My favourite baristas weren’t necessarily the best ones.
There was definitely no single-estate, single-origin coffee on offer.
No trendy light fittings or furniture. In fact, the less said about the furniture, the better, but that wasn’t their fault.
There was no latte art; the choice was takeaway cup or your own.
Judgement free zone
I’m not even entirely sure a flat white made it onto the menu. But equally, these two didn’t scoff when I asked for milk with my Americano (that happened in a trendy Bristol coffee shop).
It wasn’t a trendy coffee brand or shop, but part of that big maroon-coloured brand.
But a trip to get coffee there was one of my favourite parts of the day. It was a break, physical and mental.
I might have gone alone, possibly with another regular coffee drinker.
It always ended up with some chat, probably a few laughs. Quite probably bumped into someone else that it was good to see, have a quick catch-up with.
What you’re selling may not be what you do
It was always about more than the coffee. The coffee was probably slightly incidental.
Our choices as consumers are not always driven by logic.
I don’t think you could have workshopped why this place worked. I mean, you might say that the people are important, but might not have put this particular team together.
We think that everyone wants the best in any category. But one person’s best is another person’s average.
But there is someone, somewhere, something for everyone. Just not all the people.
Your brand story is your story
It doesn’t have to appeal to everyone, just to the people that you want to go out of their way to hear your stories day in, day out.
The people who keep coming back even if you’re not the best coffee in town.
Just do it your way, tell your story.
Not for everyone, but for someone.
Drive loyalty and longing for a return visit
Sadly, I haven’t visited these two in a long time. I don’t think you can these days; think they’ve both gone to different places.
Kelly and Geraldine are legends for those who worked for Boots/WBA in D90 or lucky visitors with coffee privileges. Costa was their kingdom, and it was memorable.
It was one of the things I missed about working in an office. So, here’s to the Kellys and Geraldines of the world, doing it their way, and making someone’s day just a bit better.
Even if it wasn’t necessarily with the coffee.
Isn’t that what we want for a brand? Fans that remember us long after they last visited us? What will you do to make customers go out of their way to find you today?
Not for everyone, but always for someone.
