Visiting NYC
Happy Halloween weekend!!! I hope you're feeling the spirit of Fall, cool weather has hit us way earlier than usual this year in FL and it's definitely a nice change of pace. I'm recovering from traveling today outside with a sweater and some spicy chai sent over from Hugo Tea, listening to Haitus Kaiyote. Logan from Hugo who does their social media and sourcing has been a real wealth of knowledge when thinking about tea; Things like sifting and brewing Matcha at low temp have made me think about having a lower temp kettle on the bar for example.
So I visited NYC this last weekend with my boyfriend and a barista friend, trying to hit as many interesting cafes as possible in three days. We also tried huge chewy bagels, cereal milk everything at milk bar, and some amazing pastries from Supermoon Bakehouse that weighed like a pound each. Obviously, we also tried a lot of coffee, but unlike some revolutionary food experiences, I know what to expect from great coffee.
The real reason I wanted to see and experience these great cafes was to understand the customer experience, the beautiful build-outs, the menus, and the presentation.
I've done this a few times before up the east and west coast along with most of Florida, it's a great way to find something you might not expect and to have conversations with others later on who've visited the same places, it's a small world. Anyways, I just want to highlight two of my favorites.
Sey coffee was fantastic
despite being a bit of a walk, through long Brooklyn back-streets, there was a huge line and an interesting arrangement of seating options once we made it inside. The customer line was from the front door to the counter, and then from there, you could walk further around the counter to the waiting area, or back behind you to an elevated bench area. In this way despite being a small-medium shop, all three areas were separated cleanly. One group waited in line, one was sitting down, one was waiting for their coffee.
It all felt very comfortable, they had a nice wooden standup menu waiting for you in front, with alternating coffees and teas. Despite being very dense it was also very readable, the prices were high but reading through them it felt like they were worth the cost, and the bustling shop added to the perceived value.
I'd also be remiss to mention the giant hanging plant near the center skylight, that was making its way from 15 feet up in the air, towards the floor. Then there was the bench stretching along the back wall, despite being thick wood it was worn in and angled back! it looked actually comfortable, but there was no space to sit. After leaving I shared some pictures and one of the heads Matthew Jung-Quillen DM'd me to say thanks for visiting. he's a wonderful dude in the world of coffee that I've been aware of for a while, so that was great to see.
Drip was very personable and unique
after traveling as fast as physically possible for the last few days, huddling into the small unguarded Drip in Brooklyn was like a breath of fresh air. we took off our coats and stepped aside as others stood up, to marvel at the wholesale options on display and talk without the city noise. I've been to a lot of "multi-roaster" cafes, but this shop had a stunning selection like nothing else. Coffee from China and Haiti, notable roasters I've only had the rare import of like the Netherland's Manhattan, or Gainesville's favorite Resident.
we talked to our baristas for a long while about what they had and what they liked, before getting an espresso and a drip. the build was tight and its pace was slow enough to allow for this sort of thing. I imagine they do a lot of wholesale and deservedly so.
Other key takeaways
Most places were very busy, meaning some shops had beautifully designed workflows that just didn't pan out at the pace they were going; It made me think about designing for ordering fast and slow, and how to consider employee interaction at that pace. Menus generally were a little bigger than I expected, and I was surprised by how well they were organized, it gave me confidence in carefully pushing my menu a little larger. A lot of places that were doing seasonal specials would tie visuals to those specials, I really like the idea of having an image to associate with specials and avoiding a long written list.
In Summary
It was nice to visit a place as inherently competitive as NYC, it necessitates a clear picture for cafe concepts that work well and efficiently. I'm very excited to get open now that we're only a month or two away. I was planning on visiting ATL and Chicago this month, but I think I can be comfortable just visiting ATL now since it's not too far.
Have a great Halloween everyone, -Eli
