A coffee bar service has become a fixture at weddings and trade conferences. It can also be a good fit for more intimate gatherings like baby showers and an office party in celebration of an important goal.
When looking to create a café-quality experience for your guests, prioritize drink quality, menu flexibility, professional staffing, and your venue’s needs. A great service will also be able to provide some degree of customization. For a corporate event, this may come in the form of a brand-aligned cart wrap or menus. For a wedding, think custom-printed cup sleeves.
Equipment and bean quality
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
- Professional-grade machines
- Freshly roasted beans
- A polished, photo-worthy setup
A coffee bar will be a welcome sight for your guests, but it needs to be more than that, of course. Ultimately, they’ll measure the success of your gesture by the quality of the coffee it serves. A bar where freshly roasted beans are ground and commercial equipment is used will help ensure the service is fast and the drinks are consistently high-quality.
WHAT TO ASK
- Who roasts your coffee? Is it locally roasted and ethically sourced?
- Do you grind the coffee onsite?
Menu variety
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
- Custom drinks
- Consideration of dietary needs
A service should be able to design signature drinks or provide seasonal options tailored to your theme. There should also be flexibility within the menu to accommodate dietary restrictions.
WHAT TO ASK
- Can the menu be personalized?
- Can you provide milk alternatives and decaf and non-coffee options like tea?
Professional staffing
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
- Experienced baristas
- Guest-to-barista ratio
A professional barista can make 30 to 50 drinks per hour—while maintaining their composure and engaging guests. Speedy, personable service will leave as much of an impression on your guests as the quality of the coffee, so ensure that there will be sufficient staff—experienced staff—to serve your guest count within your event window.
WHAT TO ASK
- What’s the minimum/maximum number of guests you’ll serve during an event?
- Can you provide references or recent reviews?
Logistics and venue needs
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
- A cart that will fit into your space
- The venue can accommodate the cart’s power requirements
- A self-sufficient setup procedure
These are the unglamorous details. But you don’t want to overlook them and risk catastrophe on the day of your event. Ideally, they’ll be settled beforehand, and your service will arrive an hour early to set up quietly so that it’s ready on time, leaving you with one less thing to worry about.
WHAT TO ASK
- Do you bring a cart/table to set up on or does the venue need to provide one? Can you set up on the venue’s bar/counter/table?
- Do you have a point of contact who will communicate with me in a timely manner?