Coffee On-The-Go: Make A Better Beverage Program

1. Make sure staff is well-trained – Quality remains a consistently high concern of customers. That’s especially true for specialty coffee on-the-go, for instance, but also an expectation in self-serve. In fact, satisfaction with AFH coffee “level of service” has experienced double-digit decline over the past 5 years.² Make sure staff is prepared, whether they’re making on-trend signature coffees, or brewing and providing maintenance for self-serve setups. A strong staff can create smoother experiences — and happier guests. 

2. Offer a diverse selection – Today’s consumers are looking for beverage options. Try to keep a well-rounded selection in stock. To start, coffee can come hot, iced, or cold brew, with an assortment of whiteners and even toppings. Most popular out of home beverages include bottled water, hot brewed coffee, carbonated soft drinks, juice, and iced tea.² Even within those groups, offer variety: satisfy with orange juice, wow with blackberry hibiscus lemonade. 

3. Offer self-service beverage stations – Self-service beverage stations can be the ultimate convenience. Staff just need to be trained to set them up and then maintain them. Coffees in any format, juices, teas, and flavored waters lend themselves to this presentation, putting the choice in your patrons’ hands. 

4. Keep up with seasonality – Customers love seasonal drinks. Sales of pumpkin coffees, for example, now begin as early as August, so make sure to feature seasonal beverages throughout the year. An impressive 16% of AFH cold coffee consumed uses seasonal flavors.²  

5. Customization is key – Coffees and even teas shine with a well-stocked choice of creamers and sweeteners. That doesn’t just mean flavor: plant-based creamers are used in over 1/3 of AFH cold coffees.² And new drinks are being paired with creamer, like coconut lime “dirty soda” creamer. 

6. Offer grab-and-go and food pairings – Food pairings, meal combos, or daypart discounts can entice customers to increase their coffee consumption. Especially AFH hot specialty coffee: 45% is enjoyed with food, up 13% over the past 5 years.² QSR and LSR operators can offer food + coffee combos throughout the day while FSRs can ensure coffee drinks are available on breakfast, lunch/dinner, and dessert menus. To really drive traffic, consider an afternoon or evening special that includes a cold coffee/snack pairing. 

7. Harness the latest tech – Technology-enabled self-service appeals to most consumers, with mobile apps increasingly becoming essential. Over half of consumers — and over 70% of Gen Z — would be interested in a restaurant having its own mobile app.³ 21% of consumers prefer to get their coffee on-the-go from a self-serve dispenser/machine.² And AI is only becoming more ubiquitous: 8% more people have personally interacted with or used AI technology year-over-year.⁴  

8. Target daily usage occasions – Make sure your beverage program is ready for any daypart. Coffees, juices, and waters lead the morning. Waters and carbonated soft drinks lead later in the day, although they compete with coffees and juices in the afternoon and iced teas in the evening.²  

9. Get comfortable with delivery and digital – Since the pandemic, coffee delivery services, whether via third-party app or direct, have become hugely popular with customers. Two in five consumer restaurant orders were placed digitally in the last year.³ 

10. Pay attention to packaging – Convenience and experience extend to packaging. So, make sure any beverages you package are spillproof. And with delivery a tamper-evident seal goes a long way toward customer satisfaction, as do sustainable materials. A well-thought-out package can help create loyal customers. 

Sources: 1. NRA State of the Restaurant Industry (2024); 2. Datassential 2025 BUZZ Annual Report (Mar. 2025); 3. Datassential Restaurant Technology (Nov. 2024); 4. Datassential The New AI Landscape (Feb. 2025)