What do you want from a cafe?

[Sunny Portrush]

My friend has opened a cafe and is looking to entice in some of the local cyclists. He already stocks some little bits and pieces ie spare tubes, a track pump, energy bars and a set of Allen keys.

What do you look for in a cafe bar the obvious of food and drink, what else could he do to build his cycling clientele?

Cheers

 

[Venod]

Secure bike parking, of course it depends on how much room he has, some of the best cafes I know let you take your bike inside.

 

[Tim Hall]

LMNH, in London's famous London, has locks for customers to use.

 

[MontyVeda]

ashtrays.

 

[Sunny Portrush]

ashtrays.

I kid you not but a couple of years ago, I saw the usual pack of Sunday cyclists pass on the other side of the road and the boy at the back had a fag in his mouth!

 

[fossyant]

Coffee and cake ! Lots of it.

 

[Dave7]

Maybe some photo copied....enlarged local maps. I like to wander around areas and normal maps dont show these back lanes.
I recently followed signs for a cyclist friendly cafe and got totally disoriented.

 

[Markymark]

When I'm a cyclist I want the same as when I'm not a cyclist. Good food and good service. My transport getting there tends to be irrelevant.

 

[Pale Rider]

Cyclists are not known to be big spenders, so at least a handful of things on the menu need to be cheap, or at least appear good value.

Decent sized cups of tea and coffee is a good example, it really only comes down to a bit more hot water but gives the impression of generous portions.

 

[MontyVeda]

I kid you not but a couple of years ago, I saw the usual pack of Sunday cyclists pass on the other side of the road and the boy at the back had a fag in his mouth!

I often smoke and cycle. I'm currently working on an electric windproof lighter powered by dynamo.

 

[ianrauk]

Real ketchup and brown sauce. None of that catering crap.

 

[Dayvo]

Cycling memorabilia: retro jerseys, posters, maps, old bikes on the wall, a selection of magazines and books to browse through or sell.

Plus a good variety of cake, esp. fruit cake.

 

[smutchin]

I called into my local cyclist-friendly pub earlier this afternoon to discover that they now offer massages!

The choice of facilities would largely be dependent on how the chap sees his cafe - is it simply a coffee-and-cake stop for cyclists to call in mid-ride, or is it a destination in its own right? If the latter, he'll want to consider things like a big screen and a subscription to Eurosport to show the big races. LMNH is a good model to look at, as is G!ro in Esher, to name a couple of well-known ones off the top of my head, and indeed my aforementioned local, the Freewheel in Graveney - http://www.thefreewheel.pub/

 

[NorthernDave]

Formica tables, plastic chairs, unbranded ketchup in those plastic tomato shaped bottles, unmatched cutlery and chipped plates. Oh hang on, that's where I go now!

Seriously though, I think he's got the basics covered and can add to them as he gets feedback or specific requests.
The tricky bit will be managing speed of service when a club ride or two turn up at the same time. People are only so patient.

 

[bruce1530]

Good coffee
Somewhere secure to leave the bike
Toilets