Q&A: Why Don’t You Have a Coffee Bar?
Q:
It doesn’t appear that The Summit serves coffee or donuts on Sunday mornings. What’s the theory behind that?
[from a recent Confab session]
A:
It’s true that we zigged when a lot of churches zagged. We do not have a public-facing coffee bar or cafe at any of our campuses. I would love to tell you more about that, but I’m under-caffeinated and don’t have the energy or desire.
I kid.
We did have coffee bars percolating for several years when we were at the four to five campuses range. But then the beans ran out. The short answer for their demise comes down to two reasons: purpose and space. Let me break that down:
1. Purpose: found and lost.
Our initial rationale for having coffee bars was simple: it provided a familiar artifact for a first-time guest. When someone walks into a new space, the smell of coffee and the comfort of a cup in their hand gives them something that they know and don’t have to navigate.
The problem was, the coffee bars weren’t primarily being used for that purpose. Sure, first-time guests were using it. But rather than being a point of connection for first-timers, it became a matter of convenience for our regulars. When folks were milling at the coffee bar rather than heading into worship…when I started fielding emails about the low inventory of mini marshmallows for hot chocolate…I knew we’d lost the plot.
(And by the way, lest this come across as a self-righteous, finger-pointing dig, let me confess that I was one of the first drop ins every Sunday and one of the saddest when we eventually pulled the plug. My weekend was fueled by church coffee and my favorite flavors of creamer.)
2. Space: bigger than beans.
The second major factor in doing away with all coffee bars was even simpler: it was occupying primary real estate that we could utilize in wiser ways. As coffee bars went away, Next Steps kiosks, tables, and spaces went up. Too-small lobbies gave up something good for something better.
New brews ahead?
Those two factors – purpose and space – lead to a final question: will we ever bring back the coffee bar? While there are zero plans for existing or future campuses to have our very own Holy Grounds Cafe (I call dibs on that name), I would never say never. If I could figure out a first-time guest only coffee bar…if we had unlimited lobby space…if we could utilize it for a bigger purpose than just getting your caffeine fix…well, count me in. But until then, home brew is the best brew.
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