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Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

A coffee podcast providing coffee shop owners and leaders, with insights, inspiration, and the tools you need to grow and advance your coffee business or coffee career. We learn from experts both in and outside the coffee industry as they deliver specific, practical, and actionable advice about ownership, optimization, profitability, barista work, employee culture, management, scaling, leadership, personal development, and anything else that will help you achieve success in the coffee shop.
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Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
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Now displaying: August, 2020
Aug 27, 2020

"The little cafe, with a big heart." These words were spoken by Curtis Herrera who, along with his wife Miel, own Cafe Corazon in Kansas City, MO. Cafe Corazon is vibrant homage to Miel and Curtis' Latin roots (Argentina and Mexico respectively) and in the last year it has been open has quickly garnered praise for their warm hospitality, traditional drink including a wide selection of Yerba-mate, and their dedication to showcasing their culture in everything they set their hand to. 

In our conversation today we will hear their story and the passion and challenges that went into creating this unique space, the lessons they have learned, and their advice to others in the industry. Cafe Corazon is the epitome of authenticity and a fine example of what the future of the cafe space can look like when we celebrate our diversity and dedicate ourself to serving our communities while being true to ourselves all along the way. 

We discuss:

  • Creating a safe place for the latin community
  • Educating on culture
  • Overcoming hurdles as minorities
  • Staying true to your roots
  • Building a traditional and creative menu 
  • Experiencing the hurdles of racism 
  • Hiring and training 
  • Growing as coffee professionals
  • Eliminating pretension 
  • Dealing with COVID

Links:

http://cafecorazonkc.com

Instagram

 

Related Episodes:

097 : Founder Friday w/ Erica Escalante of The Arrow Coffeehouse

232 : Founder Friday w/ Blew Kind of Fanny Lou’s Porch

225: Encore Founder Friday! Dorian Bolden of Beyu Caffe, Durham, NC

199 : Founder Friday w/ Mario Jimenez of Banana Dang Coffee, Oceanside, CA

171 : Founder Friday w/ Matt Chitharanjan and Namrata Asthana of Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters in India

 

The BEST in commercial coffee equipment!

www.prima-coffee.com/keys

 

Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?

www.pacificfoods.com/food-service

 

 

Aug 27, 2020

" Hey! Did you see what so-and-so is doing?" "Oh! look at what _______ is starting to sell?" It's comments like these that are often a sign that we are a bit too obsessed with our competition. What do we gain from this preoccupation? Not much. What do we lose? A lot. 

Today we will be talking about how you are not your competition and a healthy way to work toward betterment. 

Related Episodes:

 

Elevated batch brew and so much more!

Ground Control Cyclops Brewer

 

Solid, cafe quality espresso for an accessible price:

www.flairespresso.com

 

 

 

Aug 25, 2020

How do you ensure that what you teach in training is effective for both the employee and the business? Well, there are many different elements but amongst those element are four foundational mindsets and practices that serve to hold everything together. Today we are going to be exploring how focusing on minimum viable skills, patience, real-life training, and tracking/follow-up will completely transform your training program and build better baristas. 

Related episodes:

 

The BEST in commercial coffee equipment!

www.prima-coffee.com/keys

 

Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?

www.pacificfoods.com/food-service

 

 
Aug 20, 2020

We have developed a mentality that if we can just get the right manual, the best onboarding, the most effective hiring process then all will be well and staff will magically fall in line and our shops will run smoothly. The truth? It's not that easy, no matter how hard you work on those things. Today we will be discussing this propensity, why it is dangerous, and how the real work begins and ends with hands-on leadership. 

Recommended episodes:

123 : The 10 Essentials of a Barista Manual

028 : Why it’s Ok to be the Boss w/ Bruce Tulgan : A guide to defining and fighting the under management epidemic in your cafe so you can be the manager your staff need

Systems as care

109 : Leadership Abandonment Syndrome : Lack of development in senior staff and what to do about it

Don't You forget About Me

194 : Encore Episode! Leadership in the Cafe: 10 Steps to being a People First Leader

179 : What you MUST Know About Employee Culture w/ Stan Slap

 

Visit our awesome sponsors!

Elevated batch brew and so much more!

Ground Control Cyclops Brewer

 

Solid, cafe quality espresso for an accessible price:

www.flairespresso.com

 

Aug 18, 2020

You are unique, but are you just marketing everyone else? How do you differentiate yourself as a business when the market has become so saturated with everyone saying the same things? Customers need clear messaging that delivers meaning, sets you apart, and drives loyalty to your shop. In a time where more than half of the ways we communicate with existing and potential customers is remote, having solid messaging is an absolute must. Today we are going to be discussing all of this with coffee marketing pro, Garrett Oden!

Garrett is a coffee industry native who left the cafe to pursue coffee marketing as a freelance copywriter and content strategist. He helps brands like Caffe Nero, Amavida Coffee, Alternative Brewing, and others across the industry find and communicate meaningful messages to customers through website writing, content marketing, packaging, and beyond.

Get ready to do a deep dive into actions and strategies that will help you make long term improvements to the way you represent your brand to the world. 

You will learn about:

  • The problem with our messaging
  • True differentiation
  • Connecting with your core audience
  • Clarity of mission and focus
  • Holistic branding
  • 3 core actions to take 
  • Where to put your message
  • Actions and values
  • Hierarchy of messaging intensity

 

Links:

www.coffeemarketingschool.com/keys

Garret on LinkedIn

Garrett on Twitter

 

Related Episodes: 

Aug 12, 2020

We have a problem. Dreaming up a vision and writing out our list of core values, missions, etc. is an exciting and crucial part of any business. The problem is that most cafes stop there. The list of ideals an noble pursuits never make their way into reality and are soon relegated to only being invoked at staff meetings.  So many of the issue we have with toxic work places, burned out staff, and needless turn over stem from the values-actions gap. 

Today we are going to discuss this issue and how you can make sure your values are not just nice ideas, but are lived out in the real life of the business. 

Interested in consulting & coaching : chris@keystotheshop.com

 

Links to related episodes:

 

Visit our awesome sponsors!

Elevated batch brew and so much more!

Ground Control Cyclops Brewer

 

Solid, cafe quality espresso for an accessible price:

www.flairespresso.com

 

Aug 10, 2020
Humility, serving wholesale clients, accessibility, and creating an inclusive community. These are some of the many topics discussed in this fantastic conversation with today's guest, Anthony Ragler!
 
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Anthony Ragler is a coffee professional who combines his craft with his culture and upbringing to cultivate unique and individual experiences for those he encounters. From working as a wholesale manager, to roaster, and technician, Anthony’s experiences allows for him to adapt and connect to many different perspectives and people within and outside the supply chain. Anthony is a 2019 Glittercat Barista Bootcamp Cohort member, a 2020 United States Barista Championship finalist, a 2020 Re:Co Symposium Fellow and currently works as the Regional Developer for Black & White Coffee Roasters in Wake Forest, NC.
 
In this conversation we get to explore Anthony's evolution as a coffee professional and hear the lessons and insights he has gained over the years of serving others and working to create community and support diversity. 
 
This is definitely ranks up there as being one of my favorite conversations to date. After you listen you will know why.
 
Enjoy!
 
We discuss:
  • Growing and learning through trials 
  • Serving your customer vs serving yourself
  • Cultivating community for POC 
  • Learning roasting, wholesale, and support roles
  • Benefits of competition
  • Tips for wholesale support and service
  • Tailoring your approach to the customer
  • How to know if you did a good job
  • The demand chain vs the supply chain
  • Playing favorites

 

Links:

Anthony's Instagram 

Black and White Coffee Roasters

 

Related episodes:

 

The BEST in commercial coffee equipment!

www.prima-coffee.com/keys

 

Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?

www.pacificfoods.com/food-service

 

Aug 6, 2020

Writing a job description is the first step in getting the right people in the right positions in your shop. They seem pretty straight forward but there are some elements that you need to consider when creating these documents that, if applied, will create a document that is truly a resource that benefits the business and the staff. Today we will cover some of these elements and why they are critical. 

Links to related episodes:

Broken Chair

Systems as Care

You need SOPs

Communicate, Duplicate, Repeat 

 

Visit our awesome sponsors!

Elevated batch brew and so much more!

Ground Control Cyclops Brewer

 

Solid, cafe quality espresso for an accessible price:

www.flairespresso.com

 

 

 

Aug 2, 2020

As we seek to rebuild our staff in the midst of the pandemic, many different questions come up about re-hiring, deciding who not to bring back, how to decide who to promote, and generally how do we do this in a way that is good for everyone involved. It is not enamors easy task but today we are going to gain a lot of clarity about these topics and more as we talk with the always insightful, Dave Stachowiak.

Dave founded Coaching for Leaders in 2011. Since them the podcast has been downloaded 12 million times and is consistently ranked as the #1 podcast in business, coaching, and management.

Dave was named in Forbes as one of the 25 Professional Networking Experts to Watch in 2015 and has also been featured in U.S. News & World Report

He previously served as Senior Vice President with Dale Carnegie of Southern Los Angeles and led training programs for top organizations like the Northrop Grumman Corporation, The United States Air Force, the Boeing Company, and the University of California system.

In our conversation today we will cover:

  • Why it is an employers market
  • Making smart hiring decisions 
  • The consequences of poor staff placement
  • Longterm thinking vs rushed hiring
  • Assessing readiness 
  • Adjusting our decision mindset
  • Job Descriptions
  • Choosing the right person for the role
  • Immediate steps to take in the right direction

Links:

www.coachingforleaders.com

 

Dave's past KTTS episodes:

184 : Making Great Business Decisions w/ Dave Stachowiak

025 : Mastering the Art of Training w/ Dave Stachowiak

 

My past episodes on Dave's show:

How to Lead Part-Time Staff

415: Employee Retention in Small Business, with Chris Deferio

 

Related episodes:

172 : Why Tracking Performance is a Must!

074 : The Life Changing Power of Good Authority w/ Jonathan Raymond

028 : Why it’s Ok to be the Boss w/ Bruce Tulgan : A guide to defining and fighting the under management epidemic in your cafe so you can be the manager your staff need 

 

The BEST in commercial coffee equipment!

www.prima-coffee.com/keys

 

Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?

www.pacificfoods.com/food-service

 

 

 

 

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