Coffee is an adult beverage, but it can be worthwhile to pay attention to underage customers— both young children and teens.
BY ED AVIS W
hen you opened your coff ee shop, you probably imagined a hip joint with serious young adults getting
their caff eine jolt and eating your handmade pastries. But then the families started coming with their little kids, and then the teens piled in aſt er school....Suddenly you realized that to succeed, you needed to cater to all these little ones, too! Kids and coff ee don't always mix, but for many coff ee shops,
being "kid-friendly" is key to their success. "During our fi rst discussion about opening a coff ee shop, our
daughter, who was seven at the time, said, 'Mommy, Daddy, we have to have a place for kids my age to have fun.' My wife and I agreed right away," remembers Brad Barber, owner of Cabin Coff ee, which has seven locations in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. "We are a family-focused business...and attract all age groups."
SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS Cabin Coff ees feature an 8-by-8-foot "Kids Corral" sectioned
off by logs (except the LaCrosse, Wisc. location, which has a teepee instead). Th e Kids Corrals have soſt toys, books, and a pint-sized log table and stools. "I remember being a child and I did not like to eat out because
I had to set, be still, and listen to the adults visit," Barber says. "Th e Kids Corral provides an area for children to visit with one another, play with our soſt toys, and just have fun.... It is a very simple area—nothing fancy—but they enjoy the space." Th at attention to kids pays off for Cabin Coff ees, because
parents know they'll have a few moments of peace with their coff ee while the kids play. And, Barber says, oſt en the kids themselves ask to visit Cabin Coff ee so they can play. Few things are as persuasive as a child! Uncommon Ground, a 20-year-old Chicago coff ee shop
with two locations, keeps the kiddy customers happy with cozy chairs and couches surrounding a fi replace. "Families tend to congregate around this area, as it feels like their own family room at home," says owner Michael Cameron. Another family-friendly feature of Uncommon Ground is
a back room that's perfect for parties. "We always joke, 'Don't worry, we can hose down the area when you are all done, have fun,'" Cameron says.
FAMILY FRIENDLY BASICS Of course, being kid-friendly generally starts with the
basics. Th is means having high chairs available, or at least comfortable couches or bean bag chairs the kids can plop into. It means menu items that kids like, maybe some in mini portions. It means wide aisles so that parents with strollers can get through, and it means a generally happy atmosphere that welcomes families. It also helps to have games and art supplies for kids to
enjoy. "Th e games and drawing supplies work very well for parents who come for breakfast and work on their computer while the children hang out," says Lisa Hampton, co-owner
March 2012 • www.specialty-coffee.com | 19
