Comments on: Intelligentsia plans a groundbreaking coffee bar in Venice Beach http://theshot.coffeeratings.com/2009/03/intelligentsia-venice-beach-concept/ Rants and Raves on Espresso Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:18:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: TheShot http://theshot.coffeeratings.com/2009/03/intelligentsia-venice-beach-concept/comment-page-1/#comment-4772 TheShot Mon, 18 May 2009 23:34:48 +0000 http://theshot.coffeeratings.com/?p=2652#comment-4772 The question is whether it makes sense to base your business plan on your customers being perpetually ignorant. Or that your customers will keep coming back, enjoying being treated as if they are perpetually ignorant. That's essentially the consumer experience Intelligentsia-Venice seems to be optimizing their operations around. Even if we consumers spend a lot of time educating ourselves and trying new things, we are primarily creatures of habit. If habitual customer behavior becomes a little more difficult or requires unorthodox habits compared to the competition, Intelligentsia-Venice will face challenges retaining repeat customers. It's one thing to offer consumer courses, hold tastings or cuppings, etc. It's quite another to design the physical layout of your space a certain way -- and to hire and train employees to operate under a specific, and rather unique, service model. The question is whether it makes sense to base your business plan on your customers being perpetually ignorant. Or that your customers will keep coming back, enjoying being treated as if they are perpetually ignorant.

That’s essentially the consumer experience Intelligentsia-Venice seems to be optimizing their operations around. Even if we consumers spend a lot of time educating ourselves and trying new things, we are primarily creatures of habit. If habitual customer behavior becomes a little more difficult or requires unorthodox habits compared to the competition, Intelligentsia-Venice will face challenges retaining repeat customers.

It’s one thing to offer consumer courses, hold tastings or cuppings, etc. It’s quite another to design the physical layout of your space a certain way — and to hire and train employees to operate under a specific, and rather unique, service model.

]]> By: intelli brother http://theshot.coffeeratings.com/2009/03/intelligentsia-venice-beach-concept/comment-page-1/#comment-4771 intelli brother Mon, 18 May 2009 21:40:23 +0000 http://theshot.coffeeratings.com/?p=2652#comment-4771 i think intelli is absolutely correct in assuming most people are not educated about coffee. Even though most coffee drinkers can't go a day with out, they don't know the differences in beans, they just want consistency regardless if that means just burning the hell out of the coffee every time. This causes people to go into there shops and be thrown off by the fact that they actually taste several different flavors. The "educating" clues them into what's going on and why it's different. I feel like this article makes it seem like you get lectured every time you go into the bar. i think they're just trying to open peoples eyes to something new in coffee. i think intelli is absolutely correct in assuming most people are not educated about coffee. Even though most coffee drinkers can’t go a day with out, they don’t know the differences in beans, they just want consistency regardless if that means just burning the hell out of the coffee every time. This causes people to go into there shops and be thrown off by the fact that they actually taste several different flavors. The “educating” clues them into what’s going on and why it’s different. I feel like this article makes it seem like you get lectured every time you go into the bar. i think they’re just trying to open peoples eyes to something new in coffee.

]]> By: Christian http://theshot.coffeeratings.com/2009/03/intelligentsia-venice-beach-concept/comment-page-1/#comment-4612 Christian Sun, 08 Mar 2009 00:11:49 +0000 http://theshot.coffeeratings.com/?p=2652#comment-4612 Interesting point. Given that this is LA, I don't think the cafe will have any trouble whatsoever successfully selling an elite coffee experience, even in this economy. I think you raise a good point, though. Does this benefit coffee as a whole or simply compartmentalize the experience. Regardless of what you think about it, you've got to see these fantastic renderings. http://www.foodgps.com/review/intelligentsia-venice-renderings-revealed/ Interesting point. Given that this is LA, I don’t think the cafe will have any trouble whatsoever successfully selling an elite coffee experience, even in this economy. I think you raise a good point, though. Does this benefit coffee as a whole or simply compartmentalize the experience.

Regardless of what you think about it, you’ve got to see these fantastic renderings. http://www.foodgps.com/review/intelligentsia-venice-renderings-revealed/

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