Foodista in the play

Food has always been part of our offering and we’ve gone above and beyond to leverage on this complementing category across all of our international markets. We learned a lot of things along the way, one thing for sure, a successful food program can’t be a cookie cutter across all markets.

Pre-pandemic we’d offer sandwiches prepared offsite and in several markets on site at a back kitchen. We’ve limited our offering on the fresh food to breakfast items such as omelette and tested freshly made sandwiches in several markets. We also tested back of house operation that offered some main dishes.

The pandemic has brought and accelerated many trends, including consolidating purchases in fewer places, among other factors this increased the demand for food, and particularly the freshly made food in our cafes. The changes in consumer demands was met by development of new models that would provide advanced fresh food offering via a dedicated setup and personnel working on it, while staying true to the café nature of our business.

The term Foodista was coined in 2019 as we introduced fresh breakfast in our Cafes. Foodista is the person responsible to prepare and serve food just like we have a Barista who specializes in serving our beverages. We then took this role to the next level so it meets the expanded offering we’re introducing via the new models. But at the same time,  we developed the position and role to fit with our current hiring criteria so we can train all staff on multiple roles within the café, and keep the staffing model the same. So we introduced comprehensive training programs to train our Baristas work as Foodistas as well. 

Then comes the Foodista station, where the fresh food preparation happens. It’s part of the counter setup with a theatre-like show that permits guests to see their food prepared in front of their eyes. New models such as Café Bistro and Bakery Café include a Foodista station that offers creations of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. All are prepared freshly with variations in the menu.

Moving forward, we will work towards training more Baristas around the world to become Foodistas and serve our guests’ fresh food items at flagship and larger cafes.

Sincerely,

Wael Chehade,

Chief Operating Officer

Second Cup International