I love coffee. Like many entrepreneurs, I've spent a lot of time at coffee shops. But unlike a lot of people, I see things through the lens of "Customer-centric Marketing".

On a trip to Guatemala last year, I was invited to meet with the Head of Customer Experience at Saúl Bistro, one of the country’s most iconic restaurant brands.

We sat at one of their coffee shops, chatting about brand loyalty and customer behavior. Naturally, I asked the question every marketer should ask first:
“Why do your customers come here — and not to the coffee shop across the street?”

She smiled confidently and said, “Our coffee.”

I nodded and smiled back. “Okay,” I said, “let’s test that.”


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The Observation Exercise

We sat quietly for the next ten minutes, simply observing.

At first, she watched the décor, the espresso machine, the pastries behind the glass. But soon, her focus shifted to the people.

All around us, there were laptops and tablets open on tables. Groups of people dressed in office attire sat talking about a nonprofit project. A pair of coworkers discussed sales numbers. At the table beside us, a job interview was underway.

Across the room, a cluster of university students were huddled around textbooks and screens.
Three customers in a row approached the counter — all asking for the Wi-Fi password.

And here’s the irony: we were having a meeting ourselves.

After a few moments, I asked, “So… what do you see?”

She laughed softly. “People working.”

Then I asked the question that changed how she looked at her business:
“Are you actually a coffee shop… or are you a co-working space that serves coffee?”

She sat back. It was like I had just flipped on a light.


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The Hidden Truth Behind Every Coffee Shop

Coffee shops love to believe they’re in the coffee business.

They obsess over sourcing, roasting, foam art, and flavor notes.

But look closer — most coffee shops aren’t in the coffee business.

They’re in the connection business.

We don’t go to coffee shops because they have the best beans. We go because they give us a neutral space to think, meet, talk, and create.

Coffee shops are modern-day meeting rooms for entrepreneurs, freelancers, students, and professionals. They’re community centers disguised as cafés.

But here’s the problem: most coffee shops don’t realize it.


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The Copycat Problem

Visit ten different coffee shops and you’ll notice something familiar. They all do the same thing:
☕ Seasonal drink menu
🥐 Pastries and baked goods
🎶 Music turned up just a little too loud
🪑 Limited outlets and uncomfortable chairs
🚪 Layouts optimized for “grab and go”
📶 Wi-Fi that barely works

They’re not designed for the people who actually spend the most time — and money — there.

Instead, they’re designed to look like coffee shops, because that’s what every other coffee shop does.

That’s not branding. That’s conformity.


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Through the Lens of Customer-Centric Marketing

When I look at a coffee shop, I don’t just see the tables and the espresso machines. I see opportunity.

Because I look at it through a Customer-Centric Marketing lens.

Customer-Centric Marketing means understanding why your customers are there, then building systems that elevate their experience — while turning them into your marketers.

And right now, most coffee shops are blind to the real reason their customers walk through the door.

They think customers are there for caffeine. But customers are actually there for connection.

That’s a massive marketing opportunity hiding in plain sight.


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If Coffee Shops Knew Who Their Customers Really Were

Let’s imagine for a moment that a coffee shop truly understood its audience.

If they realized that their customers are mostly businesspeople, students, freelancers, and community leaders, they could reinvent their entire experience.

Here’s what that could look like:
✅ Create a business magazine featuring the stories of local entrepreneurs and professionals who frequent the shop.
– (“Meet the people who make this coffee shop their office.”)

✅ Offer small, private meeting rooms for two to four people, available to book by the hour — with upgraded service, maybe even a “meeting platter.”

✅ Install proper workstations and quiet zones with strong Wi-Fi and reliable power outlets.

✅ Add RSVP-based co-working sessions, where guests can reserve space for workshops, study groups, or networking events.

✅ Film 30-second “Intro Videos” for customers who want to promote their small business or portfolio — filmed right there in the café.

Every one of these ideas gives customers something valuable — and in return, it turns them into brand advocates.

Because when people feel seen, they share.

When people are featured, they promote.

And when people belong, they stay loyal.


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Coffee Shops Don’t Need Better Coffee — They Need Better Understanding

The irony is that coffee shops are sitting on one of the most engaged, loyal, and profitable customer bases imaginable.

Business professionals who spend money daily.

Students who build habits that last for years.

Remote workers who need reliable spaces.

But instead of designing for them, most coffee shops design for everyone else — the person who drops by once a week for a caramel macchiato and a selfie.

That’s not a business strategy. That’s a missed opportunity.


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What Would Happen If Starbucks Realized This?

If you’ve read my earlier pieces, you know I’ve talked about this before — Starbucks, for example, doesn’t realize that it’s already the world’s largest co-working space.

Go ahead — walk into a Starbucks and look around...Laptops. Meetings. Study sessions. Job interviews.

It’s not a café. It’s a workplace disguised as one.

But because the company hasn’t truly embraced that reality, their environment, layout, and service model are out of sync with their actual customer base.

That’s the core of what I teach in Customer-Centric Marketing:
When you design your business around your customers — instead of around your product — you create something that markets itself.


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The Bottom Line: It’s Not About the Coffee

Coffee shops think their customers are there for the coffee. They’re not.

They’re there for the experience the coffee facilitates — conversation, collaboration, creativity, community.

And until coffee shops start recognizing that, they’ll keep losing customers to the next big chain, trend, or competitor.

Because you can’t compete on coffee.
You can only compete on connection.


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Final Thought...

If you own or manage a coffee shop — or know one that’s struggling — I’d love to talk.

Let’s build something better. Let’s create a space that understands its customers and gives them reasons to stay, share, and come back every day.

📩 Visit my contact page and set up a call. Let’s build the coffee shop that doesn’t just sell coffee — it sells belonging.