Coffee has changed over the years from a morning pick-me-up to a big part of daily life. Right now 66% of Americans drink coffee daily—a 20-year high that’s continued since the beginning of 2022.1
Coffee Consumption in the US1
September 2021 : 58%
January 2022 : 63%
September 2022 : 66%
Not only are there more coffee drinkers out there right now, a growing number are leaving the house for their coffee fixes.2 So how do you become their go-to coffee spot? How do you ensure you’re offering what they’re looking for? Take a look at some of recent trends in coffee and find out how you can use them to satisfy more coffee lovers at your place.
1. Coffee All Day
If you think coffee is a morning thing, you’re right. But it’s way more than that too. While the majority of hot coffee is consumed during the day, most of the coffee consumed in the afternoon is either cold brew or specialty coffee.2
What to do: Ensure you’re offering hot coffee in the morning and cold/specialty drinks in the PM.
2. That’s My Specialty
As consumption grows, so do consumer tastes. More guests are looking for drinks beyond traditional coffee—specialty beverages like cold brew, espresso-based drinks and flavored coffees. And operators are meeting the demand. In fact, 37% of menus offer coffee options to accommodate changing tastes,3 and more menus are likely to follow suit.
Fastest-Growing Specialty Coffee Ingredients3*
- 73% Dark chocolate
- 61% Black raspberry
- 50% Oat milk
- 17% Honey
What to do: Assess your setup and offer any specialty accommodations you can. Sugars & cream are a must, but iced and flavored drinks keep coffee consumers coming back.
*Excluding seasonal flavors
3. Season’s Sippings
What is it about setting a time limit that drives action? LTOs push that “now-or-never” button, and when it comes to coffee, unique limited-run flavors have a magnetic draw. Consider some of these LTO flavor trends they’ll jump on before it’s too late:
Top Seasonal Flavors4
- Apple
- Maple
- Nutty flavors
- Brown sugar pumpkin
What to do: Pick a flavor, pick a month (or a week or a whole season) and spread the word. And don’t underestimate the power of a cold option: Gen Z consumers are considerably more likely to go for an iced coffee beverage than a hot one.5
There are plenty of ways to pull all this off, from flavors programs that allow coffee drinkers to tailor their coffee to their own taste, to LTOs that satisfy those seasonal cravings. But the simplest way to satisfy more coffee drinkers is finding a reliable self-service machine that does the heavy lifting for you. Bonus points if the setup is free (it is).
1National Coffee Association NCDT Report, September 2022.
2NPD Group, CREST, 2022.
3Technomic, Ignite Menu National Food Data Trends, Q2, 2022.
4Kantar, Understanding Generations Report, September 2022.
5Mintel, Coffee and Tea Study, March 2022.
