The Benefits of Introducing SOPs in Your Coffee Shop Business
Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are helpful in any business… and this is especially true for a cafe.
SOPs are detailed, step-by-step instructions that outline how specific tasks should be performed in your cafe. They help ensure that tasks are completed consistently and efficiently, and they are an important tool for maintaining high quality standards and improving customer satisfaction.
SOPs help your inexperienced staff to do things right without constant supervision, SOPs also help your casual staff remember how to do things they may not have done for a while.
Let’s take a look at just how standard operating procedures might be useful in a cafe.
6 Benefits of Standard Operating Procedures for Cafe Owners
1. Task Performance Consistency
SOPs help ensure that tasks are performed consistently across the cafe. From the order in which front-of-house staff welcome and seat dine-in customers to the way the barista cleans the coffee machine.
Standard Operating Procedures are especially important in the food and beverage industry, where consistent quality is critical for customer satisfaction.
By following SOPs staff can ensure your coffee shop is kept clean and all equipment in working order. As well as keeping inventory, supplies and admin/book-keeping correctly managed.
SOPs give your customers the same high-quality experience each and every time they visit your cafe.
2. Cafe Business Efficiency
Without SOPs, your staff are free to do a task in whatever order they remember, or think something needs to be done in. This can mean a lot of wasted time as things get done, then redone.
Standard Operating Procedures streamline processes and improve efficiency in your cafe by outlining the exact steps and order they should be done in – to complete a task correctly,
SOPs are intended to reduce the need for trial and error, which can save time and reduce the risk of mistakes. This especially important when it comes to the cleaning, use and care of your expensive equipment.
3. Staff Training Excellence
Standard Operating Procedures are an important tool for training new employees in your cafe.
By providing clear and detailed instructions on how tasks should be performed, SOPs help ensure that new employees are properly trained and able to contribute to the success of the cafe.
SOPs give your staff a way to self-assess how well they are doing in their jobs and validate that they are doing things correctly.
In the pursuit of excellence in your coffee shop, you might also have your team contribute to the design of SOPs, so that your staff are always be looking for new ways optimise and do things better.
Their contribution to SOPs also means that staff will keep themselves accountable to the high standards you have set and give them ownership of exceptional performance.
4. Cafe Quality Control
SOPs are an important tool for maintaining high quality standards in your cafe.
For example, your kitchen staff benefit from SOPs by having clear instructions on source ingredient quality when ordering supplies.
Ever been to a cafe and some days you get burnt toast and other days it feels barely warm? This doesn’t happen when you have SOPs… because when preparing and plating meals, SOPs help your staff know what is acceptable for serving to customers.
By outlining the steps that should be taken to complete tasks correctly, SOPs help ensure that staff are able maintain consistent/high quality standards throughout your coffee shop.
5. Staff and Customer Safety
You may not always be able to employ people in your cafe business with years of experience, which means that safety for your inexperienced staff can be an on-going issue for your coffee shop.
Government or local council mandated standards for safety aren’t something that the average person is familiar with. This is where SOPs can help.
Standard Operating Procedures that include your obligations for food and workplace safety, means that your staff don’t need to know every code or bylaw relating to safety, but still have them doing all the right things.
SOPs reduce the risks of workplace accidents, issues with contagions or food-borne illness and increase safety for your staff and customers.
6. Ensuring Compliance
Coffee Shops and Cafe businesses have many different laws and regulations they must comply with. For a cafe business there are Food Safety Laws, Outdoor Dining Permits, Water Supply Safety, Liquor Control, Fire Safety, Electrical Safety, First Aid, Tripping Hazards, Emergency Exit Protocols and more.
Lawyers always say “ignorance is no defence“.
However, it’s not possible for your team to be familiar with and understand each and every one of these regulations; for operating a coffee shop, cafe or hospitality business. Which is why Standard Operating Procedures are so useful.
By outlining the steps for doing tasks in a way that will comply with these laws and regulations, SOPs help protect your staff and cafe from potential legal liabilities and damages.
Developing Standard Operating Procedures for Your Cafe
Developing standard operating procedures for your cafe is an ongoing process that requires input from all members of your team.
The main reason it’s important to involve your employees in the development of SOPs – they are the ones who will be responsible for following them on a daily basis.
Basic steps for developing SOPs
- Identify the tasks that need to be included: Determine which tasks are most critical to the success of your cafe and should be included in your SOPs.
- Gather input from your team: Involve your employees in the development of SOPs, as they are the ones who will be responsible for following them on a daily basis.
- Write clear and detailed instructions: Make sure that your SOPs are clear and easy to understand, and include all relevant details and instructions.
- Test your SOPs: Test your SOPs to make sure that they are effective and easy to follow. This may involve training your employees on the SOPs and asking for their feedback on the process.
- Update your SOPs regularly: As your cafe evolves and changes, make sure to update your SOPs to reflect these changes. This may involve revising instructions, adding new tasks, or removing outdated tasks.
Standard Operating Procedures don’t need to be big folders full of pages of descriptions, they can be simple things like posters or checklists. Even videos that show and explain how something is done.
Start getting your coffee shop running more profitability and efficiently with SOPs.