How Much Should This Coffee Cost?

Freighter on 20/08/2021 - 15:52
Last edited 20/08/2021 - 15:56

Okay here's one.

A customer goes into a cafe and orders a large coffee. The customer asks "how many shots are in the coffee" and is told there is 2 shots. Obviously happy with this, they purchase the large coffee. They pay, get their coffee and leave. They come back 2 minutes later and ask for an extra shot because it isn't strong enough for them.

How much should that extra shot be? Should it be the usual price of the extra shot or should it be the cost of a small coffee/short black since it is a new transaction?

For the sake of prices:
A large coffee is $4.00
A small coffee is $3.50
An extra shot is 50c.

Poll Options

  • 79
    $4.50 - Large coffee + extra shot
  • 5
    $7.50 - Large coffee, and a small coffee/short black
  • 8
    Other - Tell me!
Food & Grocery

Comments

  • Freighter on 20/08/2021 - 15:55
    +5

    I personally think it should be the price of a new coffee. If the customer was satisfied with being told there are 2 shots in a large coffee, then that is what they should be given. It's like going to a takeaway shop and ordering a small bag of chips, then leaving getting to the car having 1 or 2 and then coming back and saying "actually, can you make these large chips?" It's quite cheeky!

    But I don't drink coffee, so I don't actually know if there is a huge difference in the strength of coffees at different cafes if they use the same beans.

    • skid on 20/08/2021 - 16:11
      +1

      Yes, there can be a huge difference in the strength of coffees even if they are using the same beans. Coffee to water ratio is one of the primary ratios of coffee.

    • Almost Banned on 20/08/2021 - 18:54

      The scenario is not even remotely like the bag of chips example that you gave.
      It is much more like asking how much is in a large bag of chips, buying a large bag of chips, then coming back in and asking for a few more loose chips to be added to the bag from their loose chip dispenser.

  • Drakesy on 20/08/2021 - 16:02
    +3

    Well as it's another transaction then charge them for an espresso which would maybe split the difference between a small coffee and an extra shot when you buy the initial coffee.
    BUT
    If i was the barista and for the sake of saving yourself a Karen episode i'd just charge them 50c for an additional shot.

    But i don't drink coffee so tbh don't really mind either way.

  • Pecan on 20/08/2021 - 16:03
    +24

    If you want the customer to come back next time they want coffee, you charge 50c. If you don’t care that they never return and potentially tell their family/friends about the cafe that wanted to rip them off, you charge $3.50.

    • Freighter on 20/08/2021 - 16:15
      +3

      For sure I would charge the 50c too if I was behind the counter, because that 50c now could possibly be much more in future purchases. Especially for a small business reputation affects them a lot more than say a Michel's or Degani or a McCafe that possibly may not need that return customer.

      I'd also charge the 50c because no doubt the argument that would follow would not be worth the hassle. But if the customer repeatedly did it then I'd probably just ask if they really just wanted the 3 shots instead of the mucking around.

  • nephilim on 20/08/2021 - 16:16
    +5

    I wish my main issue was strength, sick of woeful boiling hot lattes.
    One of the reasons I avoid places with Vittoria Coffee beans, I assume Vittoria teach them to make bad coffee's.

    anyway 50c

    • Hugh G Rection on 21/08/2021 - 13:51
      +1

      lol, i thought it was just me. i never got good coffee from anywhere that has vittoria. so that left a lasting impression on me to avoid them like covid.
      i do enjoy campos coffee. i don't add sugar, but it has a little bit of sweetness that i enjoy.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 20/08/2021 - 16:17

    Damn hey 3 shots…I have quite a high tolerance for caffeine/stims after years of pre-workout abuse but the local cafe does TWO shots and I'm usually WIRED for the next hour.

    • this is us on 20/08/2021 - 16:41

      First of all, what kind of coffee are we talking about? Is that a latte, a flat white?

      I order a flat white and they are usually pretty good (strong enough), but there are many overly milky coffees around Melbourne, even when they use nice beans.

      Without the extra shot sometimes it's hard to even taste the coffee in a flat white.

      My answer: 0.50

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 20/08/2021 - 16:57

        Ice long black or long black depending on the season

      • serpserpserp on 20/08/2021 - 18:36
        +1

        You might need to order Magic's then.

  • Ghost47 on 20/08/2021 - 16:18
    +1

    Depending on the size of the cup the large coffee should already come with two shots in it. That’s how I used to make them when I used to work in hospitality a while ago, and that’s how everyone was taught to make them. One shot in any coffee described as “large” would be too weak for most people I think.

    Anyway, it should be the price of an extra shot.
    If you charge them full price then you should make the coffee again IMO (but also add on the cost of an extra shot of course).

  • belesci on 20/08/2021 - 16:25
    +1

    If I was the owner I wouldn’t even charge him, if Im working I’d charge for an extra shot.

  • bobbified on 20/08/2021 - 16:26
    +1

    The profit has already been made in the price of the original coffee so $0.50 for the extra shot is exactly what it should be. There's no extra cup, lid or milk with the extra shot.

    Of course, nothing is stopping the barista from being a dick and trying to charge for another small coffee though!

    • Presence on 20/08/2021 - 16:33

      But there is a lot more time in the extra sale which is the main cost of selling coffee.

      • bobbified on 20/08/2021 - 16:51
        +1

        It's part of the service you provided to the customer to keep them happy.

      • brad1-8tsi on 20/08/2021 - 18:54

        The time is already amortised.

  • pegaxs on 20/08/2021 - 16:30

    This isnt like all the people that were neg review bombing candle shops because the candles were not a strong enough smell, but only later to find out that most of these neg bombers had Covid and lost their sense of smell…

    Also… as a non-coffee drinker… what is a "shot"?? Is that like one shot is normal strength, two shot is double, three shot is triple strength??

    • Freighter on 20/08/2021 - 16:52

      A shot is how much water gets filtered through the coffee. So that's how strong the coffee actually is.

      The more shots, the more beans which are used. I think there must be a certain amount of coffee that can be extracted from the water flowing through the grinds.

      So for 8oz (a small coffee) you would have 1 shot, but because a large might be 12oz then you would need 2 shots of coffee (not always double the amount of beans, but more than a single) because otherwise the coffee is too diluted. A bit like reusing a teabag, I guess.

      • pegaxs on 20/08/2021 - 21:44

        Ahhh… well, thank you for that. I’ve made plenty of coffees using some of these industrial coffee machines when I worked in hospitality, but never really knew what I was doing. Never learned the lingo.

  • DannyC on 20/08/2021 - 16:44

    As a former barista back in my uni days anything over a 8oz TA cup I usually would default to a double shot as a standard, so next size up is a 12oz TA so a double shot would be my standard.

    Then if a person wanted it stronger I’ll add in the extra shot and charge accordingly. For me personally, keep the customer happy and charge the $0.50 as some have said and not the full price of a coffee on top. In saying that I’ve had some people have TA ristrettos before…. makes no sense to take away a ristretto but to each their own I guess.

    • serpserpserp on 20/08/2021 - 18:33
      -1

      Would you have actually done two grinds or did you just over extract 3 shots worth?

      • mjwills on 20/08/2021 - 21:48

        Not many customers are going to come back if you keep over extracting.

        • serpserpserp on 20/08/2021 - 21:52
          -1

          Most people wouldn't even notice.

  • kiitos on 20/08/2021 - 16:58

    This is interesting, as I thought that large coffees tasted weaker than regular coffees, and assumed it was because the milk to coffee ratio was higher in large coffees.

    But from what had been said above, a large coffee has a lower milk to coffee ratio?

    Weird that I perceived otherwise, maybe I tried a large coffee from one cafe and compared it to a regular coffee from another cafe and they varied in taste anyway.

  • Kaz0551 on 20/08/2021 - 17:03
    +3

    The last time I received a weak large they added an extra shot free of charge. I'd expect nothing less.

  • rektrading on 20/08/2021 - 17:06

    The shop should charge the full price. Someone has to pay for the rising prices and it should be the end-user.

    Your Daily Coffee Habit Is About to Get More Expensive
    Climate shocks in Brazil and shipping bottlenecks have pushed the price of coffee beans sharply higher. Starbucks says it won’t be affected for more than a year, but small cafes can’t hold off that long.
    https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/12/business/coffee-prices-hi…

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 20/08/2021 - 17:07

    Ok here’s the next predicament:

    In a COVID weary society no one carries cash and the store actively recommends tap only…. But the transaction fee is almost as much as the extra shot. What do?

    • serpserpserp on 20/08/2021 - 18:31

      Clearly you panic.

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 20/08/2021 - 18:44

        Barista: I guess we’ll have to.. work something out

        *puts on fake porno moustache *

    • rooon on 21/08/2021 - 07:17

      Mouth has been on that coffee. Should not be going back anywhere near the machine again, especially during a Pandemic.

  • serpserpserp on 20/08/2021 - 18:30

    I'm thinking…. About $17.32

  • elgrande on 20/08/2021 - 18:32

    51 cents, exact change

  • helpdesk on 20/08/2021 - 20:24
    +4

    I own a cafe, my quick answer is if they are nice about it I would definitely just give them the extra shot no charge, if they are a dick about it they get charged .50c

  • theguru1 on 21/08/2021 - 08:12

    Ask them to put their head under the coffee machine and extract the extra shot into their mouth.
    Surely they would have known that is wasn't to their liking when they started drinking.
    If they want a new coffee, then you charge again, and extra for the extra shot.

  • lilbudgie on 21/08/2021 - 08:30
    +2

    Bit off topic but my story is I was over coffee and decided to buy a large cup of black tea. This is just a large cup, teabag and some hot water. The "in charge" person overheard my request to a younger employee and came over and whispered something to him. He then said to me he was sorry but I could only have a small tea that they didn't sell large cups of tea. I was being really nice after I got over the shock and asked if I could just have my tea bag in a larger cup with a little more water. The whispers happened again and I was told that unfortunately they only had pricing for a large coffee and not a large tea. I just said "fine, charge me the amount for a large coffee" . I was scowled at and given my large tea by the "in charge" lady and told that this was a one off and not to ask for it next time because if I was overheard getting a large cup of tea everyone would be asking for it. I was stunned. My immediate thought was that if it was so much in demand why on earth don't you just sell it. I mean the mark up on a bit more water and a larger cup would be pretty good I would think.

  • Waltervp on 21/08/2021 - 09:21

    Clearly the coffee was too weak, the customer was dissatisfied, and by charging more than the extra 50c for a shot will anger him and further more giving it for free will cause 'delight'. Let me explain;

    Customers love complaining and sharing negative experiences, yet normal satisfaction they will not tell others about. You do one thing wrong and the customer will tell all their friends (we stopped for coffee and it was weak as piss…). But if you can cause DELIGHT with a customer by doing something a little over and above then the customer will not forget and
    may even mention it to his friends. The best word of mouth advertisment is done after causing delight. Always look for an opportunity to cause DELIGHT. So one shot is an easy opportunity to create delight for what's essentially 50c.

    • DannyC on 21/08/2021 - 14:04

      Not exactly "weak". If I serve a coffee in a 12oz Take away cup then the double shot is usually standard without it being too "milky" or "weak". If a customer wants it stronger then they need to ask for it and a espresso shot can be pulled.

      I would generally charge the extra but since COVID, no-one has any cash around so I would bite the bullet and let it be on the house in good faith.

  • Hugh G Rection on 21/08/2021 - 13:56

    if they had 3 sizes, then it should be 1, 2, and 3 shots.
    if they only had 2 sizes then it would be 1 and 2 shots of coffee, most likely not 1 and 3 shots.

    negative word of mouth will hinder the business, especially now a days with covid lockdown. I would have just given a free shot to make the customer happy. no way you should be charged a whole other drink, that's crazy.

  • OzHunterNSW on 21/08/2021 - 19:13

    Who said you need to walk around with a coffee in the hand.

    Why are yo paying exorbitant prices, for their Bali trip, when if you refrained drop this expenditure, you too could go yourself.

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