Mobile Ordering. Convenience vs. Connection
I wasn’t late but I was in a reasonable hurry. On an LA excursion to meet up with friends for a drive, I made the very necessary coffee stop. I popped into a well-known specialty coffee spot—aside from a couple sitting at a two-top who already had their beverages the store was empty. Prefect.
After being left hanging at the register for an oddly long time I placed my order: cappuccino, espresso, Pellegrino, Fifteen dollars. Our drink wait time benchmark at Cat & Cloud is 1-3 minutes so I figured I’d be out of there in five minutes max.
Five minutes came and went and still no drinks. The barista was slowly making beverages but nothing came my way. Then I saw it: a ticket holder with a row of tickets at least ten deep. Mobile orders. I was in an incredibly busy cafe disguised as an empty cafe.
I had to bail. I ran (literally) down the street into a Starbucks around the corner, ordered a short coffee, then clumsily jogged to the hotel spilling coffee on my hand the whole way, and made it just in time to jump in the car with my friend and make our meetup time.
I understand the attraction of mobile ordering. My main beef with it is it deprioritizes the people who are physically in your store. If someone cares enough to walk down the street and through our doors, they should get priority.
Over time, businesses attract a customer base who values what they value. While speed of service and quality can coexist, a space that prioritizes creating experiences and building connections is different than a space that prioritizes convenience. With every decision we make as a business, it’s worth asking:
Who do we want to be?
Who do we want to serve?