Silent Cafe's Late-Night Self-Rescue Post! How Should Cafe Operations Adjust During the Pandemic?

The Silent Coffee Shop's Pandemic Struggle and Triumph

On June 14th, a silent coffee shop published an article titled "Please rest assured, we are still alive. But..." which sparked widespread discussion among netizens, with over 80,000 reads overnight. This coffee shop, located in Shanghai, is the first and only one certified as a Chinese social enterprise, primarily employing hearing-impaired baristas.

The article explained that the recent pandemic in Shanghai dealt a heavy blow to this unique coffee shop. Despite reopening, the suspension of dine-in services left them helpless and severely impacted their revenue.

On one hand, the suspension of dine-in services prevented the silent baristas from conducting community-building offline activities and courses. Even attempting to promote through live streaming platforms proved futile due to lack of traffic and high platform commission rates, making online activities barely effective.

Another challenge was that most staff members are hearing-impaired. Even with delivery services available, they couldn't hear notification sounds or answer delivery drivers' phone calls.

Additionally, with everyone wearing masks during the pandemic, the silent baristas couldn't hear customers clearly or read their lips, creating significant communication barriers between baristas and customers.

Creative Solutions and Community Support

In the latter part of the article, the shop showcased their business situation after Shanghai's reopening: zero revenue and zero customer traffic. If this continued, whether the shop could remain operational became everyone's greatest concern. Every employee in the shop consequently fell into anxiety.

The baristas recalled 12 touching moments from Shanghai's past few months, documenting them through hand-drawn illustrations and creating original themed drip coffee bag sets. Through this creative initiative, they hoped to continue operating the coffee shop through self-rescue efforts.

During times of crisis, kindness emerges. As of this writing, nearly 10,000 sets of the drip coffee bags have been sold. Overnight, countless acts of warmth from strangers gave this coffee shop renewed hope, bringing comfort to the silent baristas who had experienced months of helplessness and despair.

The shop manager stated in media interviews that even during the most difficult pandemic period, the coffee shop did not lay off any employees. They initially had low expectations when publishing the article, but thanks to many strangers sharing their story, their products became bestsellers.

Business has improved significantly in recent days. Although dine-in services are still unavailable, 50-60 customers visit daily for takeout. The shop has also received policy support, successfully applied for rent exemption, allowing them to temporarily set aside this major concern.

Adapting Business Strategies in Challenging Times

During the pandemic, everyone has faced difficulties. Often, things don't go as planned. When challenges arise, we can only adjust our mindset, adapt our business models, and prepare for self-rescue. Many coffee shops couldn't survive – partly due to rent pressures, and partly due to unwillingness to step outside comfort zones.

The pandemic continuously changes consumer habits, with customer demand gradually shifting from "dine-in" to "delivery." Therefore, joining delivery platforms is crucial! It increases brand exposure opportunities and enhances resilience during unexpected events.

It's important to note that even if delivery profits are minimal, every cup of coffee's quality must be maintained to build customer trust in the brand. Additionally, pairing with offline promotional activities or delivery point systems – where customers can exchange collected stickers/cards for in-store drinks – encourages customers to experience the shop's products firsthand.

Beyond consumption scenarios, coffee consumers' needs are also evolving – from buying a cup of coffee to drinking it, to brewing their own coffee. On one hand, the general public's coffee requirements aren't particularly high as long as it tastes good; on the other hand, making coffee at home is more cost-effective and allows for coffee anytime, anywhere.

Looking Forward with Resilience

Therefore, in addition to online delivery and offline promotions, it's essential to quickly launch related products such as drip coffee bags, coffee powder, coffee beans, freeze-dried powder, and pre-made coffee liquids. "DIY coffee" will become mainstream in coffee consumption – we can't focus solely on in-store offerings.

I believe every shop owner knows this business isn't easy, but since you've committed to opening a coffee shop, it proves you have sufficient passion and courage to persevere. As the saying goes, "After clouds clear, the moon appears." I believe everyone can find ways to persist in the current environment and emerge stronger!

"Keep going!"

Image source: Internet and social media platforms

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