Dog Parking

Dogs, and their owners, are encouraged at Daylesford Organic

Perfect Porridge

Starbucks six variations of porridge.

Street Smart Tables

Seen on a Soho street, half-width tables that are perfect for balancing a coffee cup but not much more.  Great idea if it means you can fit in that alfresco seating.

Ingredients on the Glass

Ingredients listed at the base of Doombar's pint glass and an idea that could be used on specific cake plates or coffee mugs. It reads: Natural Ingredients - Cornish Water, English Malted Barley, Whole Hop Flowers and Sharp's Unique Yeast.  Good beer, great marketing.

The Bard

Clever merchandising at Starbucks given the World Shakespeare Festival runs until November and the Bard is an international icon.  Unlike the Olympic rings, you won't get told off by using his image I assume. We may all be potty about the Jubilee and the Olympics but the World Shakespeare Festival is big - 60 partners, one million tickets, http://www.worldshakespearefestival.org.uk/about/

Buzzy Brunch

Granger & Co's simple and superb cake offering in Westbourne Grove - bran muffins, carrot cake, scone with fruit filling and more.  Bill Granger is an Aussie restaurateur famous for his brunches and has conquered Sydney, Tokyo and now London.  Great coffee from Allpress Espresso and tea by Rare Tea Company.  The place is buzzing all day long.

Fruit Twist

Daylesford Organic's Fruit Twist is original and a healthy improvement on the ubiquitous chocolate twist.  The label on all their bread products is terrific too.

Great Signs

Printers & Stationers wine bar off Columbia Road

Upper Crust unit at Paddington Station

Ethel's Kitchen in Hove

Trays & Tea Cosies

Priory Farm Coffee Shop near Redhill, Surrey has colourful trays

and all sorts of tea cosies for use in the cafe and for sale

Free Bucket

Fun, colourful, kids offer at the Beach Cafe, Wells-next-the-Sea in north Norfolk.  Free bucket, their own multideck station and mini bars of rock.

Cuddly toy character to help the 'pester power'

The Latest Bakery Cafe

Did you see that Starbucks has bought San Francisco-based La Boulange Bakery -  http://laboulangebakery.com/

A logical step and one that could have influence on their 17,000 stores worldwide.  I believe that bakery cafes are the way forward - will others follow?

Cuddle a Pensioner

We keep going on about looking after the special interest groups - those using walking sticks are great cafe customers as they have the time and pension money.  Seen at an Oban railway ticket counter but just as appropriate by a cafe till.  http://www.sonnikashop.com/category.aspx?categoryid=26

Simple, Self Serve, Hot Food

Heinz Soup

Baked off pies and sausage rolls

Toast & preserves (and Nutella)

Simple, high quality, self-serve hot food at the Beach Cafe, Wells-next-the-Sea and what a volume it can deal with.

Fresh Fish

Caught at 3am by the fisherman in the background and sold to us for a tenner six hours later when we went alongside - 6 haddock and a saucepan full of prawns.

This catering consultant blogger does occasionally take some time off - a friend's yacht at our anchorage in the Summer Isles, North West Scotland several days ago.  

Remote, dry and fabulous fresh fish.  Not a cafe in sight!

Vinyl Stand

Fun cake stand at the Beach Cafe in Wells-next-the-Sea.  For those of a later but still pre-MP3 vintage, see http://greatcafes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/back-to-80s.html

Yum Yum

Cherry Ripe Slice at Salvation Jane

Rhubarb Galette at Amelie and Friends

Sicilian Canolo at Brera

see our Pinterest photoboard for more  http://pinterest.com/turpinsmale/great-cafes-yum-yum/

Grab a Box

Burford Garden Company have the clever idea of encouraging take-away sales of cakes (at cafe prices) by having stacks of cardboard boxes by the cakes.  It worked and we left £20 the poorer!

Life's Too Short

Cake display at the popular and busy Beach Cafe, Wells-next-the-Sea.

Everyday isn't Good Enough

Costa may make good coffee but they haven't woken up to the 'real tea' revolution that is sweeping artisan coffeeshops, quality cafes and the food shows.  Consumers are prepared to pay for a premium tea bag or loose leaf tea and tea powder just isn't it.  Powder tea bags is the new instant coffee powder; to be avoided.

Check out previous blog posts on Suki, Jing, Tregothnan and Tea Nation teas.

Store Catering

Igigi General Store's cafe in Hove

Check out the glorious photos on their website

http://www.igigigeneralstore.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=62

Available at Two Places in the World

Butterbeer at Warner Bros Studio Tour The Making of Harry Potter at Leavesden

A popular wizarding beverage (at £2.95 a cup) described as tasting "a little bit like less-sickly butterscotch."

Otherwise available at The Wizarding World in Orlando, Florida

Bio Bags of Tea

There is no doubt that one of the next 'big things' in the world of cafes is higher quality tea, loose leaf and in teabags.  Customers like (and will increasingly demand) better quality tea and operators like being able to charge more for one of their best selling items.  Just make sure that the teabags are biodegradable - made from PLA and not nylon.  Tea Nation's teabags have cotton tags, no staples and promise that the tea bag will degrade in 90 days; oh and the tea is good too.

Edible Manhole Covers

The message, bottom left in blue, says "looks like a manhole cover"!

Jubilee Cakes

Clam Cakes' Jubilee Range

Handmade Cakes use patriotic cases

and my daughter Juliet's masterpiece!

Go to Prison for a Slice

Ethel's Kitchen in Hove on the south coast has a sense of humour to match the great food, cakes and assorted teapots

The K-9 Club

The dogs, dog owners and ducks love the set up and sign outside the Beach Cafe in Wells-next-the-Sea.  Dog treats on sale inside.  Look after all the special interest groups and watch the loyalty and sales increase.

Passion on a Poster

Cafe in the Park have two locations - Marlow and Rickmansworth - and have great story posters