A drive-through coffee stand can turn out hundreds of cups of coffee per hour. Pair this with the relatively low overhead of running such a stand, and you have the potential to make quite a profit. But what if the traffic through your coffee stand is not quite at the level you'd like it to be? Here are a few ways to help bring in more customers.
Add a roadside sign about 1/4 mile down the road.
Plenty of drivers decide to stop for coffee at the last minute. It's the perfect impulse buy. However, if customers do not see your coffee stand until they are right in front of it, they may not be able to turn in easily. Seeing your stands sparks their desire for coffee, but since they're already past it, they just stop at the next place they see instead. To capture more of these impulse-buy customers, try putting a sign about 1/4 mile down the road from your coffee shop. Make sure the sign mentions your shop is 1/4 mile ahead. Potential customers will see the sign and have a minute to think about it before they have to turn in to your shop.
Offer a happy hour special.
The profit margin on a cup of coffee is usually pretty high. You can generally afford to sell your coffee for half the usual price and still make a profit. So, do this once a day. Choose an hour, and make your drinks half price during that hour. You'll draw in tons of customers who want a good deal, and many of those customers will then come back again when prices are normal. Between 4:30 and 5:30 is a good happy hour for coffee stands. Most people are getting out of work and will stop on their way home.
Offer snacks, too.
You can't typically serve a full or extensive food menu at a drive-through coffee stand. But if you do not have any food at all, then customers who are hungry may pass you up for a more full-service coffee stand. If you're able to offer just something simple, like muffins or donuts, then you'll attract lots of customers who want a little something to snack on with their coffee.
If you want to bring more customers into your coffee stand, try making just one or two of the small changes above. You'll likely be surprised what a difference it makes.
For more information on a drive-through coffee stand near you, contact a company like Gravity Coffee Company.
