- As prices rise, specialty coffee consumers are demanding more attentive customer service.
- Brands like WatchHouse and Proud Mary are scaling through a hospitality-centric approach.
- Detail-oriented service requires careful balance to avoid undermining efficiency.
- Great hospitality will always start with barista wellbeing.
Customer service in specialty coffee, at its core, is about meeting people’s needs beyond the drink itself. Baristas welcome guests into the “third place”, guide them through different origins, processing methods, and brewing techniques, and build a connection to the café. For many specialty coffee consumers, these interactions are just as valuable as the beverage.
But as the market matures and competition intensifies, excellent hospitality has become an expectation, not a differentiator. Retail coffee prices are rising, and consumers want greater value for money, so specialty coffee shops need to focus more than ever on customer service. More are turning to “intentional” hospitality: attentiveness to the small, often missed details in a café.
US Barista Champion Morgan Eckroth recently highlighted how subtle details – under-counter coat hooks, pre-warmed cups, clean latte rims, well-maintained plants – combined can elevate the customer experience.
Brands such as WatchHouse, now expanding across the UK, US, and Middle East, exemplify how this approach works. Its “Modern Coffee” philosophy embodies intentional customer service: Baristas greet guests at the door, serve them tableside, and can answer any question about the menu. This transforms a casual café visit into a more curated dining experience.
The roaster’s success signals a clear shift in consumer expectations: Paying more for specialty coffee requires a more thoughtful approach to hospitality.
You may also like our article on why coffee shops need to prioritise hospitality in an era of convenience.
Consistency is in the small details
More coffee shops are focusing on consistent customer service because it’s one of the biggest drivers of success. Research by Oliver Wyman shows that variations in customer experience account for up to one-third of differences in sales and profitability between a chain’s individual stores. Where service became more consistent, sales typically rose by at least 10%.
Coffee chains address this challenge through structured training programmes and standardised operating procedures designed to work at scale. Specialty coffee shops, by contrast, rely less on rigid frameworks. Instead, staff pay attention to small details to create a consistently refined customer experience.
Competitions such as the World Barista Championship and World Brewers Cup set the benchmark for this. Competitors demonstrate not only excellence in coffee knowledge and technical skill, but also in hospitality. They keep workstations immaculate, set music volume just right, and refill water glasses, all with a level of enthusiasm that reassures judges they’re in expert hands.
The competition stage demands this level of vigilance, but it’s increasingly evident in daily café operations as well. “We’ve always worked with competitive baristas, so keeping things clean, aligned, and professional is a baseline,” says Tibor Várady, the founder of Espresso Embassy in Budapest – voted Hungary’s best coffee shop in the 2024 European Coffee Trip Awards.
Tibor’s baristas wipe cup rims to ensure every guest receives a clean cup and saucer. They weigh cappuccinos regularly to check microfoam texture, and always serve drinks with latte art facing the customer. These seemingly obsessive gestures emphasise that no detail is too small.
“We’re all trying to make a living out of selling cappuccinos, so they need to be good, don’t they?” he asks.
For most coffee shop owners, the answer is yes. Facing high coffee prices, rising operational costs, and price-conscious customers, baristas and café operators have little choice but to deliver exceptional customer service. In today’s competitive market, a wobbly table, unclean bathroom, or long wait time is enough for customers to seek alternatives.
Excellent customer service is driving growth for specialty coffee
Customer service sits at the heart of specialty coffee and, as margins tighten, it’s becoming an increasingly important driver of growth. Research from Zippia suggests that 42% of consumers are willing to pay more for friendlier service, while nearly three-quarters are more likely to recommend a brand after a positive interaction.
Most specialty coffee shops offer excellent service, but those with a hospitality-first approach are finding success in today’s market. This reflects the growing demand for more attentive, intentional customer service. Australian roaster Proud Mary, which runs two cafés in the US, raised nearly US$1.2mn in under 70 days in a 2025 crowdfunding campaign. The funding will be used to open new stores nationwide, enabling the brand to scale its high-end coffee and food concept.
Although elevated service is becoming a key differentiating factor in specialty coffee, it’s not without its challenges for café operators. This is perhaps best illustrated by 3fe founder Colin Harmon’s book, What I Know About Running Coffee Shops. Colin’s frustration with plated napkins – well presented, but impractical, as the pastries and cakes were often stuck to them – demonstrates how arduous detail-oriented hospitality can be.
“In the last year alone, I’ve probably talked to staff about pastries on napkins about 20 to 30 times,” Colin writes. “Coffee shops are about routine and consistency and constantly (constantly!) pushing things back in order.”
Tibor highlights the pressure on workflow and efficiency: “We take orders at the bar and bring drinks out to tables. Our layout somewhat demands it; when the summer terrace is out, we become a sizable café. But it does increase staff workload, so on a bad day, I question whether it’s something we need to sacrifice to become more productive.”
Back to basics
The barista role is already demanding, so the added pressure to deliver consistently exceptional customer service only increases the workload. Paying attention to subtle details is becoming increasingly crucial, but Tibor explains that the push for excellence must start with cultivating a positive working environment.
“You know those memes which give you a higher price if you don’t say ‘please’? ‘Coffee’: €5. ‘Coffee, please’: €1. I don’t like them. The fun is to get a grumpy customer to leave happy and friendly,” he says. “Of course, this requires mental energy, and personality alone won’t cut it. You need the right working conditions to have the extra energy required.
“Does the barista have the ability to feed off a satisfied customer’s energy? Do they enjoy providing good service? If yes, your service will be great.”
As specialty coffee continues to mature, the fundamentals of success are shifting. High-quality coffee is no longer enough on its own; it must be matched by a consistent experience that feels deliberate and attentive.
In a market defined by rising costs and increasingly discerning consumers, the smallest details can determine whether a café is remembered or overlooked. But ultimately, attention to detail only works when it’s supported by the people delivering it. Creating the right conditions for baristas to thrive, with realistic workflows, supportive management, and a shared sense of purpose, enables great service.
“It’s about the ability of the barista to figure out what the consumer is looking for,” Tibor concludes. “If someone is even attempting this, I’m happy.”
Enjoyed this? Then read our article on the future for customer service and hospitality in specialty coffee.
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