HELPING LEADERS BECOME
B E T T E R S T E WA R D S .
Church Cafés Presented by: The Daily Java
Table of Contents ABOUT THE DAILY JAVA
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IS YOUR CHURCH READY TO ADD A CAFÉ?
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The most frequent question I get from churches is, “How do we know if our church should build a café / coffee bar?” A café has so many positive possibilities to offer a church community. However, it should meet three important criteria in order to really produce the fellowship and revenue most churches are looking for. We always ask churches three questions when they approach us to help create their café. By Mike Bacile
CREATING A CAFÉ WITH PURPOSE
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There are many tangible elements that go into the making of a successful church café. You need the right look. Proper layout and flow are a must. The wrong equipment, menu or products can spell disaster. But, even if you can achieve all these elements (as needed for a smooth-running, efficient café), you’ll still need one intangible element to succeed: a purpose. By Mike Bacile
4 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL CHURCH CAFÉ
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As church cafés have developed over the years, so has the basic formula for creating a café that meets the needs and purpose of the community. Fading are the days when a church could just serve drip coffee and still be able to create the community and needed revenue for ministries. But along with the new wave of cafés comes a stark reality: if the café isn’t set up and run correctly, it can be more burden than blessing. By Mike Bacile
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CHURCH EXECUTIVE • C H U R C H C A F É S
churchexecutive.com
About
The Daily Java Starting in 1995, The Daily Java began focusing on providing equipment for large corporate clients and independent cafés all across America. From working with Brinker International and other large clients, we learned the “art” of layout and how important placement of equipment is to the flow of their restaurants. Over the next 14 years, we became experts on layouts and efficiency for running a successful restaurant and café. However, it wasn’t as fulfilling as our owner, Mike Bacile, had wanted. In 2008, we were approached by a pastor looking to add a café inside his church in the hopes of building fellowship and revenue for missions. Because of the vision of this one church, Mike decided to change the vision for The Daily Java and focus only on projects and customers that are Building a Community One Cup at a Time. Our vision quickly grew, and we started working primarily with churches to help grow their communities. We applied our knowledge of proper layout, equipment and product with our passion to build fellowship to come up with a “top 25” list of things a church café should do in order to reach its full potential. Since 2008, we have supported more than 100 churches from coast to coast. We have been able to support churches of all sizes and help them determine what would be the best fit for them. We believe that a café or coffee service can be a much bigger part of a church community than just a cup of joe — a café has the ability to become a meeting point for your community. It’s a place for everyone to feel welcome and relaxed while getting a great drink and building fellowship. Mike often opens his café trainings of the volunteer staff with a story about what their café really represents for their community. We believe that a café is not just a place to get a latte, muffin or smoothie. It’s not some business operating inside a church. Rather, it’s an opportunity for the community to get together. It’s an opportunity to change lives by creating an environment for new members to mingle with tenured members. It’s an opportunity for people who can’t give $20 a week inside the sanctuary, to still feel good knowing they’re supporting a common goal / mission of the church by buying their coffee and muffin at the café, because the proceeds are going to support a church mission. As Mike tells the volunteers, they aren’t running a café — they’re building a community. The Daily Java believes in the vision that, through coffee and church cafés, we can change the world. This is our vision for our company and best describes who we are. If your church needs any support or has any questions about a new or existing café, please feel free to call us @ (888) 347-5282 or email Mike at mike@dailyjava.com. Together, we’ll Build a Community One Cup at a Time.
churchexecutive.com
C H U R C H C A F É S • CHURCH EXECUTIVE
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Is your church ready to add a café? By Mike Bacile
The most frequent question I get from churches is, “How do we know if our church should build a café / coffee bar?” A café has so many positive possibilities to offer a church community. However, it should meet three important criteria in order to really produce the fellowship and revenue most churches are looking for. We always ask churches the following three questions when they approach us to help create their café.
Question #1: What is your weekend attendance on a normal weekend? Basically, are you large enough to open a café without creating a burden on your bottom line? We have discovered a good rule of thumb: if your church has at least 500 in attendance on a weekend, you can financially support a café if it’s set-up and running correctly. By café / coffee bar, we mean a location that serves espresso drinks, coffee, smoothies and frappes. The attendance number represents total attendance during the weekend; this can be broken up in to many services or just one, as long as there is a total adult and children combined attendance of more than 500. Question #2: Why do you want a café? If you meet the size rule of thumb, this is the next question — and, we believe, the most important question of all. Different churches have different reasons for a café, but most of them center around the desire to build fellowship and an opportunity to raise money for missions, projects, etc. A café is a unique aspect for a church because it’s often the only thing in the church that’s designed to build revenue. It’s a business and should be set up and run, to a degree, that way. If it’s running properly, it can build revenue for mission trips and church projects. However, churches that are performing well realize the café is a place to build fellowship. We often train new café volunteers to realize they’re not working in a “café,” but are building fellowship in their community. They are providing a safe space for new visitors to come and enjoy their community. Question #3: Who in the church supports building the café? It’s very important that the entire community understands and supports the café. When the entire church — from the pastor to the volunteers — understands the value of the café as a tool to build community, that’s when you will see the most success. If the café is only seen as a financial tool, it can be difficult to build success, especially with fellowship. Projects that we work on are the most successful when everyone sees the value of the café as more than just dollars in a cash drawer. If your church has the attendance, the vision and the support, then adding a café might be right for your community. There are many other items that must be considered of course — location, volunteers versus paid employees, what to do about free coffee, and more. These are all very 4
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important components; but, without a solid foundation, it will make it tough to be successful. In return, our questions ultimately lead to the two questions churches ask the most. The first is: “How much does it cost to build a café”? On average, churches that have attendances from 500 - 750 get an equipment package between $18,000 - $21,000. If attendance is between 750 - 1,000, we will generally estimate $28,000 - $31,000 in equipment. Churches with weekend attendance over 1,000 will often do equipment packages of about $30,000 - $34,000. Please note: This does not include buildout of the space, including cabinets, plumbing and electric. However, this will make your location rival any coffee house in town, and give you the equipment you need to make anything that your local Starbucks might sell, only better. The second most common question asked of us is: “How much money can the church expect to raise in profits off the café?” Obviously, the size of your attendance, your layout, equipment, training, products and even service schedules affect this number. However, I have found it equally important to consider if your community understands why you have a café. If they understand the café’s purpose, then most churches should expect that 20% to 30% of their weekend attendees will purchase something from the café. An average café drink produces about $2.50 in profit, and drip coffee produces about $1 in profit (for a 10- or 12-ounce drink). If you add quick food items (nothing you have to make), then you can gain even more revenue. The key to a financially successful café is efficiency! A quick, easy menu with key drinks and an assembly line volunteer group will be able to produce the speed, quality and fellowship your café is looking to create. Mike Bacile is owner of The Daily Java, a wholesale coffee equipment and product provider for more than 21 years. He speaks at many conventions around the country about the 25 steps for setting up a successful café. Over the past decade, Bacile’s company has focused on making church cafés a successful part of their communities, and The Daily java has been labelled the “church coffee house experts.” churchexecutive.com
Creating a café with purpose By Mike Bacile There are many tangible elements that go into the making of a successful church café. You need the right look. Proper layout and flow are a must. The wrong equipment, menu or products can spell disaster. But, even if you can achieve all these elements (as needed for a smooth-running, efficient café), you’ll still need one intangible element to succeed: a purpose.
When we meet with clients, we always ask the big questions first: • Why are you building this café? • What is your Vision? • What is the café’s Purpose? • What does success look like for your church café? There are several key reasons to build a café, but the most important reason we’ve found is that the café must have a purpose that speaks to your community. Your café needs to inspire your volunteers — and your community that will be supporting it — or it won’t be successful for very long. Admittedly, this is the driving vision for The Daily Java, as well: we see the difference a café with a purpose can make in a community. It brings people together, and it creates fellowship and profits that can support the purpose. Churches that are able to connect the purpose of the café with the purpose of the church are the most profitable, in terms of community and revenue. Where purpose meets profits One great example of this is a church that was committed to building wells in Africa. It was something the church was already doing, but leaders felt the profits from a café could help them achieve their goals faster. What they didn’t anticipate was the community’s reaction. The church opened its café with a goal counter hanging on the back wall, above the menus. Instead of reading “Now Serving: ___,” it read: “Wells Provided: ___.” It was amazing how the community and volunteers rallied around this purpose. The café was no longer a place for lattes and muffins; it was a vehicle to building more wells. Every week, everyone was looking to see if the counter had flipped to the next number. The volunteers working the café had a purpose: to make sure they did the best they could. The community was willing to wait in a longer line and make the church café their breakfast or coffee stop, because everyone understands that they’re all working towards a greater cause that makes a difference in people’s lives. Their latte was no longer just a $4 drink; rather, it was a donation that put the church one step closer to digging another well and changing an entire community in Africa. The pastor has done an amazing job of promoting and preaching their purpose as a community, and it shows in the number of wells they’re digging every month. churchexecutive.com
First Baptist Church (Richardson, Texas)
This is just one example of the success a café can enjoy when it’s given a purpose which volunteers and the community can really support. I always open my volunteer trainings with an important truth: You might think you’re working a café. In reality, you’re changing the world. Your café volunteers are the front line to understanding; each drink, each muffin, each person — all are an opportunity to make an impact on your café’s purpose. When volunteers understand this, you will have a much larger volunteer base and a much more connected community.
Connect with us at WFX 2017 in Dallas! On October 11 – 12, The Daily Java will be exhibiting at the WFX Conference and Expo. Stop by and say hello! We’ll also be leading a breakout session, “Creating a Café of Purpose.” If you’re on hand, please plan to join us. Find your café’s purpose If that purpose is mission trips, make sure it’s specific trips each month, not a broad vision. If the trip to Guatemala is coming up in October, and your church is raising funds that will buy books for the students in a village, make that the purpose. People in your community want to give. They want to support your vision and purpose. They just need you to connect the dots and create a specific purpose for them to embrace. At the end of the day, when the mission trip is over and your community is celebrating the success, this gives everyone an opportunity to know they gave and made a difference — no matter how small — simply by purchasing a cup of coffee. Mike Bacile is owner of The Daily Java, a wholesale coffee equipment and product provider for more than 21 years. He speaks at many conventions around the country about the 25 steps for setting up a successful café. Over the past decade, Bacile’s company has focused on making church cafés a successful part of their communities, and The Daily java has been labelled the “church coffee house experts.” C H U R C H C A F É S • CHURCH EXECUTIVE
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4 keys to a successful church café By Mike Bacile As church cafés have developed over the years, so has the basic formula for creating a café that meets the needs and purpose of the community. Fading are the days when a church could just serve drip coffee and still be able to create the community and needed revenue for ministries. But along with the new wave of cafés comes a stark reality: if the café isn’t set up and run correctly, it can be more burden than blessing.
About 10 years ago, when the first big wave of church cafés started, there was a logical thought that if you set it up like the local Starbucks, you’d be successful. For the most part, this theory has been proven wrong time and time again. Four key lessons from these early pioneers make today’s church cafés much more likely to succeed.
#1: You can’t set up a church café’s flow like a local coffee house We work with both art (high-end) cafés and church cafés, which we’ve dubbed “quick-hit” cafés. We could never set up the two entities the same way, because the volume of people a quick-hit café receives per hour is 10X that of a typical café. Equally important is the fact that almost all church cafés are run by volunteers who practice their barista skills only once a week. The correct layout of the café — as well as the type of equipment, products and menu — are essential to quick, consistent drinks being made to handle the crowds.
#2: Your café needs a purpose As mentioned in our previous article [churchexecutive.com/archives/church-cafes-4], a purpose for your café is a must. A clear purpose supports your volunteers and your community. Your vision is what inspires customers to wait in a line of 30 to 50-plus people to get a drink instead of going to the local Starbucks. Starbucks is a business for profit; your café is a business for purpose. If your community understands and supports your purpose, then your café is much more likely to succeed. 6
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Recently, a church we worked with strongly supported a mission trip to Central America. They promoted to the community that all proceeds from the café would go to clothe children on the mission trip. The more money the community could raise, the more children they could clothe. Each week, they let the community know how many children would be taken care of because of the success of the café. This generous spirit drove longer lines, because everyone wanted to do their part. When people understand the why, then the reason is no longer about the coffee; it’s about the purpose.
#3: Know who you are … and who you’re not If your purpose is to clothe children with the proceeds made from the café, then the more people you can get through the café, the more children you can help. Of course, the same can be said for creating fellowship — also a very important reason to build a café. But fellowship and revenue only happen if you have efficient, consistent serves. Recently, I had a church customer who wanted his church’s café to be just like a local art café. Two of the staff went through an extensive two-day training on making the perfect latte. They cleaned the portafilter between each drink, weighed the grounds to the exact gram, did an intensive packing procedure, tamped, and finally pulled the shot. Each drink was taking about 3 minutes to make. Multiple that by 20 people, and the person in the back of the line was waiting a full hour to get a drink! Obviously, the church’s café didn’t take off like leaders thought it would. They forgot who they were. I often open a training session by telling the volunteers: “You might think you‘ll be volunteering in a café. In reality, you’re making a difference in your community and the ministries through coffee. Each time you serve one cup, you’ll raise money for something that truly matters. Along the way, you’ll be creating a community spirit that brings people together.”
#4: Work with the right people Finally, it’s important to work with people who know how to build and run a church café, uniquely. There are many who might have
Coffee, Frappes and Friends! Join The Daily Java and Church Executive Magazine for a chance to mingle with fellow WFX Conference and Expo attendees and exhibitors, while touring the Daily Java facility. Enjoy lattes, coffees and frappes while catching up with old friends and making new ones. Light hors d’oeuvres will also be provided. Wed., Oct. 11, 2017 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. CDT 4389 Westgrove Dr. Addison, TX 75001 Cost: FREE!
To RSVP, visit: tinyurl.com/CoffeeFrappesFriends worked with a local coffee house; but again, no local café — or even Starbucks — will ever experience the volume your church ought to have, if it’s set up and run correctly. Once the café is set up and your people are properly trained, volunteers should be able to succeed, and your community will flourish. Remember: a church café is more than just a place to get a good latte or cup of coffee. It should be the meeting point for fellowship and an opportunity for everyone in your community to give back and make a difference in the world. Mike Bacile is owner of The Daily Java [ www.dailyjava.com], a wholesale coffee equipment and product provider for more than 21 years. He speaks at many conventions around the country about the 25 steps for setting up a successful café. Over the past decade, Bacile’s company has focused on making church cafés a successful part of their communities, and The Daily Java has been labelled the “church coffee house experts.” churchexecutive.com