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So what do customers want? An all-encompassing
design experience, which is no longer a plus but an expec-
tation, and the bar is constantly being raised by newcomers
with fresh eyes and ideas. “Of course millennials spend
money differently from previous generations. They research
and check feedbacks in social media before they buy or go
anywhere. It is more about sharing and interacting. So young
people are actually more rational and informed, I think. ”
says Norah Shen, founder of Random Café & Design. A
study by eMarketer showed that 37% of social network us-
ers polled use social media to research brands, products or
services before making a purchase. “I personally will often
do a little reconnaissance online to see the look and feel of
a venue before I visit,” shares from Fiona Parsons director
of the business, Padre Coffee, Australia.
Being Social

Social media started as a platform purely for peer-to-
peer communication, but a lot has changed since then.
Hundreds of apps and websites for social interaction appear
every month, but not so many are lucky to become popular
among users. Instagram, the image-driven social network,
has been around for almost 7 years, owned by Facebook for
nearly 6. It is one of the big players in the social space –
perhaps the most popular for F&B industry- and with a
digitally savvy eating-out audience, it is huge for cafés and
coffee shops. In September 2015, Instagram announced that
more than 400 million people use the app every month.
According to YPulse 63% of millenials have posted a photo
of food or drinks they or someone else was having on social
media, and 57% have posted on social media about what
they are eating.
“The first taste is always with the eyes,” said once the
first-century Roman writer, Apicius. And he was right, as
nowadays, the visual appearance of a dish is just as impor-
tant, if not more important than, the taste/flavor itself. “The
adage that ‘people eat with their eyes’ is very true. You want
the presentation to reflect the entire experience they are
about to have, and how they will ultimately remember it.
The memory is all people are left with and that’s how they
will ultimately judge you. They will have the taste memory
of it (obviously critical) but also the visual. If you can leave
people with a memorable experience, which really requires
both memories, they will not only come back but will
likely tell their friends. They also are more likely to share
an image of the experience on social media or a review
platform, and comment on it positively.” says Colby Barr.
Fiona Parsons adds: “I don’t think the importance of a well-
presented offering is new, but the outcomes are slightly The memory is all people are
different. A beautiful dish is more likely to be shared by
individuals in their network, which is invaluable (and au- left with and that’s how they
thentic) promotion for a venue or product. Our tableware
is all pretty minimal – we let the products be the star. If will ultimately judge you.
you look at something like latte art, the interplay between
appearance and quality is a really interesting one, because

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