Coffee, Restaurants & Nestle

[darkstar965]

It's well known among coffee aficionados that restaurants generally offer poor-quality coffee. There are many reasons for that but, highest on the list is restauranteur concerns that offering better coffee would be too costly (unprofitable) due to investments they'd need to make in equipment and staffing (either additional staff, training or both).

As someone who really enjoys great coffee, I get excited whenever I see a restaurant taking coffee seriously with either dedicated staffing and fresh-brew service (e.g., R24, Woodberry Kitchen) or, at least, with a decent espresso machine and some high quality specialty coffee (e.g., Room11, EatGoodFood/Eve/Society Fair, NRG/Evening Star/Birch & Barley).

Many restaurants have what I call "auto-pilot" coffee programs. Basically, using the same, lower quality provider and product they've used for a decade or more because it's not their focus. Still other restaurants use pod systems since they're perceived as more foolproof and more convenient.

Slowly, more restaurants are rethinking their approach to coffee and I think this a great thing for consumers and the restaurants. Restaurants don't have to have dedicated coffee staff like Woodberry or R24 do. There are many other ways to really up a restaurant's coffee game since the current state of affairs is generally so dismal. No self-respecting restauranteur would treat its food/cooking or bar programs the way many still treat coffee. The reasons why this is true are mostly economic but the math may prove a bit faulty with time. And, as more consumers realize the difference between the great coffee increasingly available at specialty coffee shops in most cities and the mass market alternatives largely pushed by large companies, restaurants will move to meet market demand. Especially if those consumers make their preferences known as has happened with locally sourced, less processed foods.

Supporting the above, here are two recent pieces on the topic of automated coffee pod machines in restaurants. Did you know that 30% of Michelin-starred restaurants are still using pod coffee systems? Or, that the leader (by a wide margin) in the pod business is Nestle, the world's largest food company with $114 billion in total revenue and their nespresso pod business in the US alone accounting for half a billion? Aside from the big quality difference between pods and specialty roasters, restaurants that offer high quality specialty coffee are also generally supporting local (or at least US based) purveyors.

- On Nespresso pod systems in restaurants (reader comments following the piece are even more provocative than the article)

- A new piece by Oliver Strand (NYTimes, Bon Apetit) on the topic of pods and restaurant coffee with Noma cited as an example of a more progressive approach.

[Nick Freshman]

Seth at Northside told me a story about the Nespresso crew coming in to sell them on how they'd be a perfect partner for the brand. I got to hand it to the sales guys--fearless. Ice to eskimos or something like that.

To the point above, coffee is indeed such a small part of the revenue of the restaurant, and to do it right commands a disproportionate amount of resources (human and material). For exactly that reason, we opted against an espresso machine at Eventide--costly to buy and maintain, and we would probably produce sub-par coffees given the amount of expertise required. Seemed a losing proposition. We went instead with press pots--nearly impossible to screw up, ubreakable steel pots and good coffee. Better than a pod, at least. We recently switched to Ceremony roasters and have been happy with the product.

[Mark Slater]

To amplify what Nick said above, even an entry level espresso machine for a restaurant costs above $3,000 and requires constant maintenance and upkeep. Larger machines quickly jump above $10,000. Not to trivialize the original post, but not every customer who comes into a restaurant obsesses over the quality and type of coffee served, especially when a good percentage are skim-milk de-caf cappucinnos. As Nick pointed out, the amount of revenue received doesn't always justify the investment.

[darkstar965]

To amplify what Nick said above, even an entry level espresso machine for a restaurant costs above $3,000 and requires constant maintenance and upkeep. Larger machines quickly jump above $10,000. Not to trivialize the original post, but not every customer who comes into a restaurant obsesses over the quality and type of coffee served, especially when a good percentage are skim-milk de-caf cappucinnos. As Nick pointed out, the amount of revenue received doesn't always justify the investment.

Totally agree with this, Mark. Tried to acknowledge as much in the OP. My point wasn't so much that all restaurants should plunk down thousands for a super duper espresso maker. Rather, there are a number of ways, some cost effective, for restaurants to offer quality coffee. And, different restaurants with different kinds of markets and financial realities can approach this in many different ways that make sense for the businesses they are and for the goals they have. FWIW.

[RoastMonkey]

From a professional perspective, I wish more customers would complain when they get a bad cup of coffee rather than just fixing it with lots of cream and sugar. I know that we work really hard to produce a consistently good product, but there are too many variables for us to hit 100%. As nicely as possible, I try to tell other coffee shops when I have a bad experience. If they quality control in place, it can only help them improve. I rarely order coffee at restaurants because I know all the red flags. I am always tempted to order one anyway, but I am usually dining with the GF and she gets a bit upset with me for ordering something I know is going to be bad.

BTW, I recently had a cup at the end of my meal at Woodberry Kitchen and found it pretty underwhelming, not bad, just largely flavorless. I don't think it is a problem with the preparation, just that I find Counter Culture's roasting style to emphasize acidity over depth and body. As I have told darkstar before, my belief is that this is more designed to impart consistency and shelf life than to explore the natural flavor of the coffee. I have unfortunately heard too many CC clients tell me they want their coffee to taste "tea like" (I have to wonder what they expect their tea to taste like, maybe water). In my opinion, many of the wholesale specialty roasters lean this way, including Ceremony, which I find a little more palatable than CC, but often with an unevenly balanced flavor profile.

This is all, of course, in reference to black coffee. I am guessing WK does a brisk business in espresso based milk drinks (they had an extensive list of latte variants, but only one caffeinated single-origin brewed coffee option) to support their coffee program, but I don't really consider 2ozs of espresso drowned in milk, no matter how pretty the latte art is, the mark of quality coffee (pardon the pun).

[RoastMonkey]

Since my last post, we have added a number of restaurants to our client list. These establishments make what, in my experience, is an uncommon commitment to quality. They all follow these criteria:

1) They have a grinder

2) They grind the coffee just before brewing

3) They offer brewed-to-order coffee service

4) Bulk brewing is used only during peak brunch service when coffee is consumed in a short period of time.

On our side, we don't have minimums and we deliver our beans within 24 hours (if not same day) as they are roasted. By not having minimums and delivering once a week, we can ensure the coffee is used when it is still fresh and flavorful.

Restaurants where you can currently find our coffee includes:

Chez Billy

DC Reynolds

Petworth Citizen

Daikaya

Dino's Grotto