My Experience at Octane Coffee and Bar
Memorable. Aromatic. Welcoming.
When a person mentions the word coffee, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it a location like Starbucks? Perhaps the smell or bitter taste consumes your thoughts? Either way, it is likely that the word “Octane” does not cross through your mind. These are some of the thoughts that crossed through my mind as I was driving to Octane Coffee and Bar, which is located in Grant Park. When I arrived, I was gladly greeted by a spacious parking lot that did not require you to pay; something usually absent in the city of Atlanta. After parking my car in one of the designated locations, I walked around the building to observe the design and look for potential entrances. I found that the only entrance to the building is in the front which consisted of three handicap parking spots, stairs, and a ramp making the building easily accessible for those who are handicap.
Once I had finished observing the outside of the building, I walked up the steps and opened the entrance. Immediately my olfactory senses were assaulted by the bitter smells of coffee, the harsh smell of liquor, and the sweet smells of the neighboring bakery. The second thing that surprised me was the sheer amount of people present inside of Octane, specifically students. Everywhere I turned inside of the shop, there were students typing away in the glow of their laptops, surrounded in papers and empty glasses of coffee.The coffee shop was buzzing with people talking, bartenders making drinks and coffee machines endlessly milling away coffee beans into fine powder. Unlike most places, Octane does not rely much on artificial lighting since the surrounding glass provides adequate lighting. In addition to this, the styling of the interior space, from the gray metal chairs to the stained wooden tables gives off a feeling that almost makes you feel like you are at home.
From an marketing standpoint, Octane is very neatly organized with an arrangement of tables and chairs in the middle of the room, a long bench that stretches alongside the wall and a patio for those who wish to sit outside. Despite that the bar and coffee shop are essentially mixed together, the bar is pushed to one corner of the interior space while the coffee shop exists in the other. As a result, the atmosphere of the bar does not mix with the coffee portion of the space. In addition to this, Octane does not spend very much money on advertisements and quite frankly it does not need to. As you can see here, they rely on using cards with promotional deals and social media, both which are spread through word of mouth. While this may seem like a very inefficient way of advertisement, it is necessary to remember the consumer base, which is mostly made up of students who are usually very involved with using social media. Overall, I would recommend stopping by and grabbing a cup of coffee at Octane Coffee and Bar.