Pleasing customers with coffee, tea specialty beveragesPleasing customers with coffee, tea specialty beverages

A growing number of restaurant operators are delving into specialty beverages based on coffee and tea. They are experimenting with a diverse array of flavors and ingredients ranging from exotic fruits to graham crackers, Asian herbs, hops, floral essences and corn.

As well they should, in light of the growing role that innovative beverages play in shaping dining decisions. Last year, 21 percent of consumers said beverages play a very important role in deciding which restaurants to visit for meals, up from 16 percent in 2012, reports the Chicago-based research firm Technomic Inc. “More and more restaurateurs are using specialty beverages as a differentiator,” says John Buckner, vice president of marketing with S&D Coffee & Tea. “The ‘premi...