Coffee shop management is about understanding your different types of coffee customers and creating unique coffee experiences for each of them.
The Saudi coffee market was valued at $1.38 billion in 2024. It is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.67% between 2025 and 2033, reaching an estimated $2.27 billion by 2033.
This market expansion is driven by the cultural importance of coffee, a flourishing cafe culture among younger generations, and government initiatives like the Saudi Coffee Initiative under Vision 2030.
With this growth, the number of coffee shops, or cafes, are on the rise in the kingdom, leading to a wide customer base of coffee lovers.
However, many make the mistake of assuming that all customers visit coffee shops for the same reasons. Sure, the coffee is important. But these customers represent various segments, each with specific expectations and needs. Understanding this diversity is the foundation for building an exceptional coffee experience that transforms a casual visitor into a loyal, frequent customer.
True success lies in offering a personalized coffee shop experience tailored to each segment. The experience should go beyond simply fulfilling orders to forge a personal relationship, such as suggesting the perfect table or remembering a regular customer’s favorite drink.
Discover the 8 most common types of coffee shop customers, their needs and preferences, and how to transform their coffee experiences to turn them into regulars.
The Coffee Experience: Remote Workers
Studies suggest increases in the number of remote workers, who now make up 18% of employees in the Gulf. Furthermore, the number of freelancers in Saudi Arabia surpassed 2.25 million in 2024. This segment presents a golden opportunity for coffee shop owners, as remote workers are often in search of more than just a morning beverage. They seek a complete work environment that balances comfort and productivity.
Besides excellent coffee, remote workers need fast and stable internet, comfortable seating and quiet corners so they can concentrate for hours, and reliable power outlets to keep their devices charged.
To turn your café into a preferred destination for remote workers, providing the above is essential but not enough. You need to actively promote your coffee shop as a suitable spot for remote workers via social media.
You can further enhance your coffee shop’s appeal through customized loyalty programs on your café’s mobile app. For example, you can offer a free coffee after accumulating a certain number of points or completing purchases. Alternatively, you can provide special discounts during morning working hours.
Friendly Meetups in Cafés
Another important segment that likely visits your coffee shop frequently are groups of friends. These are people who aren’t looking for solitude, but rather a comfortable atmosphere that encourages conversation, relaxation, and good time.
This customer segment values details that enhance their experience. From cozy seating to friendly service from cheerful staff who are both flexible and attentive. They’re often on the lookout for a diverse menu of drinks and snacks to enjoy while chatting.
To attract this segment, your café should project a social character through comfortable décor and lowkey music that complements conversation without overpowering it. Providing tables that can be easily combined to accommodate small or large groups.
Further reading: Opening a Coffee Shop: Business Plan and Key Steps
Photography Lovers and Food Reviewers
Instagram is a powerful tool for coffee lovers seeking new and visual experiences that go beyond awakening people’s tastebuds. In the coffee market, being unique isn’t always about the amazing beverage.
Customers today like to take pictures with their cup of coffee, offering opportunities for user-generated content (UGC). To attract this segment, offer a complete coffee experience that begins with uniquely designed coffee cups, to the café’s décor, including featuring attractive photo corners or murals and natural lighting.
Encourage customers to share their photos on Instagram and other social media platforms, while tagging you and using a unique hashtag. This turns every picture into promotional content and social proof, boosting your digital presence on review sites and building a community around your brand.
Takeaway and Drive-Thru Customers
Customers who rely on takeaway and drive-thru are an important segment for coffee shops. These people value speed, accuracy, and efficiency. To meet their needs, make sure your coffee experience is practical, flexible, and comfortable.
For example, designate a dedicated drive-thru lane and provide clear signage to help customers make quick decisions. You can also prepare a menu of grab-and-go drinks and snacks that they can pick up instantly, such as cold brew coffee, light sandwiches, or salads.
Additionally, consider offering a pre-order service via your café’s app, allowing customers to pay and collect their order without any waiting time.
Further reading: How to Start & Manage a Successful Coffee Shop in 2025
The Coffee Shop Experience: The Weekend Crowd
This customer segment is among the highest-spending segments in the coffee market, both in Saudi Arabia and globally. Weekend customers are those looking for a complete social experience that provides a clear break from their routine during the work week.
Entice them by designing a unique weekend menu, including breakfast and brunch options.
This segment values friendly staff interactions, especially during busy periods. Focus on creating a unique atmosphere through décor and music that provides both comfort and delight.
If there is a queue, turn this waiting time into an enjoyable part of the experience by offering free samples of new menu items.
The Coffee Connoisseurs
Some of your guests are simply coffee lovers or enthusiasts. These are customers seeking a complete coffee experience beyond taste. They care about every detail of their cup, from the origin of the beans to their interaction with the barista.
These connoisseurs look for exceptional coffee resulting from the country of origin of the beans to precise roasting and professional preparation. They also value interacting with a skilled barista who can enrich their experience with information and advice.
To attract this customer segment, invest in training your team to be coffee experts who can clearly explain the differences between varieties and brewing techniques. Offer detailed tasting notes for each blend to help customers select what best suits their palate.
You can also share authentic stories about the coffee farms and their sources on display boards in the café. This adds a human and professional dimension that elevates the café’s standing in their eyes.
Visitors and tourists
Consider tourists as a customer segment in your coffee shop. A tourist or traveler is a unique customer who isn’t just looking for a cup of coffee but for an authentic cultural experience, reflecting the spirit of the country they are visiting.
They’re often eager to try local flavors and learn about customs through the dishes and drinks. Tourists appreciate an authentic atmosphere that tells the story of the place.
To attract tourists to your coffee shop, offer food and beverages made from local ingredients, clarify their source, and share suppliers’ stories, if relevant.
Offer a bilingual menu with precise descriptions to make it easy for tourists to understand and choose what they want.
Your interior design can also become a window into local culture by displaying historical photos or artwork from the local community’s artists.
Students from Schools, Universities, and Institutes
For students pursuing degrees and studies, a coffee shop becomes an alternative study space. Most cafes are not overly loud, making them suitable for improving concentration and increasing motivation.
They also break the routine and combat boredom, especially when the atmosphere at home is distracting or loud.
In cafés, background noise, such as light music, customer conversations, and the sound of coffee preparation, creates a type of white noise,” that helps some people focus.
The Coffee Market: Tips for Training Baristas on Handling Diverse Customers
Your coffee shop staff plays an important role in turning a casual visitor into a lifelong customer. Training your team to identify customer types and deliver personalized service is an investment that pays off in loyalty and increased profits.
Here are the essential tips for team training in cafés:
- Welcome customers with a smile: A smile is a universal language that breaks down barriers and makes your customers feel comfortable the moment they walk in. Encourage your team to warmly welcome every customer to leave a long-lasting positive impression.
- Encourage customer observation: Train staff to notice customer behavior and identify needs quickly. For example, staff can notice a visitor carrying a laptop, indicating they are a remote worker or student who needs a nearby power outlet, or spot a group of friends, indicating social visitors who require a spacious table.
- Empower your team to create memorable coffee experiences: Give your team the flexibility and authority to make simple decisions and take personal initiatives. For example, they could offer a regular customer a free sample of a new drink, or artistically decorate a dish to suit holidays and seasons.
These simple, personalized touches from coffee shop staff make customers feel valued and build a sense of belonging, which enhances their loyalty and increases the likelihood of their return.
Further reading: CRM in Action: How to Build a Profitable Relationship with Every Guest
Lastly…
Research has shown that successful coffee shops today rely on more than just great coffee, although this remains a critical part of the equation. Coffee experiences are about understanding the different types of customers who walk in to your coffee shop.
Identifying your different customer segments and fulfilling their needs in a personalized manner is the strategy to turn one-time walk-ins into regular, loyalty customers. This deeper understanding translates into longer-term relationships and higher coffee shop sales.
At the end of the day, coffee shops, like restaurants, are about the experience.
To achieve the above, identify customer segments, and learn more about your guests, you need Foodics POS system to support your vision and help you manage every aspect of your coffee shop easily and efficiently.
