friends in coffee shop

Millennials love cafes, so it should be easy to get them to visit yours, right? Well, it might not be that easy. If you are struggling to attract your target crowd, or are looking for ways to boost your clientele, read on for five tips to ensure millennials want to visit your cafe.

1. Offer dishes with locally-made produce

More than anything else, millennials want to know where their food is coming from and they want to be consuming dishes and drinks made from fresh, local ingredients. This is for environmental reasons, as well as for taste. It also helps support the local economy and increases overall transparency. At this point, it isn’t even a preference; it is a priority. Therefore, if you want millennials to visit your cafe, you want to be offering dishes with locally-made produce.

For this reason, you want your cafe to work with food and beverage distributors in the UAE (or wherever you are located) who prioritize local food distribution. By working with a distributor who has the same values as you and your customers, you can be assured that you are providing your patrons with the best local food possible as local distributors tend to have closer relationships with the food manufacturers. This almost guarantees that you will always receive the highest-quality brands and produce. Also, it is a very efficient option, as you don’t have to worry about communicating with numerous manufacturers to collect all your required items.

2. Prioritize sustainability and eco-friendly practices

At this point, it is well documented that millennials are prepared to pay more for sustainable goods and products. This generation of consumers believes in spending their money in places that align with their values. Therefore, if you want to ensure that millennials want to visit your cafe, you also need to prioritize sustainability and eco-friendly practices.

Look for ways to conserve water and cut down on disposable waste. For example, offer visitors a discount if they bring their own reusable coffee cup in and use compostable cups otherwise. Opt for paper bags instead of plastic and reusable straws (or, at least, ones made from bamboo or metal). For all food and drinks served in-house, make sure to use reusable wares – this will also cut your costs as well! Then, to attract millennials, be proud of (and let the world know about) the sustainable and eco-friendly practices you are instilling in your cafe!

3. Make everything convenient

In addition to wanting everything to be local and sustainable, millennials also want everything to be convenient. And, who can blame them? They grew up in the age of technology! Therefore, you want to incorporate suitable technology where you think applicable. Keep in mind, the last thing that millennials want is to wait in a long line and to have inconsistent food quality.

Therefore, it is highly recommended that you utilize a guest management system that allows potential customers to have a look at wait times and make a reservation. Additionally, the best guest management systems will gather user analytics, which you can then analyze to improve your customer service. A kitchen automation tool will aid you in decreasing wait times and formulating an efficient kitchen. This, in turn, will enhance the guest experience. Last but not least, offer free wifi.

4. Have a clear aesthetic

For millennials, cafes are more than merely a place to grab some food and drink. Instead, they crave an experience. Therefore, you want to know what your story is and what you stand for. Then, from this point, you can look at strategies for communicating that through your branding. Moreover, your branding will inform your aesthetic, which is also of the utmost importance. Everything down to your beverage offerings (make sure to work with the best mineral water suppliers in Dubai) must be carefully curated to be on-brand.

Presentation and ambiance are necessary for attracting millennials, and they also provide two significant opportunities for you to differentiate yourself from the competition. To put it simply, if you have good-looking food, then a customer is going to get lots of engagement on their photo of it, which not only is free marketing for you but also makes it more probable that they will return. When considering your aesthetic, brainstorm ways that you can turn customers into brand advocates who will raise awareness for you among other millennials.

5. Get social

Social media is ingrained into every part of a millennial’s day, which is why you also need to be involved with the social conversation that is transpiring. If you don’t have a social presence, you are overlooking meaningful opportunities to connect with millennials. This generation uses social media before making purchases and also to research where they want to eat, drink, and hang out. Therefore, if you aren’t present where they are looking, they aren’t going to be considering you as their new go-to cafe.

What do you think about millennial cafe culture? Are there any other things that you feel are important to attract them? Let us know your thoughts and any relevant experiences in the comments below!

 

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