An American who gets British Humour

 Mini-me cake (four textured chocolate cake), Eton Mess Lunchbox, After the Rain Mousse Cake and Paris-London pastry demonstrate the fun, innovation and humour at Dominique Ansel's bakery cafe.

Cookie Shots

 Cookie Shots at Dominique Ansel - a moist, soft chocolate chip cookie shaped as a shot glass served with vanilla milk.

Master of Innovation

Dominique Ansel's UK outpost in Victoria displays real innovation, humour and quality - Kiwi Sorbet Bar with kiwi sorbet, vanilla ice cream, poppyseeds, and fuzzy milk chocolate.

I'm New

EAT's Beetroot & Feta Wrap with roast beetroot, feta, tabbouleh, tzatziki and spinach.

Banoffee Paella

 Dominique Ansel's fun take on banoffee pie.

Customer Benefits

 Great Cafes goes off-piste (or rather to the beach) in this holiday season to feature a pair of flip-flops that caught the eye - the soles features bottle openers.  Offering customers added benefits in unusual ways is exactly what great cafes do - encouraging premium pricing, innovation and delighted customers.

Giant Characters

Guest Spot

Giant deckchairs and local character cut-outs are this season's additions at Holkham Estates' Beach Cafe at Wells-next-the-Sea.  Manager Alan Miller keeps generating the innovations.  Bravo.

Our Changing Values

I have now finished 'Spend Shift' - great book about how we haven't been forced to sort out our values.  Until now.


So many of the examples in the book talk about cafes and food being the engine of regeneration in some tough places.
Two points that I found of especial interest:

• 73% of folk are "willing to pay a premium for companies that contribute to my local community"
• "The key to moving a customer is a good story"

The ten point summary (page 208) is somewhat American but applies just as much to us Limeys.
Read the book, assess your values and consider changing your business.

Lettuce Boats & Wraps

Great idea at Waitrose and the sort of thing you might have made yourself at home - healthy and inexpensive.

These retailers are showing the way with innovation.  Note the premium price.  Caterers need to keep up.

Lolly Cake

Cake on a stick - colourful, fun and not seen elsewhere.....yet.  Not the easiest to eat but typical of the innovation seen in the cut-throat coffee bar business.  Well done Starbucks with their 'Petites'.

As part of our popular London Cafe Tours we always visit the majors and caterers are often the worst at knowing what's new in the market.


Good to Great Cafes - chris.brown@turpinsmale.co.uk