Come again? Tea, profitable? How much can you mark up a teabag, anyway? Sure, the only other costs are for sugar and some kind of milk or cream and the small amount of energy - carbon-based - to heat up some water. Oh, and the human energy expended by the wait staff to ask a variety of inquries such as, "do you need lemon?" (Which seldom gets a "yes" answer anymore.)
Let's begin at the beginning. With frustration. Stewing, steeping frustration: the kind your average tea drinker feels when dining out and wanting to enjoy their favorite beverage. Here's the likely scenario:
I, the tea drinker, order hot tea. My choice is that of a rather disappointing selection of tea bags. Yes, they are pretty, but does the unmistakable aroma of good tea float into the air when I open one? There'll be something in there I can stomach, but I know it's the bottom of the line when it comes to quality. Even those premium tea bags - always lower quality than loose leaf.
The tea arrives. My anticipation quickens: a hot cuppa is within my reach. Imagine my disappointment when I go to pour the water from the pitcher into the cup and it's lukewarm. Just enough to steam, but definitely not enough to steep.
This is the Golden Cuppa Rule #1: hot water. Don't bother serving tea if you can't provide near-boiling water to steep. It's just not worth the frustration to the customer. There is nothing that will get them to bitterly complain about that $1.95 you have just charged them more regularly than the hot water, or lack thereof.
Fix this! Check the temperature gauge on whatever appliance you're using to heat the water, and instruct your wait staff that a poured pitcher or cup of hot water must not sit on the counter, waiting to be delivered.
Okay, the water has been reheated, and it's steaming, and my new favorite restaurant has even provided me with a lovely choice of loose leaf tea. Everything's ready - wait! You put the tea leaves where? In the pot? Oh, no!!
Golden Cuppa #2: Do not put the tea leaves in the pot. See that awful expression on your customer's face? That's called Bitter Tea Face. That's what happens when tea steeps for too long, which is a foregone conclusion when it's dumped in the bottom of a pot and cannot be removed from the water. The only exception to this is if you have provided a single-serving pot with a capacity that's no larger than the cup you have provided.
The best solution? A French press, that glass and mesh contraption that allows the tea drinker herself to judge steeping time and push the plunger at just the right moment. If you want to signal "this restaurant knows you are a true connoisseur who is willing to pay for the best," simply use loose leaf tea and French presses and your work is done. Except for deciding just how high you can raise the price.
But providing a separate tea strainer to put the leaves in before pouring water is a fine practice as well. The end result: tea and water together for a short time and then separated, is met fully.
Why the fuss? Tea is by nature a delicate creature, full of wondrous flavor and heavenly odors. It is the ultimate comfort drink: good-tasting and very good for you. So think your tea presentation through a bit. Better yet, ask a tea lover to evaluate how you your restaurant does it. Most of the time it's the simplest adjustment that's necessary.
And with hot water, a good selection of tea, the proper cup and pot and strainer, your customers' Bitter Tea Faces will turn to Contented Happy Tea Smiles. And they won't quibble a bit when you raise the cost of their cuppa.