Case Study - The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s, corporate mantra, “Simply the Best,” reaches into every crevice of the organization – from customer satisfaction to every product in each of its 218 stores – and extends far beyond its popular coffees, iced or otherwise.

“Our goal is to offer a total quality experience, and that means creating a warm, inviting environment, as well as a gathering place within each community,” says Matt Tager, Design Manager. “When specifying products, quality is the priority, but being able to maintain the aesthetics of our unique environment is our trademark.” The Coffee Bean’s cozy ambiance is realized by crossing rich textures and custom oak paneling and caseworks, with rich, deep colors mixed with light, fresh tones, such as those in its new Armstrong NATURAL OPTIONS luxury solid vinyl flooring.

One-stop shopping has its perks

But, beyond what is seen on the retail floor, is what goes on in the corporate office. One way to is to deal with vendors that reflect the same principles – work simply and efficiently to meet expectations.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf had been dealing with three different vendors before partnering with Armstrong. Now, they deal with just one supplier for all their flooring and ceiling needs.

“One-stop shopping” has obvious benefits. To Armstrong it means increased exposure – and sales – of a truly integrated product portfolio, which includes wood, vinyl, linoleum, laminate and specialty carpeted floor products, as well as ceilings. For the customer, the biggest advantage is that it’s easier: easier to do business, easier to order and easier to manage quality control.

“Working with one vendor means you have one project manager, one point of contact,” says Tony Poma, Director of Design and Construction. “But, cost is the bottom line. Everyone today is crunching numbers. How do we best maintain the quality of our product and our environment, and drive down overall store costs and maintain budgets for upcoming years? Working with a company like Armstrong makes sense – they provide a quality product, have never missed a ship date and guarantee inventory.”

The Bean/Armstrong relationship actually started from the top down with Armstrong commercial ceilings striking the right balance between performance and design. Fine Fissured ceilings combine versatility and performance, and integral color. “Integral color with the grid and the tile itself is a primary design advantage for The Coffee Bean,” says Poma. “Before, we literally had to spray paint the tiles and grid to match. This cut out a full step. While it’s still early on in the relationship, the immediate results upon flooring installation also are better,” says Poma. “We were having ‘bubbling’ problems with the previous vendor that we’re not having now,” he says. So far, the customized flooring has been installed in stores in Arizona and California. Twenty additional store openings are planned for 2003, and 25-30 renovations also are scheduled. But, The Coffee Bean’s flooring needs extend far beyond the U.S. The company has grown more in the last five years than it had in the last 35 years. “This is an international spec. We are specifying Armstrong floors on the template set for our partners worldwide.”

One of the key components in The Coffee Bean’s decision to partner with Armstrong is its worldwide network of distributorships and technical support. “It was tough to specify flooring from our former vendor for stores in Shanghai. If they needed an extra case of flooring, it would take a month to get it to them,” says Poma. “Armstrong’s global resources are a huge advantage because we’re building stores in all corners of the planet.”

Spills without chills

Closer to home, the product works well in the specialty retail category. While The Coffee Bean wanted a floor to look like hardwood to coordinate with its overall décor, Armstrong NATURAL OPTIONS not only looks surprisingly like wood planks, but also has the features of a resilient floor. The Coffee Bean’s unique look combines granite and hardwood with a custom cut logo inlaid in the floor. The floor also is quite dimensionally stable – other products sometimes shrink and grow, but this floor is less likely to do so. It is offered in two sizes in plank form for increased design flexibility. In addition to greater sound absorption and comfort underfoot, it can be glued directly to concrete, polished, and is impervious to cleaning chemicals – important attributes in the foodservice business. “If you have a worker who inadvertently pours bleach on the floor, it won’t hurt vinyl. Coffee spills won’t stain it. While it’s also less expensive than wood, the performance advantages are priceless, especially in a coffee shop,” says Poma.