One of the main ways that coffee shops fail has a lot to do with the level of self awareness leaders. So many issues we experience can be traced back to this skill. It is a skill we need to practice in order to set up everyone in the business for success.
Today will be chatting about self-awareness and the critical role it plays in running a coffee shop and, more importantly, leading people.
Related episodes:
242 : A Conversation with James Hoffmann
239 : 5 Best Practices for the Best Small Business w/ Henry Lopez
067 : 6 Truths About Power : The Responsible Approach to Power Dynamics in the Cafe
165 : The Art of Deep Listening w/ Oscar Trimboli
121 : Working from Your Strengths w/ Strengths Finder Guru, Lisa Cummings
Your Own Branded App!
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OK! Today we get to talk with coffee legend James Hoffmann! On top of being the 2007 World Barista Champion and Co-owner of Square Mile Coffee Roasters, a renowned roastery in London, James is also the author of the World Atlas of Coffee, and runs one of the world's most popular and fun coffee YouTube channels where he dives deep into everything from coffee equipment, coffee science, brewing, extraction, agronomy, taste, and really anything to do with coffee.
In essence, James is a purveyor of ideas for and about coffee that, over the years, have helped us all to better navigate the landscape of specialty coffee either as enthusiasts or professionals.
James is an excellent teacher and has a gift for clearly articulating his thoughts and ideas around topics and his approach to questions that can be at first a bit confusing, both disarms and welcomes people into the world of coffee.
In this fantastic conversation we get into a number of those questions that are at the heart of what we do in specialty coffee and the cafe. I believe James' thoughts here will be of great value as we seek to build a better industry and better businesses into the future.
We cover:
Links:
Subscribe to James' You Tube Channel
Related Episodes:
206 : The Emotional and Social Impact of the Cafe Space w/ Noa Berger
138 : Joseph A. Rivera on Organic Acids and the Importance of Coffee Science
223 : Building a Financially Resilient Business w/ Andrew Carroll
082 : Knowledge and Flavor w/ Cosimo Libardo
198 : The Evolution of the Coffee Shop w/ Prof. Jonathan Morris
085 : How we Ruin the Specialty Experience
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Today on Founder Friday we get to explore the Coffee Maverick himself, David Morris!
David J. Morris is Founder and Co-CEO of Dillanos Coffee Roasters, based in Sumner, Washington. Dillanos sells wholesale coffee and other supplies to specialty coffee retailers across the U.S. and several countries. He is a serial entrepreneur, leadership expert, and commercial real estate investor. David, along with his brother Chris Heyer, have several business interests in hotels, apartments, office buildings and various other business ventures. David is also the co-author of several books including The Rolling Desk.
Dillanos has been in business for 30 years and has become the iconic brand it is today from the humble beginning of a small coffee cart in Sumner, Washington. Dillanos Coffee Roasters is consistently roasting some of the best coffees in the world, and is well known for their motto, "Help people! Make Friends! Have Fun!"
In this conversation with David we are getting a detailed and candid look at the very beginnings and evolution of Dillanos' three decades of operation. We the challenges, the secrets to their longevity, the lessons learned in relationships and business, and much more.
I hope you draw a lot of inspiration from today's discussion.
Enjoy!
We cover:
Links:
David on:
Related episodes:
081 : Founder Friday w/ David Schomer of Espresso Vivace
204 : Founder Friday w/ Jeff Taylor of PT’s Coffee Roasting Co. & Bird Rock Coffee!
232 : Founder Friday w/ Blew Kind of Fanny Lou’s Porch
The BEST in commercial coffee equipment!
Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?
Performance reviews have become a place where we tend to unload on the barista all the issues we have been seeing over the past months. They tend to be frustrating because they include some surprising bits o feedback that are news to the barista and generally end up being disheartening in stead of encouraging and motivating.
Today we will be talking about the what we need to be doing before the performance review to really make it effective and and create the positive impact on performance it can have.
Related episodes:
172 : Why Tracking Performance is a Must!
Communicate, duplicate, repeat
Elevated batch brew and so much more!
Solid, cafe quality espresso for an accessible price:
Designing a coffee bar requires a lot of forethought and attention to detail. Unfortunately, it is often he case that bars are designed for looks and not functionality. This creates a huge amount of problems down the road with the way you baristas work, the speed of your drink prep, the way customers feel when ordering, and much more.
In today's episode I am sharing a few tips that I use with clients whose bars I have helped design that will help you to build a functional bar from the very beginning. Even if you have already built your bar, these principles will help you rearrange it where you van, or build a better bar in store #2.
We will cover:
Need help designing (or redesigning) your bar?
KTTS Consulting can help!
Email me:
chris@keystotheshop.com
Related episodes:
169 : Designing the Guest Experience w/ Dr. Lisa Waxman
042 : Supplying and Selecting Equipment w/ Steve Rhinehart: Prima Coffee
The BEST in commercial coffee equipment!
Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?
Here we go! Stories from the Ground is a series of interviews that are designed to give you insights and guidance on how to thrive in the midst of the COVID crisis by hearing from amazing cafe owners and learning from their stories and experiences dealing with the shutdowns, caring for their staff, serving their customers, and keeping their businesses going.
In this 3rd and final installment of "Stories from the Ground" we are going to be talking with the co-owner of the Coffee Project NY, Chi Sum Ngai!
Chi Sum (Sum) Ngai is the co-founder of Coffee Project NY. Coffee Project NY, founded in 2015, has three locations, including their latest addition in Long Island City facility that includes a café, roastery and the only Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Premier Training Campus in New York State. At the Campus, Sum and partner Kaleena Teoh teach certified classes to coffee industry professionals seeking to further their education and career opportunities. Sum herself is a certified Q grader and roasting championship competitor who oversees the company’s roasting program.
Their starting goal was simply to share their passion for coffee with the neighborhood. They quickly received recognition for brewing delicious pour overs and deconstructing lattes to elevate the coffee experience; paying tribute to the craftsmanship of the professional barista.
Coffee Project NY has grown from a two-person-team to a team of professionals specializing in different facets of the industry
Sum gives us a shinning example of what it means to be a people-first organization and offers so many incredibly helpful insights in this conversation. A perfect way to cap off this series !
Enjoy!
* IMPORTANT! Be sure to down load the "Take Aways" for this episode at the link below!
"Stories from the Ground" is brought to you by Ground Control. Visit them to learn more about their amazing Cyclops Brewer.
It can sometimes be hard to find qualified employees and when we see great baristas at other shops we "can't help" thinking of offering them a job in our place. But there is a bit of an ethical problem here. When we cross a certain line, we are violating an unwritten rule.
We are, in fact, poaching.
It's not black and white though, and in today's shift break we will chat about some of the nuances of this issue and offer some insight to help you avoid crossing the line and clarity to help you make peace with hiring decisions you've made where you think you might have crossed that line, but did not.
Related Episodes:
221 : Building your People Program w/ HR Consultant Dana Goodwin
My Favorite Interview Question
Need consulting or coaching? Let's talk
Elevated batch brew and so much more!
Solid, cafe quality espresso for an accessible price:
The sheer number of things we need to focus on in small business is overwhelming. Amidst the sea of tips, tricks, and tools we know we "should" utilize there are a few things that are absolute musts.
Today we are going to hear from one of the world's leading voices in running a successful small business, Henry Lopez.
Henry has over 35 years of diverse business experience, including successful careers in the information technology industry, sales, sales training and business ownership. He is currently the Managing Partner of Levante Business Group (supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners and producers of The How of Business podcast), co-owner of iTopIt (a self-serve frozen desserts restaurant in Colorado Springs), co-owner of L3 Destinations (a Travel Agency co-founded with his wife), and a minority partner and investor in Office Evolution of Plantation (an executive suites and co-working business center franchise location). Henry currently resides in a suburb of Dallas, Texas with his wife Pam.
He has been directly involved in over 11 different small businesses since purchasing his first business in 1991. He has developed and launched his own businesses, and has bought and sold businesses as well. Henry also serves as a volunteer SCORE Mentor.
In this conversation Henry lays out the 5 things he believes are absolutely essential for a small business to do in order to have the best chance at thriving. We dive into the details of each one and let me tell you, there is a LOT of great insights that result form this interview.
We discuss:
Links:
Related episodes:
184 : Making Great Business Decisions w/ Dave Stachowiak
211 : Straight Talk from the Retail Doctor, Bob Phibbs
223 : Building a Financially Resilient Business w/ Andrew Carroll
The BEST in commercial coffee equipment!
Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?
www.pacificfoods.com/food-service
We are back! Stories from the Ground is a series of interviews that are designed to give you insights and guidance on how to thrive in the midst of the COVID crisis by hearing from amazing cafe owners and learning from their stories and experiences dealing with the shutdowns, caring for their staff, serving their customers, and keeping their businesses going.
In this second installment of Stories from the Ground we are going to be talking with the owner of the amazing 392 Caffe, Jay Sanders!
392 Caffe was established in 2011, in Clinton, IA. The concept was conceived in/for Hollywood, CA by Jay & Jenna as they compared coffee shop visit notes in attempts to derive the “perfect” coffee shop setting. Two very different coffee shop consumers, individually they were seeking aspects of the coffee shop experience they’d have to create... namely, outgoing/engaging hospitality, upbeat vibes, a consultative sales - style ordering process, and an intangible takeaway of a new real-life relationship.
392 has become a brand that stands for love, inclusivity, and community. They challenge their customers to aspire to greatness and “Be the Light” through art in their cafes. They understand that a growing/thriving community is their only chance for long-term growth/success, so they give-to/nurture/feed it constantly. One of their slogans, #DrinkBetterCoffee challenges people to find a better product, but also leans on the underlying message to aspire for greatness in all you do.
I love this conversation with Jay. His intense passion for his team and the mission of their business is inspiring and is a great example of what it looks like to put values into action even in challenging circumstances!
Enjoy!
* IMPORTANT! Be sure to down load the "Take Aways" for this episode at the link below!
"Stories from the Ground" is brought to you by Ground Control. Visit them to learn more about their amazing Cyclops Brewer.
When we onboard new baristas we usually schedule them for a "Shadow Shift". he intent is that they are to learn the ropes, observe and absorb how things are done, which will help prepare them for work on the bar. That's the hope.
In reality it often turns out to be chaotic, stressful, and produces more confusion than clarity.
Today we will be discussing how to approach the shadow shift with what I call "Structured Shadow Shifts" and how they can deliver the amazing value for you and the new hire.
Related Episodes:
172 : Why Tracking Performance is a Must!
235 : 4 Tips for Training your Staff
Your Employee Handbook is Worthless
Need consulting or coaching? Let's talk
Elevated batch brew and so much more!
Solid, cafe quality espresso for an accessible price:
Whether you employ in-house techs or you need to work with outside coffee tech services, today's episode is a must listen!
The cafe is a complex mix of many different professional relationships. The relationship between a shop and the coffee tech can be a tense one because it is centered around emergencies. In order to work well with the techs we hire, led our in-house techs, and serve our wholesale clients tech needs well, we need to explore the realities and perspectives of both parties. Today we are going to be talking with Hylan Joseph of Espresso Partners and the SCA's Coffee Technicians Guild.
Hylan Joseph is West Coast Service Manager for Espresso Partners. He is also one of the founders and current chairs for the Coffee Technicians Guild through the Specialty Coffee Association. Hylan’s career in coffee started in San Francisco in 1985 at a small café named the Blue Parrot Café. He was a dishwasher and training barista. For the last 16 years he has worked as a service operations manager serving both large and small customers through Espresso Partners. Through the Coffee Technician Guild, he wants to show baristas, store managers and people passionate about coffee that there can be career for them beyond the café.
In this episode we will cover:
Links:
Related episodes:
076 : Talking Tech! w/ Tom Ritz of Workhorse Customs : Best Practices for Machine Maintenance
128 : Terry’s Top 10 w/ Terry Ziniewicz : Best practices for how not to kill your espresso machine
197 : Getting the most from your Equipment w/ Melissa Vaiden of Counter Culture Coffee
The BEST in commercial coffee equipment!
Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?
www.pacificfoods.com/food-service
Stories from the Ground is a series of episodes that are designed to give you insights and guidance on how to thrive in the midst of the COVID crisis by hearing from amazing cafe owners and learning from their stories and experiences dealing with the shutdowns, caring for their staff, serving their customers, and keeping their businesses going.
In our first installment of Stories from the Ground we are going to be talking with the owner of the award winning Sump Coffee, Scott Carey.
Scott gives us a very vulnerable look into the life and thoughts of an owner in the middle of the biggest challenge most of us have ever faced. We learn about Sump's beginnings then dive into how Scott and his team experienced and are still experiencing the crisis and what tools, measures, and tactics they have used to continue their day-to-day.
There is a lot of great wisdom here and I hope you are equipped and encouraged by it!
Be sure to down load the "Spec Sheet" for this episode at the link below!
"Stories from the Ground" is brought to you by Ground Control. Visit them to learn more about their amazing Cyclops Brewer.
Hiring is already a daunting process. There is a lot at stake for both the employer and prospective employee. That said, we tend to find ways to make make it harder to find the right person than it has to be.
In today's Shift Break we will be going into what I believe is the #1 mistake I and lots of other have made while interviewing people and how to do the opposite.
Related episodes:
018: Hiring, Culture, and the Future of your Shop
165 : The Art of Deep Listening w/ Oscar Trimboli
My Favorite Interview Question
Elevated batch brew and so much more!
Solid, cafe quality espresso for an accessible price:
There are a ton of opportunities to create resiliency and a better normal through how we approach out our mindset, leadership, staff, business, and customers. As the COVID crisis is still upon us, the question remains, "What happens after this?"
In today's epiodes I am presenting something I presented to the SCA on Post-COVID Coffee and outlining various areas and opportunities we have to improve and come out better than before. Preparation is key and viewing this time as an opportunity is essential.
Some of the things we will cover are:
Links:
223 : Building a Financially Resilient Business w/ Andrew Carroll
232 : Rebuilding your Staff with Excellence w/ Dave Stachowiak
All COVID-19 Focus and Relevant Episodes:
On a Resilient Coffee Community
Hope in Difficult Times w/ Kathy Turiano
General Guidance on Talking with Banks and Landlords w/ Marshall Fuss, Attorney at Law
Erica Escalante, The Arrow Coffeehouse
Karl Purdy, Coffee Angel in Dublin, IrelandÂ
The Future of Retail w/ Doug Stephens
Impact on the Supply Chain w/ Ricardo Pereira, COO, Ally Coffee
Straight Talk for Coffee Retailers w/ The Retail Doctor, Bob Phibbs
Jonathan Pascual of Taproom Coffee and Beer, Atlanta, GA
Refining your Leadership and Systems in a Crisis
Shift Break: Development in a Crisis
Shift Break: Grace and Hight Standards
Shift Break: Keep or Throw Away
Maxwell Mooney, Narrative Coffee
The BEST in commercial coffee equipment!
Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks?
www.pacificfoods.com/food-service