Customers count beans but eat cake

ZARRAFFA'S Coffee franchisee Kathy Baldwin depends on her early morning customers just as much as they depend on their caffeine fix.

After opening last July, the Bargara cafe showed strong growth, but now Mrs Baldwin says she has to go the extra mile to keep customers coming in.

“A lot of people who have always started their day with coffee, will always start their day with a coffee,” Mrs Baldwin said.

“But our growth has dropped off in recent months.”

She said the store had laid off a casual employee and cut its opening times by an hour as the financial situation impacted on the daily grind.

But it is not all negative, with a new market of consumers starting to bite.

“We're getting a lot more people coming in for coffee and cake when previously they would have gone out for dinner at a restaurant,” Mrs Baldwin said.

Talking Point Cafe owner Mary Morgan said she worked hard to keep her regulars satisfied.

“I have to make it affordable for them, and we open late so we get more travellers,” Mrs Morgan said.

“We cook all the food ourselves, which means we can make it more affordable.”

She said she had not seen a decline in her trade, but it had not grown either.

Our Place, Your Place owner Debbie Crosswell said she felt the pinch mostly on weekends, when the drop in tourists and shoppers meant a drop in trade.

“But our regulars are coming in the same as always, because our prices haven't gone up and because we make them feel at home,” Mrs Crosswell said.

Bundaberg District Chamber of Commerce president Trish Mears said service was all-important at a time when discretionary spending was being questioned.

“Businesses need to look at other ways of getting customers in, like loyalty cards, and capitalising on the customers they already have,” Ms Mears said.

“If you get really excellent service, you will find the $5 you need for that coffee.”