Why are cafe awards important for business?

In Australia we have over 30,000 cafes, which is amazing for such a low populated country. Over 2,000 can be found in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Not only do we have lots of cafes, but we also have the highest quality cafes in the world, and I put this down to Australians need for great coffee and food. We have an amazing espresso coffee culture, and our quality is very high compared to other countries. When you travel this is one of the things you notice as a coffee lover.

Cafe award programs are few and far between and I believe there should be more. As a leading cafe media business, I have been asked to judge many cafe award programs, which allows me to see some amazing business concepts.

This year we have been asked to assist with “Brisbane’s Best Café Awards” and the promotion of that sector. Brisbane has some of the best cafes in the country and one of the better climates for outdoor dining. Brisbane also has a very high quality standard due to the number of global travellers passing through Queensland.

As a past head judge of the cafe award program I look at certain details of each cafe nominated, including the quality of beverage and food service, customer service and friendly staff, the overall fit-out and the vibe of the business. Cafes that stand out are the ones that have a constant flow of people, and they will spread the word for good businesses. If you tick all the quality boxes as a cafe owner, you will be busy.

In summary, winning a cafe award is excellent for marketing. We know Australia has an abundance of cafes so to stand out from the crowd achieving an award directly turns into increased sales. As a business owner it is getting harder to be in the forefront of people’s minds, so winning awards will give you plenty of content, including logos to attach to signage and packaging.

Make sure you prepare well for an award, read the rules and follow guidelines. Make sure all staff know you have entered so they can put on their best smiles for those secret judges and of course customers.

Best of luck competing.

Sean Edwards,
Director of Cafe Culture International