Newly opened in BGC, Because Coffee by Harlan + Holden is a good cafe to grab a quick drink when in the area. Especially if you’re the type of person that doesn’t like to carry around cash. They’ve developed a cashless system for their coffee shop where you can order online via their app or on a tablet provided in the store. You then pay with your card and grab your coffee at the end of the bar. You can even order before you arrive at the store and simply pick it up when you get there.
While it’s impressive that they have this novel technology, we find that it comes across as a bit confusing from an experiential design perspective. The cafe’s main centerpiece is their ModBar espresso machine, featuring a design with the majority of its parts hidden under the counter, leaving only the water tap style group heads and steaming wand visibles. This groundbreaking design was intended to remove the barrier between the barista and the customer by being able to show the customer the whole process of creating their drink, while simultaneously encouraging interaction and conversation. But the purchase process at Because Coffee minimizes the contact between the staff and the customer in the cafe? We find that this puts the two systems (the order system and the espresso bar design) somewhat into contradiction, at least from an experiential design and coffee service point of view.
What do you think?
