Garden Centre Quirky

Guest Spot

Ian Boardman sends in this photo from Hilltop Garden Centre's cafe at Ramsden, Witney.  See more cafe design hanging ideas at http://pinterest.com/turpinsmale/great-cafes-design/

Hanging Herbs

Boskke Upside-down herb growing pots look like a great way of enhancing cafe ambiance and your local sourcing.

If you attended the HTA's Garden Centre Catering Conference yesterday, welcome to the Great Cafes Blog especially written for professional cafe operators.  Sign up to receive the blog by e-mail - we put up a photo of something new and interesting every working day.

To get the most from the blog, check out the Pinterest Photoboards on the right hand side and look at our archive.

If it makes you think you need some specialist consultancy advice to start up for the first time, make more money, improve standards, bust queues or get from good to great; do get in touch.

Coffee Recycling

Notcutts garden centres tell the story of their coffee grounds being mixed with sheep wool and then sold as a fertiliser.  See more at Greencup Coffee.

Cake + Plants = 55 Million

55 million people visited a garden centre cafe last year according to a report just out from the Horticultural Trades Association - up from 36 million in 2008.  Garden centre cafes are booming - 10% up in 2011 on 2010 according to the larger centres represented by the Garden Centre Association.

The only slight issue may be that customers under 45 are apparently less delighted with garden centre catering than those over 45.  My take on this, as outlined at the GCA's conference yesterday, is that as the cafes get bigger and more professional they are losing some of their appeal in terms of personality, humour and quirkiness.

Solution:  Read this blog and sign up for a London Cafe Tour!  The best have already done so.

Good food is at the heart of a great cafe but I am coming to realise that good design is the way to stand out, be noticed and win the hearts and business of those under 45s.

Counter Service R.I.P.

There has been talk in the world of garden centre catering of the benefits of table service for cafes - I'm from the restaurant business and appreciate the increased average spend, greater customer service and better plate presentation that it can deliver.

However, counter or self-service cafes are great when:

• you want to encourage the mid-morning and afternoon market where that cake sale depends on customers buying with their eyes
• customer numbers are inconsistent - ie due to weather or season - and you cannot afford to have expensive staff standing idle
• table-blocking and dwell time is a problem at peak periods when customers sit waiting for food to be delivered
• you want to keep a real value proposition because the customer does much of the service themselves
• customers like the self-selection process as in a supermarket or with a buffet
• coaches or large groups need to be served quickly
• finding and training smart, smiling, reliable, fast, English-speaking staff is an issue

Counter service has its fans and is far from Resting In Peace.