New research shows quality coffee is significant to consumer dining experiences
New research shows that the quality of the coffee on a menu impacts significantly on customer retention, with consumers citing poor quality coffee as a very likely or likely reason not to return to an establishment.
According to a OnePoll report commissioned by United Coffee, 40% of those surveyed said they would very like or likely not return if the quality of the coffee was poor in fine dining establishments, pubs (33%), independent restaurants (36%) and fast food outlets (30%).
A quality coffee offering also strongly correlates with consumer perceptions of the quality of a venue as a whole, with 64% of consumers rating the coffee served in independent and fine dining establishments as excellent or good, compared to only 22% in fast food outlets and just 10% in pubs.
The report surveyed 2,000 respondents, of whom 59% rated the quality of the coffee as very important or important when eating out.
Elaine Higginson, managing director at United Coffee UK & Ireland, said: "We're not just passionate about coffee but insight and trends too. By investing in this in-depth research, we're able to share its invaluable findings about the nation's coffee drinking behaviour with our customers, to help them reap the benefits and profitability of serving up high quality, great tasting coffee in their establishment."
Another trend uncovered from the report shows ‘coffee as the new dessert'. Increasingly, diners are opting for a cup of coffee to end a meal instead of dessert. Eight out of 10 consumers now consider ordering a coffee rather than dessert when eating out, with more than a quarter (27%) regularly choosing coffee over the dessert option on the menu.
Other results include show that latte is still the nation's favourite type of coffee (32%) followed by cappuccino (25%) with Americano increasing in popularity (18%).
