Common Grounds: A Cafe Concept

Gabriella Ortega

Co-Presenters: Madelyn Blau, Peyton Smith, Makaila Desire, Devin Grayson

College: College of Business and Public Management

Major: BS.FINANCE

Faculty Research Mentor: Han, Min-Chung

Abstract:

The cafes around Kean University are largely chain coffee shops that emphasize consistency and convenience rather than affordability. While they’re convenient, they don’t always offer affordable prices or truly comfortable spaces for studying or hanging out. This shows there’s a big gap in the local café culture for students and faculty on campus. The objective of this study is to identify the specific unmet needs of consumers in the café business surrounding Kean University and find a café concept to successfully address this gap. This study uses SWOT analysis, PEST analysis, and a student-led survey from 30 Kean University students to analyze consumption behavior around campus. The findings of this study show how research and data can uncover consumer preferences and gaps in affordability that could benefit everyone in a university community, not only students and faculty.Keywords: Café Business, Food & Beverage Marketing, Target Pricing, Consumer Preferences, Community Market Analysis