A nicely designed coffee shop opened recently in my area, and I had the chance to stop by for an espresso. There are already a few dozen coffee shops in the city, so people might think: “Another coffee shop? There are already enough.” Yet as time passes, the new coffee shop is still there — which means it has customers.
While I was drinking my coffee, I was the only customer sitting at a table, and only two other people bought something during that time. The coffee shop is only 2–3 weeks old. At one point, a guy asked for a specific syrup for his drink, and they didn’t have it. This is exactly like an MVP: it has the basics, which is the coffee, and maybe a few other options. The rest will come later, if the demand is there.
One important thing I noticed: even though the coffee shop is new and people are just starting to find out about it, they aren’t trying to attract customers with lower prices. Some prices were at the same level as other coffee shops I know, and some I think were even a little higher. They’re betting on the product, not on a discount.
Looking at the empty tables felt somehow similar to launching an app and then watching 0, 1, 2… visitors show up in the analytics dashboard. It takes time until people find out about a new product and start to use it. The empty tables at week three don’t mean failure — they’re just what the early days look like.
