Coffee Beats Beer at Clubs

By Andrew Starke

Registered clubs in NSW have transformed themselves into the state’s most popular coffee houses over the past five years.

Coffee sales have surged on the back of clubs’ efforts to make themselves more family friendly, with coffee sales increasing by 76 percent since 2004.

Club Marconi in South Western Sydney is now Australia’s largest coffee seller, making more than 360,000 cups of coffee last year from 8 different blends, all served in glass.

So popular is coffee at the club that it outsold beer by almost two to one, as well as outselling wine, alcopops and even soft-drinks.

With coffee now a crucial part of the club’s business plan, all 260 of its staff are required to complete a barista course and every bar in the club now has an Italian made coffee machine installed beside the beer taps.

Coffee company The Coffee Club has recently opened franchises inside Ryde Eastwood Leagues, Mounties and the Mingara Recreation Club.

Many clubs have seen their coffee sales increase by more than a hundred percent during the past few years on the back of family friendly renovations.

At Diggers @ the Entrance, the club has employed two 2 baristas and a chef to handle the surge in coffee sales resulting from the club building a new café which includes monthly parenting classes where guest speakers share parenting knowledge with a group of mostly mothers.

The Merimbula-Imlay Bowling Club recently completed a $7million renovation where members can enjoy a cup of their favourite coffee while looking down on a golf course. Coffee sales there are up by almost a hundred percent.

CEO of ClubsNSW David Costello said the switch to non alcoholic drinks such as coffee and tea is a trend that shows no sign of reversing.

“During the past few years, clubs have been renovating their venues, largely with the goal of making them warmer and more family friendly,” he said.

“And with some parents reluctant to drink alcohol in front of their children, clubs needed to find an alternative drink that added to the member’s experience but didn’t break the bank. High quality coffee has proved a stroke of genius.”