Regulars give a café its predictable base revenue: it’s what you plan with, what pays for investments, and what decides whether you survive in the long run. New guests bring growth: revenue on top of the base, fresh feedback and new recommendations, and they become next month’s regulars. You need both: one keeps you going, the other makes you grow.
What’s the difference between a regular and a new guest?
Regulars keep you, new guests grow you. It’s worth looking at it from three angles: what each means for your revenue, for your brand, and how they find you.
| Regular | New guest | |
|---|---|---|
| For the business | Base revenue you can count on | Revenue on top of the base, and next months’ base |
| For the brand | Supports and strengthens it | Brings new feedback and new recommendations |
| How they know you | Follows you on social media, knows what’s going on with you and your family | Doesn’t know you, finds you somehow |
| What they’re for | Keeping you alive | Growth |
Why are regulars the foundation of a café?
Because they bring the revenue you can count on. If you know how much comes in during an average month, even when nothing special happens, that’s your base.
You plan the rent, the wages and your next order from the roaster with it. It’s what lets you decide whether a new machine or a new colleague is worth it. A café’s long-term survival depends on this base.
Regulars are also the backbone of the brand. They know the baristas and what’s new with the owner, their family, the kids. They’re almost an extended family. They’re the ones who stand up for you and spread the word about the place.
Why aren’t regulars enough on their own?
Because the base doesn’t grow by itself. Every one of your regulars was once a new guest: they walked in one day because they found you somehow. If you want the base to grow, something has to feed it, and that’s new guests.
- 1Finds you on Maps
- 2Visits for the first time
- 3Comes back
- 4Becomes a regular
This becomes very real when you’re about to invest. A new machine, a second location, a new colleague: each starts from today’s base, but whether it pays off depends on revenue above that base. And that comes from new guests. In a given month they spend more with you than the base would bring, and next months’ regulars come from among them.
And there are two things only new guests can give you:
- Fresh feedback. They come with fresh eyes and haven’t got used to the place. What they notice is what you can improve.
- A new source of recommendations. If only your regulars recommend you, they keep saying the same thing to the same circle. Every new guest is a new circle they can tell they had a good time.
Where do new guests find you?
On Google Maps, and mostly not by your name. Your regulars know where you are; a new guest types in what they’re looking for.
Social media mostly speaks to the family. What you post on Instagram is seen mainly by people who already follow you, that is, your regulars. That’s why many owners try to win new guests with boosted posts or a TikTok trend. It brings views, but rarely a new face at the counter.
We looked at the search data of the Google Business Profiles of 13 hospitality venues we manage (October 2025 – September 2026, 747,567 impressions on Maps and Search). The result:
The three cafés and brunch spots on their own show the same: 86%. The real share is probably even higher, because Google hides rare search terms for privacy reasons, and these show up as zero in the data.
Someone who types your name already knows you. A new guest searches for “coffee” or “specialty coffee”, and Maps shows them someone in the area. Hardly anyone types “near me”, because Maps already knows where they are. Who it shows is decided, according to Google’s own description, by relevance, distance and prominence. If your profile is weak, those 86% see the café next door.
When doesn’t this advice apply?
If the place is full most of the day, or if most of your guests only come once anyway.
- Full house. If people are already queuing, more new guests mean a longer queue, not growth. You need more space or staff first.
- Tourist or transit spot. Next to a railway station or on a tourist street, most guests come once anyway. There, regulars aren’t the model.
What to do on Monday?
Two things you can do on your own, and both show you where you stand today.
- Ask the new faces. For a week, ask every guest you don’t know: “How did you find us?” Keep a tally: Maps, a friend recommended it, Instagram, walking past. At the end of the week you’ll see where your new guests come from today.
- Check the basics of your Google Business Profile. Accurate opening hours (holidays too), the right categories, fresh photos, a website link, the menu. This is the first thing people see when they find you by searching for “coffee”.
You can do both on your own. But if you want a predictable flow of new guests every month, with Maps ads, measurement and an eye on competitors in your area, that’s our job. See our pricing and how our guarantee works.
FAQ
What does “regular” mean for a café?
A regular is someone who comes back often, knows the place and the people, and who you can count on in an average month. In a café, regulars provide the base revenue you can plan with.
What matters more: keeping regulars or winning new guests?
You don’t have to choose, because they’re two ends of the same process. Regulars keep you alive, new guests make you grow, and every regular started as a new guest. If you only focus on retention, your base won’t grow.
Is social media enough to bring in new guests?
Usually not. Your posts are seen mostly by people who already follow you, that is, your existing guests. New guests search on Google Maps, and they search for a category or a neighbourhood, not your name.
How do I know where my new guests come from?
The simplest way is to ask them: a week of tallying tells you a lot. Your Google Business Profile performance data also shows how many people found you on Maps, with which searches, and how many requested directions to you.