The constant debate over health benefits for coffee can be quite entertaining. In a recent article in the WSJ it has been declared that coffee is healthier for you than sports  or energy drinks in almost every way. The article points to the heavy sugar content in most sports drinks and virtually no calories and how that impacts the healthiness of said beverage. It is true coffee does not have sugar in it if you drink it straight up (black)….but how often does that truly happen? 

Another article I recently skimmed noted coffee is much higher in antioxidants than the all hailed blueberry. So, if I add blueberry syrup to my Americano, does that mean I am a super human?

As we get closer to the New Year your customers will probably start questioning what is in their drink and favorite scone. This can sometimes be a frustrating time of year for the average coffee shop as they will start to see a decrease in average ticket sales as customers start counting calories. With careful planning and clever marketing this could be a time for you to shine.

Treat Yourself

Who doesn’t love the feeling of getting to ‘cheat’ a little? Consider packaging a ‘dieter’s dream’ combo meal which includes a low-fat muffin and non-fat latte. What about taking the opportunity to upsell Americanos? A 20oz Americano doesn’t even have a quarter of the calories a 12oz Latte does and the margins are awesome! This allows the customer the option of enjoying their favorite pastry while lowering their calorie count by choosing the less calorie loaded drink.

Coffee Tasting + Customer Loyalty

What about taking advantage of this time to offer coffee tastings to showcase your amazing roast offerings and steer people to purchasing their own bag of delicious beans. This is a golden opportunity to invite your customers into a ‘bean club’ loyalty program to bring them back for more. What about an ‘origin of the month’ club? This increases your average transaction as well as promotes your retail items. They may need a grinder to granulate their beans to the perfect consistency for their personal brewer. Of course an airtight container to house those precious grinds will be needed. The upse;ll opportunities are endless.

So don’t let the health crazed New Year’s resolution customers discourage your ticket averages going into 2016. Instead, highlight all the healthy benefits that a great cup of coffee already offers, and show them that it can still taste great sans all the cream and sugar.