customer service to presentation and the first sip, there are many things that create a great customer experience. Here is my list of what I look for in a café’ to determine whether or not I will become a regular.

10 reasons you know when you’re at a great cafe’

You are greeted when you come in
The cashier or barista walks you through the menu and provides recommendations
The café’ offers traditional espresso drinks and makes them correctly
The milk being steamed does not sound like a plane is taking off
The staff is knowledgeable about their coffee and educates their customers
The café is so clean you could eat off the floor (although I don’t recommend it)
They roast their own beans
Free Wi-Fi (I ALWAYS buy something every two hours I’m there)
They have events going on each week (anything from open mic to throwdowns )
Bonus: Not only is the espresso great, the Latte Art is beautiful

If a café’ has at least half of the listed items then you have found your new “third home”. If on the rare occasion a café’ has every one of these, you have found a “diamond in the rough”.

Discussion: What makes a cafe’ special for you to want to be a loyal customer?

Jennifer Vaaler is the no-nonsense blogger of Daily Demitasse. Her fuel is also her passion as a Barista by day and freelance copywriter by night and has been featured in trade Industry Journal, Coffee Talk. She specializes in Consulting and writing copy for the Specialty Coffee Industry. When she’s not wielding a portfilter or pen, Jennifer enjoys a great book, crafts and good movie.

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http://dailydemitasse.com Daily Demitasse

I had to add my #11, which is an extension of #7. They work directly with the farmers and do Fair Trade.
WI-FI Squatting is dumb

FREE WI-FI is not a good sign you’ve found a great cafe. It’s a sign that you won’t have a place to sit or a good place to see if APPLE still has control of the hipster/student market or some other laptop is the cat’s meow.
penelopitsaldari

Dear Jennifer, Excellent post and you have hit all the high notes. The first thing I “want” to experience when I walk into a cafe is the smell! Ah! it is so wonderful, so relaxing and such a comfort to me. All the rest falls (for me) comes in second place. I've subscribed and look forward to our exchange. Take care, Penelopi
http://confessionsofacoffeejunkie.wordpress.com/ Kaye Brow aka CoffeeKween

I TOTALLY agree with every one of these! Too often, we stumble upon cafés that merely “exist” for the sake of saying that they serve coffee. And often, cafés lack the passion and education behind what they are selling/serving to their customers. I def attach myself to #1 – customer service is KEY anywhere, but it def enhances the experience of a coffee shop. #3 is a big one for me – rarely do people “offer” a great espresso choice, but it would be lovely to have it as a “normal” operation just to get a feel of the art and story behind the café. #5 & #7 are BIG ones, because as you know, I'm a HUGE advocate for fresh roasted coffee and for sharing the knowledge of the bean and the industry.#9 says “This café's got a little flair…style!” Local shops are the best!
http://enlightenedbean.com/ David Dexter

Good requirements for a great cafe~I am really not a big fan of events like open mic, music, etc. but that's me. If I was to add an '11' I would add that the cafe must be easily unique. My favorite cafes are the cafes that clearly have their own character (artwork, layout, lighting, mood, etc)
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