The customers complains resonated loudly for a few reasons. 1. He didn't just complain. He made sense of the situation. 2. He explained to his friend that he gladly pays premiums when dining out but appreciates it when the vendor does everything possible to justify the cost. He went on to say that he's paid as much as $5.00 per taco, but also stated that he had done so in a restaurant that prepares all of their foods from scratch. He stated that $5.00 seemed like a bargain because he saw how the tortilla was made to order, the salsa was made fresh. The taco was carefully handcrafted to appear and taste in such a way that the $5.00 price tag was not only fair but a steal. My next thought was the inspiration for this post. I thought to myself, "I'f this person will pay $5.00 for a quality taco then why not pay$5.00 for quality coffee?" In thinking so I was assuming that this person was not capable of appreciating the details and nuances that go into a quality cup of coffee but, this is the same person that had described a Taco with better detail than anyone I've ever encountered. My attention was immediately focused on the L.A. coffee scene and I remembered two cups of coffee which I had recently purchased. I payed an average of $7.00 for two cups at two different coffee shops. One cup was brewed in a standard Fetco brewer. I ordered, the Barista drew from the brewer and served a cup. The second was a Hario pour over that was prepared with bad technique overall. Coffee shops prepare hundreds of drinks and coffees a day, but they do it one cup at a time for one customer at time.
Customers being asked to trust that their cup of coffee is worth $5.00 but they're told their coffee isn't worthy of the detailed preparation that single brewers offer. As a customer, are you supposed to believe that the quality of the coffee that you purchased for $9.00 a cup supersedes a Baristas lacking will to make your $9.00 seem like a bargain like the customers $5.00 taco? When, it came to my $9.00 cup of I'd say no. Perhaps a taco doesn't parallel a cup of coffee but I did wish I could've described my $9.00 cup with the same enthusiasm that a $5.00 taco was.
