Economics

Had an oddly disturbing exchange with a customer on Friday.  Guy ordered a traditional cappuccino.  After he's done drinking it, he comes up to the counter and asks us to fill the 6 ounce cup with French Roast.

For free.

Obviously we don't do this.  We offered to fill it for 50 cents, or half our price for in-store refills in 12 ounce ceramic cups.

Guy points to his face and says we won't be seeing it again, adding that we don't respect the customer and that the staff at Coffee Tree does this for him all the time.

We're scratching our heads trying to understand how not giving away free product to a guy we've never seen before was disrespectful to anyone.  In our world it would be more disrespectful to not bother learning our trade and charging premium prices for crummy coffee and espresso drinks, which is all-too common in these parts.

But humor us for a moment and let's take a closer look at what the guy was asking for.  In a good month, we (the owners) get to take about 10% out of the business.  Our cost of goods for the free French Roast the guy was asking for equalled 11% of the gross profit margin of his cappuccino.  In other words, he was asking us to give up our income (plus some) on his behalf and labeling our unwillingness to do so as disrespectful.

Leaves us wondering what kind of business this guy is in and what he's willing to give away on a daily basis.

It's also a known fact that many baristas (not ours, nor those at the shops you see in the list at lower right) give away free stuff for their own benefit because doing so usually results in bigger tips.  Naturally, if one person on staff does it, the customer will expect it from all others until it become institutionalized. 

There's a word for that:  stealing.

We've heard numerous stories from baristas at some of the local chains about how they rip off their employers.  And they're often boastful about how they get away with it.  We've even cautioned some owners about what was happening.  And they'd respond, "No, our people would NEVER do that."

Ha.

Customers at Molly's don't get a free short beer for every pint they order.  There's no free 13th cut with a 12-cut pie at Mineos.  So why do people expect free coffee from a coffeehouse? 

If you want that, go to some diner and drink the diner coffee.  Coffee is an afterthought there, not their primary business.  It's cheap, it's watery and it's loaded with caffeine from low-quality robusta beans. Free coffee is built into their business model.

Otherwise, the only free coffee here is that 13th cup for customers who have a frequent customer card and whatever we donate to charitable causes.  And we have plenty of both.  We know this because we gave away more than $15,000 worth of coffee drinks last year through these programs and in our opinion, it's the right thing to do and the right way to go about doing it.

Comments

[Larry]

Not to mention the right way of creating repeat business.

[Amelie]

Well thought out and said.