Tea Room Basics 101

 
In 1998 I opened my first tea room in Bend, Oregon.  In 2000 we re-invented and started a second tea room also in Bend, Oregon.  For 7 years I poured my life into a single passion, serving elegant tea. 

A tea room is one of the most wonderful things on the earth.  In a moment you can offer a place of bliss and peace to everyone who enters your establishment.  In the air, you can almost hear the inward sighs of your guests.  For a few minutes of a busy day your clients shut out the world as you pour them a refreshing cup of tea.

For many years tea to me, was more about the "experience" than the beverage.  I always stove to serve a great cup of loose leaf tea but I worked even harder to provide a moment of elegance in an often dreary world.

Here are three things I learned along the way:

 

1. Everyone needs someone to serve them.

In today's fast food world we find ourselves running (or driving) from meal to meal in between work, errands, kids and commitments.  There is very little time to be pampered or served.  Oh sure, there is the occasional spa visit (which I am a FAN OF!) but how often does someone just serve you with a genuine smile?

When I ran my tea shop the number one thing that people thanked me for was serving them.  Good service will make or break a tea business whether you are a traditional tea room or a tea cafe on wheels.  Taking that moment to look at your customer and gracefully pour tea into their cup makes a difference.  If you are able to take a moment, smile and listen, you may change a life or two.

In the seven years I owned my tearooms I found that the more I poured, the more I listened.  The more I listened the more I healed.  Many of my guests had fragile emotions and just needed a few minutes to be treated with care.

 

2. Pretty food is worth the time.

Food is functional.  We eat it and we move on.  Not so, with a traditional afternoon tea party.  A true tea party offers beauty for the eye and the palate.  Sandwiches are cut in shapes,  textures of the bread vary.  Desserts are tiny, flavors are fresh and they eye can hardly take in the breathtaking color presented on the tea plate.

Pretty food is worth the time.  It is worth giving to your guests.  It is a sacrifice that will be appreciated time and time again. Lately, I have noticed grocery stores are featuring smaller more elaborate desserts in their bakeries.  One of the reasons I believe is that pretty food draws customers.

If you are a tea room owner then taking the time to offer a unique presentation will up the value of your service. 

 

3. Connections are priceless but consistency is key.

In many cases customers came to my tearoom to connect with others.  Clients would bring their family, their co workers, their daughters or their husbands.  They would laugh and often cry over the tea.  Often, guests would sigh deeply over the service and the beauty of the food.  Lofting music and dim lights always offered a sense of intimacy.  Yet in the end, I built a customer base not on "what they felt when they came" but on what they "knew would be waiting!"

Consistency in any tea business is the key to success.  The customer longs to know that they will have a great experience each and every time they come to your establishment.  Your tea shop can stand out in a sea of "so, so places."  It can be the "GO TO" location of choice.

Think of the connections each and every customer has.  If you develop a relationship of consistency your clients will honor you with repeat business and they will share you with friends.

 

Bringing You Up To Speed

In 2004 I sold my tearoom to focus on offering tea education.  Today I operate the online training school Start A Tea Business.com. 

Each and every day I have the opportunity to share these same lessons with new students.  Each student has a different tea dream but in many ways these three principals remain the secret to success. 

If you dream of opening a tea business I encourage you to grab my FREE video series entitled "5 Little Secrets To Tea Business Success"  CLICK HERE . 

 

In addition, I would love you have you join my newest blog project http://www.TeaPartyGirl.com   Sign up for our RSS feed and give us your comments and feedback.

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Comments

[D.H.]

Hi there...saw your post and had a moment to read through it...

I enjoyed the recent post...I have been pondering some of the items you discuss...tearooms in our area are mostly "restaurants" that don't serve quality tea...teabags, and not always the gourmet teabags at that!

I get frustrated being compared with the other restaurants that call themselves tearooms. Many people do not put a value on the "experience" of taking tea...they see $18 - $20 and say, "Oh my... Other places charge $10 for a plated entree." People don't think about the time that goes into making pretty presentations, etc.

It's also interesting that when women want to do something "special" for that particular friend, they call...but they don't support a tearoom throughout the year, maybe just one or two times a year...then they wonder why you have limited hours?? OR, why tearooms can't make a go of it. I know people get frustrated with my hours...but they are limited for the above-mentioned reasons and because I am still raising my family.

We are doing really well...but I wish MORE people understood the behind-the scenes activities that take place for tearoom owners.

Did any of this make sense?! YIKES...maybe not.

Anyway, liked your post.

Blessings,
D.H.

[Jimmy Choo Chaussures]

I like you on facebook and follow through google reader!

[Traumdeutung]

Very interesting Post. Bookmarked it.

[supra for boy]

So fun article is! I know more from it.

[Pandora Charms]

That was my thought,too.