Top tips to get your cafe summer ready

If you’re in Australia, Summer’s right around the corner and as a hospitality business owner you’ll want to get ahead of everyone else in the game! So, get your pen and paper ready because we’ve got a couple of hot tips that you’ll want to incorporate into your Summer plan.

When we think of Summer, we imagine ourselves sipping on a cold beverage in the warm breeze with some dance-house music playing in the background. In fact, if you were to ask someone the same question we’re sure it would be somewhere on the lines of that.

The point is, we just gave you a couple of hints on how you could get Summer ready in just one sentence! Here is the full breakdown on how you can get your business boomin (as Gen Z likes to call it) during Summer.

Level up the drinks menu

Premium beverages

Cold brews and iced lattes are so 2015, it’s time to move onto the next big thing and when we say ‘next big thing’ we mean hopping on premium beverage trends that has gotten everyone in a frenzy. An example of this would be the ‘Iced London fog’ an earl grey tea latte that is made from four simple ingredients: earl grey tea, sugar, milk and ice. This can also be made vegan with the substitute of milk, making it a no brainer when it comes to being inclusive and  providing more plant based options. You’ll be surprised at how many people will opt for non caffeinated beverages during the warmer weather!

Here’s the recipe for the ‘Iced London Fog’, and of course you can add your own little twist to the recipe to make it extra unique!

Non-alcoholic beverages

If you’re reading this and you still don’t offer non alcoholic beverages on your drinks menu, then you’re already behind! Not to worry, the bandwagon is still here and you still have time to hop on it. We’re not just talking about mocktails either, we’re talking about non alcoholic wines, beers, ciders…the list goes on! Some of our favourite non alcoholic Australian brands that you may want to have a peek at are Brunswick Aces, Monday distillery and heaps normal. The best thing about adding this option on your menu is that it caters for that designated driver (we’ve all been there) and you also don’t need an expensive alcohol license to serve them!

Create a Summer seasonal menu

Creating a seasonal menu may sound like a lot of work but trust us when we say it’s worth it! Not only does it keep it interesting for your audience but also offsets inflation if you intend to select local and seasonal produce/products (win win in our books!).

Incorporating native Australian ingredients is one way to spice things up in the kitchen. Below is a selection of native food and botanicals that have been nurtured by traditional owners for tens of thousands of years.

• Warrigal greens - Grown naturally in saline soil along Australia's coastline, it’s a versatile vegetable that can substitute standard greens such as spinach. Also has a slightly salty taste therefore there may be no need to add extra salt to your dishes! (This would taste delicious incorporated into a pasta)
• Wattleseed ground - Once harvested, dried, roasted and grounded, wattlesead has a coffee and chocolate like flavour that makes it the perfect addition to baked goods, oatmeal, pancakes and even smoothies!
• Davidson plum - These native Australian fruits have a sour tart flavour that make it perfect for incorporating into cakes, pies, biscuits, tarts, and muffins - Move over apple pie, this summer we’re offering Davidson plum pie!

And of course you have the summer fruit favorites that you can't forget about: Mango, watermelon, cherries and nectarines.

If you’re planning on implementing this into your summer plan, don’t forget to update your socials with images of the new menu - It’s the small details that will make your cafe stand out!

Change up the ambiance

Music

It’s time to set the mood for the summer vibes and music plays a key role in this! Say goodbye to that winter playlist you’ve had on repeat for the past few months and let’s start unleashing the fun. The sun rises earlier and sets later giving people a chance to get together with friends and enjoy what Summer has to offer. Whether it’s just walking past a bustling cafe or sitting down and enjoying brunch, the music that you hear has a positive association with your emotions. There’s a reason why we can all agree there are ‘Summer hits’ every single year which generally fall into upbeat genres such as dance, house, pop, jazz and r&b.

To access our Summer Spotify Playlist that will have the whole cafe bobbing their heads -  Click here

Decoration

Another way to change up the ambience without doing too much is by adding seasonal flowers and botanicals to the space. Not only will it help refresh your cafe appearance but will also have the entire place smelling like a floristry (after all, first impressions count!). Creating an overall ‘summer aesthetic’ could help your cafe become more ‘instagrammable’ which will result in user generated content for your social media and who doesn't love some free marketing!

Provide sunscreen for customers

If you’ve been in Australia for a while now, you’ll know that the sun here is no joke! Sunscreen is a must when you’re leaving your house during summer and going the extra mile for those who may have forgotten shows your genuine care and love for the community. And like we mentioned above, it’s the small details like these that will make you stand out from the crowd.
We hope by the end of this blog, you’re feeling well prepared to implement these tips into your summer plan! Looking to elevate your cafe even more? Click here.

This article was written by one of our Social Media Co-ordinators and blog writers, Chanelle Chung.

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