Just as the gastro pub is drawing dining custom from restaurants, plenty of pubs have tapped into the all-day allure of fine coffee and the café atmosphere.
The $6 billion annual coffee service industry has been in strong growth for the past decade, and is expected to see annualised growth over the next five years of 7.2 per cent. (Ibis World report August, 2016)
A lot of this market expansion has come through diversity, and many pub groups are waking to the appeals of the café offering as a complement or addition to their regular trade.
Merivale has executed massive overhauls of the businesses at the Coogee Pavilion and The Newport – both large format pubs that have benefited from the group’s talent for incorporating plenty of crowd-pleasing elements. Each are impressive examples of appeal to all ages and for all manner of dining and drinking experience.
Group operations manager Dee Ryan told PubTIC that a sophisticated modern coffee offering has become an essential part of this picture.
“The success of both Coogee and The Newport can largely be attributed to the diversity of the offer available in each respective venue,” explains Ryan. “As such, coffee plays an important role in ensuring that we can deliver this to our guests.
“In relation to driving trade, people are ruthless when it comes to coffee; if taste or expedition time are lacking there is a high chance you will lose your guest for good.
“However, deliver a great product fast and you will establish loyalty immediately. When we have succeeding in doing so our day trade has definitely seen the benefits.”
One innovation Merivale has incorporated into the coffee solution at both venues is The Juggler – a draught dispenser for chilled milk. The machine holds a refrigerated 10-litre bladder of milk, and dispenses according to pre-determined settings and jug size sensors.
The Juggler was designed and developed in Australia by Sydney-based Six Simple Machines for quality coffee service. It offers significant savings in terms of milk wastage and operator time, with staff able to set and keep moving rather than pour manually. The bladder system eliminates the clutter of milk jugs, and improves the result with milk kept refrigerated (allowing better texturing).
Danielle Rueb, head barista at Coogee Pavilion reports The Juggler speeds up the process, while ensuring customers get fresh milk and the workstation remains tidy.
“I have worked with this equipment since the day they launched, and love it for a variety of reasons,” replied Rueb.
“You can adjust the level that comes out according to jug or cup size, and visually it looks cleaner and more appealing than having plastic milk bottles out on the counter.”
The Juggler can be used for milk for either coffee or milkshakes. It is found in venues in Australia and New Zealand, including specialty coffee roasters and cafes, and clients such as McDonalds, Krispy Kreme and Burger Project.
Ibis World cites Australia’s coffee culture and café industry in 2016/17 will grow to over $5.5 billion, with competition increasing due to the influx of multi-purpose venues such as hospitality entering the market.
