Alex Ragoussis loves sports cars.
In fact, the Montreal chef and entrepreneur loves sports cars so much when the design consultant for his first Vancouver project, a "digital" coffee shop called Cafeclub in the heart of downtown, showed Ragoussis and business co-owner Filip Nikolic the mood board for the venture, the sleek, speedy vehicles featured prominently.
As it turns out, Ragoussis hadn't realized he was talking so much about his love of cars; his other passion - besides great coffee and innovating the hospitality experience - bubbling up lends itself well to Cafeclub.
The Cafeclub concept - a 100 per cent online order-only cafe with coffee, pastries, and grab-and-go eats - aims to address the standard coffee shop experience of waiting in lines. Taking a cue from the rise in popularity of QR codes, online ordering, and smartphone apps in the past couple of years, Cafeclub also applies tech to the coffee bar in the form of state-of-the-art equipment they're the first in Vancouver to use.
The result: Less waiting, a consistent product, counter clerks who aren't face-down in a cash register, and a new independent coffee venture to rival the old familiar.
Nikolic and Ragoussis opened the doors to Cafeclub in mid-October, having taken over a former Starbucks location at 1018 W Georgia St. Doing a build-out where coffee shop infrastructure existed was a boon for the duo and offered the perfect canvas to work in some really noteworthy functional and design elements.
How Cafeclub is using coffee shop tech to 'speed things up'
The tech includes a milk and milk alternative dispensing machine called a FloSmart from Australia that detects the pitcher size and dispenses milk accordingly and uses RFID-enabled pitchers that are programmed to communicate with the automated foamer. The foamer, a Perfect Moose from Belgium, allows the barista to get the exact consistency and temperature needed for the drink - and frees them up to do other tasks on the line or chat with arriving customers, rather than the usual steaming set up that finds staff head down and watching the thermometer.
In addition to Cafeclub's top-of-the-line espresso machine (custom painted by an auto body shop in actual Porsche red) and grinder/tampers, the coffee spot is also making use of a Toronto-made cold brew machine that can infuse the chilly coffee with nitro bubbles with the flip of a switch.
With all these gadgets, however, Ragoussis is quick to point out that the goal isn't to turn the whole coffee experience into an automated one; instead, it's about efficiency for the barista and a consistent product for the customer. "There's no compromise in the quality and no bottlenecks when we speed things up," Ragoussis explains during an in-person cafe tour.
While neither Nikolic or Ragoussis has a background in engineering or theatre, the pair took a very hands-on approach to essentially choreographing the barista role - factoring in up to five workers behind the bar at once - and figuring out the spacing, angles, and moves and adjusting where all of the equipment and storage was set up. Taking a page from the bartending world's book, Cafeclub's counter is set up similarly to a bar, with cup rinsing and ice scooping stations.
How cars factor into the coffee shop design
Back to those fast cars, though. Your eyes might jump to the framed photo of a Porsche on the wall, but you might not immediately see that the floor was treated with an epoxy like a garage floor, the design of the drawers behind the bar are taken from mechanic drawers, and there are pieces of galvanized metal in the shop. Much like how sports car makers pivoted to use galvanized metal so the vehicles wouldn't rust, Cafeclub is hoping its tweaks to the coffee shop experience will move the familiar habit of so many Vancouverites into its next - and improved generation.
Ragoussis says "How can we be the best coffee shop possible?" is the driving mantra behind Cafeclub. To that end, when it comes to coffee, they are working with local and regional roasters, like Nemesis, Moving Coffee, and Detour, to source beans, including single-origin coffees from trusted farms. Paragon Tea is supplying the tea powders (those will ultimately be deployed in what Cafeclub calls "Super Lattes," a forthcoming menu addition that means drinks with boosts from adaptogens and other add-ons).
When it comes to other drinks and food, Cafeclub is working with local and regional businesses like Culture for kombucha, Farm Karma for fruit sodas, and an array of treat and meal makers. The cafe sells baked goods from ButterBoom, Dough, Noisette by Olivia, and To Live For, and light bites like wraps and salads from Juice Truck and Two Boys With a Knife.
The Cafeclub menu, which customers encounter online, shows each drink and many food items as animated GIFs, so you can see all the components as they're assembled, even the tea steeping (if you aren't there to watch them behind the counter, you can still experience that visual component online).
And, yes: You can walk in and place an order (you'll just need to scan the QR code and tap it in online).
While the tech and automation might sound clinical, Cafeclub's space is lively and engaging, and will soon be enhanced with some table top space for sitting or standing and enjoying your drink on-site. But if you do need to run to a meeting or your office, you can be on your way in a flash.
You know, like a sports car.
Take a look at our visit to Cafeclub:
@forkingawesomevia Hi robot overloads. #vancouverbc #forkingawesome #coffee 🎙️: @lindsaywilliamross ♬ Lovely Day / Good as Hell Mashup - Pomplamoose
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