Describe a Great Coffee Stand

How would you respond to that task, to describe a great coffee stand?  Hopefully, you will share your thoughts in the comment section. What follows are our thoughts on what a great coffee shop would look like.

We are Madres Espresso, serving the Greater Olympia Metro area with two coffee stands, our flagship original on Cooper Point Road, and our newest on Pacific Avenue.  Two great locations, the same devotion to excellent customer service and beverages to drool for.  Stop by and meet your new favorite barista.

Great coffee at a great coffee stand, of course.

There is an ongoing, informal debate about why people frequent a particular coffee stand. Some say it is great customer service, which we will talk about next, while others claim it is the quality of the beverages made and sold which keeps them coming back.

For sure, if the quality of the espresso/coffee drink is substandard, it will not encourage people to keep coming back.  Proper training in the proper preparation techniques is a must, as is the willingness to tailor any drink to the specific desires of the customer.  There is an old  adage which floats around the coffee industry, and it goes something like this: anyone can make a cup of coffee, but only a few can make a great one.

Since coffee is the second most-popular drink in the U.S., you better believe customers are looking for a consistently great cup of it.

Great service, of course.

We have all received horrible customer service from time to time i.e. no smiling, no thank you, no apparent desire to engage with the customer at all.  Conversely, we all have fond memories of great customer service although, admittedly, it is a bit harder to find.

A friendlier than friendly atmosphere.

When we talk about a friendly atmosphere we are reminded of the old television comedy, Cheers, where everybody knows your name.  Today’s coffee stands and coffee shops are the community meeting place of the 2020s, but even more than that, for some, it is a chance for people to go somewhere to feel appreciated and to feel like they are part of a “special club.” This is impossible to quantify, but if you experience it you know automatically. Does the barista make you feel wanted? Do they smile when they see you, and does that smile actually translate to genuine pleasure?  Do they know your name? Have they taken the time to memorize your favorite drink? Do they ask about your family and your job?

These things matter, almost as much, if not more, than the quality of the drink.

Roll it all up in a neat little ball and you have a great coffee stand, one people will return to, one people will tell their family and friends about . . . one which is an important cog in the community.

A final word about Madres Espresso.

Madres Espresso is locally owned and operated. We are not some faceless national chain. We are Olympians through and through, and we value our fellow neighbors.  Stop by and visit us; we are convinced you will drive away feeling like you just visited a great coffee stand.