Coffee: the standard breakfast drink grows up

Nation's Restaurant News, August 19, 2002

"A hazelnut coffee with cream is a nice change," Kimmel says. "It's a little more indulgent" than unflavored coffee. He notes, however, that consumers who like flavored coffee don't reserve it for special occasions; they also drink it as part of breakfast on a regular basis.

Light or dark?

Although Northeasterners tend to prefer lighter roasts than Westerners, Susan Cavanaugh, an assistant brand manager for hot beverages for Proctor & Gamble, says the roast that coffee customers want often depends on the nature of the venue. Coffee shops and diners with lots of breakfast business tend to go for lighter roasts. More upscale venues tend to prefer darker blends and espresso drinks.

"In the morning, some people really go for that dark, rich flavor," she says.

But you have to look at your clientele and see what matches their tastes. And you also have to look at what goes best with your food.

Bold-flavored cuisine might demand a darker roast. Simple pancakes, sausage and eggs might call for a lighter roast that's more broadly accessible to people who don't want to ruminate over their breakfast.

Beyond regular and decaf

It would be hard to find a restaurant that doesn't offer regular and decaffeinated coffee, but some establishments have gone beyond that to offer a dark roast, a light roast and a flavored coffee. One example is Pret A Manger, the London-based fast-casual sandwich chain that recently crossed the pond. It offers two brews: "Pret dark" and "Pret smooth."

Among customers of her Millstone brand of coffee, Cavanaugh says only about 10 percent offer more than one type of coffee. Many of those serving more than one type brew them in smaller quantities and store them in airpots, which are handy if you're not selling a high volume of that particular blend.

Coffee, the next wine?

A few high-end restaurants have even been pairing coffee with food, although that is happening more with dessert than breakfast. For example, restaurants might recommend a lighter roast with fruity desserts and a darker one for chocolate.

It's unclear whether the public is ready for that, however. And Cleland, from Gavina, points out that having a server distinguish between different roasts or bean types is "really a lot to ask."

Tony Angotti, director of restaurants at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas, looked into the notion of pairing coffee with food. "What we found was that people absolutely fell in love with the coffee program, but the pairing process was kind of a double education," he said. To use good coffee was one thing; pairing it with food was more information than customers wanted. People understand the notion of picking the coffee according to the food, "but they're not interested."

Bonnie Jenkins, general manager of Keens Steak House in New York, says it's just a matter of time before coffee is paired with food. In selecting the Sumatra coffee supplied by Peer's, Keens management sampled it with the restaurant's food and found that it went well with their dry-aged beef as well as such traditional desserts as cheesecake, creme brulee and triple-layer chocolate cake. She says 20-minute wine tastings at the restaurant are commonplace and expects coffee to follow eventually.