REBELLE ARTISAN BAGELS FULL
REBELLE ARTISAN BAGELS PLUS

Our test will be rolling out slowly in a tiered approach, starting with an email invitation to our most frequent regulars. I like to do big changes bit by bit in rapid succession. So far, we’ve made a few drinks for our regulars and the reaction is encouraging!

REBELLE ARTISAN BAGELS FULL

The idea is that we will run with the plug & play for a few weeks, see how the test performs sales-wise, tweak the workflow and operations, and make a go/no-go decision on the full setup investment. Our friend Bryan at Bolt Coffee loaned us a plug & play espresso machine that doesn’t require plumbing or wiring by professionals, and our roaster Brian from Borealis Coffee trained our team to prepare a few common drinks. We also wanna nail the basics, work out the kinks and figure out the workflow while the setup is still fairly flexible and not plumbed/wired into place. We have a small space behind the counter and it is busy, so we need to figure out what kind of demand is realistic for us to meet. I’m down to piggyback on their intel any day of the week.īecause installing an espresso machine and staffing baristas is such a costly undertaking, we have decided to start with a small scale test. We don’t aspire to be Dunkin’ or Starbucks, of course, but they research their market well.

Just on a relaunch! Astounding what clever marketing does. Dunkin’ relaunched their espresso program last summer and saw a 30% growth in espresso drink sales. Starbucks has built up their food program to ~20% of their sales over the last few years with a strong focus on breakfast. The coffee shops are going into breakfast, too. Espresso drinks fit the bill much better than drip coffee. We have noticed the afternoon is a good time for customers to come for a coffee and a bite, maybe to do some work, have a meeting or pass the time. People want dope breakfast on-the-go AND a full-fledged coffee shop, all in one. On the macro level, I think customer needs are also changing and we are in a good position to respond to that. Selfishly, I’d love to have espresso at Rebelle so that I can have my morning cappuccino here! (If you were wondering, Little Sister will espresso from day one.) I am a die-hard cappuccino drinker and it is my coffee drink of choice.

REBELLE ARTISAN BAGELS PLUS

I also had zero barista skills/didn’t have one I could hire and, with our tight budget during our initial buildout, I couldn’t afford a $10,000 espresso machine plus grinder, plus setup with a plumber and an electrician… It adds up.Īs time has gone on, our clientele has grown and my view on espresso has evolved.

I thought that we didn’t need espresso to run a successful breakfast business, and I looked up to peers who built a solid coffee business without espresso. Way back when we built the shop, I made a deliberate decision NOT to serve espresso. We have some * ~* 2020 strategic initiatives*~* that I am super excited to rollout in the next few months, starting with our upcoming espresso test! I love doing tests on the business! I’m very excited. This year, it’s all about taking it to the next level. Last year, our updates were mostly about making it prettier inside, more seating and equipment upgrades. At Rebelle, we use January to plan some of our biggest ideas going into the year and make changes.

Rebelle artisan bagels