Kara Phelps

As inflation and labor costs continue to skyrocket, there is a lot outside of an operator’s control—and yet, consumers still expect a great experience when they dine out. Now, more than ever, items that are low-labor, high-margin, and well-loved by customers can be the key to running a profitable restaurant operation. Enter: Coffee, the most consumed beverage in the U.S. According to the 2022 National Coffee Association (NCA) Data Trends report, 66 percent of Americans now drink coffee every day—even more than tap water. Remarkably, that figure is also up by 14 percent since January 2021. This is the largest increase since NCA began tracking data. Cold brew—up 245 percent on menus across four years, according to Datassential—can be a great way for operators to tackle multiple challenges at once. Thanks to Segafredo Zanetti’s suite of ready-to-drink cold brew solutions, restaurants can offer high-quality, consistent crowd pleasers that require almost zero extra labor yet deliver high dollar margins. It’s a great opportunity for operators to add revenue at a time when that’s been difficult to do. “Cold brew is the perfect menu item to drive incrementality,” says Kristen Impastato, director of marketing for Segafredo Zanetti. “Whether you are a coffee-centric restaurant or not, consumers want coffee, and during all day parts, there is an opportunity for you to carry it. During the pandemic, we have seen check averages increasing and consumers making one stop for all their food and beverage needs. Even if you have never carried coffee, our cold brew offers a turnkey solution to carry it now and drive incremental revenue and profits.” ...