Hanoi welcomes Christmas early: Coffee shops 'race' with festive menus

Attractive seasonal business opportunity

The end-of-year festival period is the “golden” time for food and beverage businesses to increase revenue. On the old streets, Nguyen Dinh Thi, Tran Quang Dieu, Le Duan,... the Christmas preparation atmosphere of coffee shops takes place early and is bustling. In addition to eye-catching decorations, many shop owners seize the opportunity to be creative, many beverage products are delicious, beautiful, and well commercialized.

According to the reporter of Cong Thuong Newspaper, many coffee shops in the city have added drinks with a strong festive atmosphere such as chocobomb, cinnamon latte, hot caramel... The products are decorated with Christmas themes with images of pine trees, reindeer, gift boxes, bows, red and green colors and striped patterns... creating eye-catching, increasing attractiveness to customers, especially young people who love taking photos and "checking-in".

Although seasonal dishes are usually priced 10-20% higher than the regular menu, many establishments still record a steady stream of customers, especially in the evenings from 8pm to 11pm. Currently, the price of drinks at some establishments ranges from 60,000 to 80,000 VND; special requests for milk or cup design can incur an additional 10,000 to 15,000 VND.

*Young people take the opportunity to check in at the coffee shop. Photo: Dieu Anh*

Regarding the preparation for the product group serving the Christmas season, Mr. Nguyen Tuan, owner of the Clubhouse coffee chain (Tran Quang Dieu Street, Hanoi ), said: "In recent years, the shop usually spends 2-3% of total revenue on decoration investment. However, in the context of many economic difficulties, the number of customers has decreased slightly, this year's budget has been adjusted in the direction of reduction, focusing more on building a new menu to increase revenue."

According to Mr. Tuan, based on available raw materials and market research results, the bar's mixing department has developed two to three seasonal products. The selling price has been adjusted to increase by about 10% due to higher raw material and finished product costs than usual.

*The shop is decorated for Christmas to create a warm feeling. Photo: Dieu Anh*

Customers increasingly want to take check-in photos and enjoy the taste of Christmas early to avoid the crowded days before the holiday, and have enough time to post on their personal social media channels. This makes beverage business owners race against time, launch products early, decorate quickly - neatly - reasonably to "catch the wave" of consumption.

Besides business benefits, implementing a Christmas menu also puts a lot of pressure on young beverage businesses, especially small models with limited capital.

Ms. Thuy Trang, owner of Hyn's Corner bakery and coffee shop (Hoang Van Thai, Hanoi), shared: "To prepare neat and attractive drinks and cakes and create a cozy and comfortable space for customers, the shop has to spend more on decoration and service staff. Increasing product prices during Christmas is inevitable. Although new dishes help the shop increase revenue, at the same time, it also poses the problem of balancing prices to make a profit, ensuring service quality and avoiding negative feedback from customers."

Young people's trend of choosing new experiences

In fact, the Christmas drink menu not only attracts customers based on appearance or “seasonal” trends, but also takes advantage of customers’ desire to try new products, especially young people. Suggestions from social media platforms, recommendations from friends, the above new dishes can become trends and create a clear consumer effect.

Ms. Hoang Thi Quynh Trang, a customer at Hen Coffee, shared: “Every year, the shop only launches about one or two seasonal dishes with very unique flavors. My friend tried the chocobomb here and praised it, so this time I also want to experience it. Moreover, the cup with the Santa Claus pattern is very cute, I can take a photo and post it on my personal page.”

In addition, the increasing demands from customers, or specifically young people in the consumer experience, make the shops have to innovate and increase the quality of service. Young people not only want to satisfy the visual aspect, sit in an attractively decorated space and take pictures, they also want to enjoy the taste of Christmas through attractive food and drinks.

Ms. Nguyen Van Phuong, a communications specialist who often works and meets friends and customers at the coffee shop, said: “In the cold season, I prefer to choose hot drinks, sit outside, enjoy the festive atmosphere and cold weather with friends. The shop's Christmas menu meets my needs.”

*Young people enjoy the early Christmas atmosphere. Photo: Dieu Anh*

In case customers like and feel satisfied with the service experience and festive drinks at the restaurant, they can help spread the brand image to everyone around.

It can be seen that seasonal products not only play a role in stimulating short-term consumption but also become an effective communication tool for coffee shops, helping to increase long-term revenue. Launching the Christmas menu early helps the store increase its recognition and expand its coverage through user-generated content on social networks, from check-in photos to product reviews. This ripple effect helps shops optimize communication costs and create a competitive advantage during the bustling shopping season at the end of the year.

Launching a seasonal menu early, combining eye-catching decorations and signature drinks not only meets the needs of customers, especially young people, but also creates a ripple effect on social networks, helping to expand brand recognition and increase competitiveness during the peak season at the end of the year. This is also the time for business owners to balance costs, improve service quality, and effectively take advantage of seasonal opportunities.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/ha-noi-don-giang-sinh-som-cac-quan-ca-phe-chay-dua-menu-mua-le-hoi-431817.html