BB's Coffee & Muffins takes to the road

The coffee company has successfully piloted several similar forecourt operations in the Irish market over the last two years. BB's, which has over 180 retail cafés in the UK and Ireland, has drawn on its experience to create the layout and product offer appropriate for the "food on the go" sector. The café will serve handmade muffins baked fresh in the café each day, freshly prepared sandwiches and snacks and traditional espresso-based coffee and other hot drinks. It takes up a 20 sq m. area within the petrol station's Revive shop. Michele Young, BB's retail & brand director explained more: "We have products which are very well suited to the 'eat on the go' market. From breakfast to evening, we can satisfy customers with a mix of sweet or savoury lines – freshly baked in our café. A sandwich and coffee are likely to be our best-sellers. "Our muffins are made from scratch each day in our cafés and if they are not eaten that day they aren't sold. They are very different from our competitors' or other mass manufactured products which are thawed from frozen. We also bake our baguettes each morning in our cafés and our sandwiches are hand-filled each day." The new BB's unit comprises a full counter display, with overhead illuminated menu boards to highlight the products and meal deals. Local customers were offered a free coffee for the first week's trading to introduce them to the brand and loyalty cards will encourage meal deal purchase BB's is already negotiating additional sites with other forecourt operators with further openings planned this year.