Espresso delivery
With consumers looking for greater choice when they dine out, a more extensive and consistent coffee offer could give restaurants that vital USP
I
f you go to a restaurant that sells poor coffee, when you leave it ruins everything that’s gone before it,” says Rebecca Mascarenhas, the owner of Sonny’s Kitchen in Barnes, south-west London. While not a revelatory statement, it’s a point that not all restaurateurs have grasped, she adds. “The quality of coffee in restaurants on the whole in the UK is still very poor. There is a very small echelon of restaurants that care enough about it, but most see it as a profit centre that they just want to milk.” Despite the UK being in the midst of a coffee
Words Stefan Chomka Photographs Rob Lawson
boom that started with the emergence of brands such as Starbucks and has continued with the rise of independent coffee houses, many of which have taken coffee making to a higher level, it is still not that uncommon to be served a distinctly average – or worse – cup of coffee in a restaurant. And, unlike other beverages, such as tea, spirits and even water, the range of styles of coffee many restaurants stock
is still extremely limited. This is at odds with the experience a customer gets when perusing the supermarket coffee aisle, for example, which is replete with different blends of varying strengths and origins. The question remains, therefore: what can restaurateurs do to reflect the growing interest in coffee and widen their selection without causing too much strain on their front-of-house staff and impacting on their profits? That was the issue posed at a roundtable of front of house operators and buyers last month, organised by Restaurant in partnership with Nespresso.
Delegates
Thomas Agius Ferrante Manager, The Caramel Room, The Berkeley, London
Rebecca Mascarenhas Owner, Sonny’s Kitchen, London
Peter Egli General manager, Whatley Manor, Wiltshire
Susan Webb Co-owner, Tyddyn Llan, Llandrillo, North Wales
Paulo de Tarso Senior maitre d’, Bar Boulud, London
Michael Westenbrink General manager, Brigade, London
Shauna Caithness Operations management team, The Gilbert Scott, London
Ian McDonald B2B commercial manager UK and Ireland, Nespresso
Stefan Chomka Deputy editor, Restaurant magazine
Phil Howard Chef-patron, The Square, London (not seated)
78 | restaurant | May 2013 | www.bighospitality.co.uk
Jen Meisman Group purchasing co-ordinator, D&D London