

Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Chris Deferio
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 27, 2023 • 48min
RoR #26 : How to Approach Roasting Fine Robusta w/ Cleia Junqueira | Consultant + Q-Robusta Grader
Discover the rise of fine Robusta coffee with Cleia Junqueira, a consultant and Q-Robusta Grader. Learn about roasting techniques, showcasing unique flavors like clove and cinnamon. Explore evolving coffee quality, strategies for market success, and optimal roasting methods for espresso and filter brewing. Embrace the world of fine Robusta with expert insights and effective marketing tips.

Sep 27, 2023 • 10min
Defining Excellence and Success
We love to talk about setting each other up for success and pursuing excellence in what we do. In some ways we are like the person trying to order food in english to a server who does not understand the language, instead of translating, we think we should just say it louder and slower. Which makes things way worse. They are fine words, but without telling people what they mean, they become meaningless. On today's shift break we will be talking about why defining these terms before we use them in the shop is necessary for buy-in, good communication, and to achieve a specific level of excellence and success. Related episodes: 424: Developing Menu and Hospitality Guides 123 : The 10 Essentials of a Barista Manual 167 : Handing off the Shift : 4 Tips to Avoid Chaos 057 : SOP's FTW! Success through Standard Operating Procedures The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co.

Sep 24, 2023 • 35min
433: How to Earn Loyalty
How do I find loyal staff and win loyal customers? This question and many like it has been asked thousands of times as we deal with incredible amounts of turn over in our shops. We have tried tricks, incentives, benefits of all kinds but they never seem to quite do the trick. Same with customers, we offer deal, discounts, and specials, and dance whatever dance we think will get them to come back and be engaged. Today we are going to be exploring the idea of winning staff and customer loyalty and what it truly takes to achieve this in a responsible and effective way. We cover: Why we assume people want to leave How to think about people Communicating value and proving value through action integrity in other's focused operations Start by caring about the people you want to care Earning vs winning Related episodes: 244 : Top 10 Ways to Lose Employees 390 : 7 Ways to be Consciously Competitive Differentiation Takes Time! Customer Loyalty Getting Them In By Getting Out! You are not your Competition 181 : Organizational Self-Knowledge Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com

Sep 22, 2023 • 13min
You Need to Prioritize In-House Training!
Cafe standards are often a jumble of various people's ideas sourced from both far flung areas of the industry and the past habits of new staff. We are in a constant cycle of sending people away to outside places to learn what to do within our own walls. The problem with this is that we are constantly dependent on outside input but never truly using resources to build our own systems and standards that bring clarity and stability to the shop. On today's shift break we will be talking about why you need to focus on and prioritize developing in house quality control and training standards vs perpetually outsourcing these things to your roaster, a consultant, or a certifying body. Related episodes: 339 : What Good Barista Training Produces 301 : Hiring and Training for Excellence Blog post: Grocery Shopping and Training Success 235 : 4 Tips for Training your Staff 191 : Retraining your Staff on new Standards The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co.

Sep 20, 2023 • 48min
432 : How to Win in Specialty Retail Coffee
It is a new era is specialty retail coffee. Great coffee can be found very easily in most major cities and people are making better coffee at home than they ever have. Add to this the ubiquity of RTD (Ready to Drink) coffee and a wide variety of convenience products. The retail coffee shop, with baristas making drinks and serving those drinks to customers, sits amongst this saturation with a problem, how do we create value? How do can you win in specialty retail coffee? On this episode we are going diving into some extremely important ways that you can not only stand out in a crowded marketplace, but give the customer unmatched value that draws their repeat business, and you sustainable success. Enter with an open mind and determine ahead of time, that if something resonates with you, that it will be the first step of your consistent pursuit to apply it and let it change you and your business. We talk about: Hospitality as priority Why convenience products are actually an indictment of the cafe Values and your digital identity Keeping marketing promises True accessibility and death of ego Listening to your customers Leadership reformation in the shop Keys to the Shop Coaching and Consulting! Click here to schedule a free consulting discovery call with KTTS Click here to book a formal one-on-one consulting call! Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com

Sep 14, 2023 • 11min
Raising Your Hiring Standard
The world of hospitality is filled with people who are either a great fit for the field, or not. Problem is that, for the number of coffee shops in operation today demand for great people is way higher than the supply. So how do we make sure we are hiring the best fit for our business? Today on shift break we will be exploring the number one most important thing you need to discover about a person before bringing them on to the team. Related episodes: 329 : How to Teach Company Values to Your Staff 301 : Hiring and Training for Excellence 278 : Making great Hiring Decisions 018: Hiring, Culture, and the Future of your Shop 366: A Conversation w/ Chris Baca of Cat and Cloud Coffee 014 : A Barista's Guide to Advancing: How to take full advantage of where you are and set yourself up for success in coffee The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co.

Sep 12, 2023 • 46min
431: An Exercise in Listening to Coffee w/ Alexander Roach of Boycott Coffee + The Alphabet Book of Coffee
As professionals, our communication about coffee is only as good as our ability to truly tune in to the message that emerges from the many different voices that give shape to the story of coffee. In the noisy world innovating ways to connect people with meaningful narratives is crucial. Today we are going to talk with someone whose coffee subscription project invites people to interact with coffee in a new and unique way by blending quality coffee with interviews captured on vintage audio. I am so happy to welcome Alexander Roach of Boycott Coffee and the Alphabet Book of Coffee! Since 2010, Alexander has worked behind coffee bars in both Memphis and Seattle. In that time, he has ventured into owning/operating a cafe and roastery, Boycott Coffee, in Memphis, Tennessee. The Alphabet Book of Coffee is a independent project with a goal to produce an audio/tasting series that gives people an out-of-the-box exercise in how they consume and share coffee narratives. In our conversation we will discuss communication, how we learn, curating content, exploring deeper stories, and how we can lean on creativity to truly connect with people about and over coffee. Links: www.boycott.coffee https://www.alphabetbookofcoffee.com/ Keys to the Shop Coaching and Consulting! Click here to schedule a free consulting discovery call with KTTS Click here to book a formal one-on-one consulting call! Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com

Sep 9, 2023 • 13min
Pull Out The Fridge
Ever wonder what's behind the fridge? Most of us have had the unique "pleasure" of finding out. The build up of cup lids, loose change, grime, and other organic matter / creatures is a great illustration of how we tend to avoid things that are out of sight, yet left un attended will have a negative impact of everything. On today's Shift Break we will be talking about how this applies also to the deeper integral parts of the cafe(leadership, communication, systems, culture etc) that we tend not to tend to but left un attended, they build up their own kind of grime that impacts everything. It's all about building with structural integrity from the foundation to the facade. Related Episodes: 181 : Organizational Self-Knowledge 293 : Thoughts on Defining Professionalism Excellence In The Things We Hate The Impact of Absence 2 Qualities of Quality Baristas The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co.

Sep 5, 2023 • 56min
430 : Embracing "Unreasonable Hospitality" w/ Will Guidara | Thank You NYC + The Welcome Conference
Coffee is all about human connection. That we get to create both the beverage and the experience people have when enjoying it is at once a great responsibility, a joy, and an opportunity to change lives through our hospitality in each interaction. In our daily pursuit of providing this special moment we must start with a dedication to our craft and care for people that in many ways could be considered "Unreasonable". I am thrilled to welcome to the show someone who has created these moments for guests at the highest levels of global hospitality and is on a mission to champion "Unreasonable Hospitality" as a framework and philosophy that will benefit to anything we set our hearts and hands to do. Such a pleasure to welcome, Will Guidara! Will Guidara is the founder of Thank You, a hospitality company that develops world-class destinations and helps leaders across industries transform their approach to customer service. He is also the former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park. Under his leadership, the restaurant received numerous accolades, including four stars from the New York Times, three Michelin stars and in 2017 was named number one on the list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants. He is also the cofounder of the Welcome Conference, an annual conference that brings together the best minds in the world of hospitality. A graduate Cornell University, he has coauthored four cookbooks, was named one of Crain's New York Business's 40 Under 40, and is a recipient of WSJ. Magazine's Innovator Award. In his latest book, Unreasonable Hospitality, he shares many of the lessons about service and leadership he learned over the course of his career in restaurants, and makes the case that any business can choose to be in the hospitality industry by taking ordinary transactions and turning them into memorable experiences. In the conversation we explore Will's own development and pursuit of hospitality through his career in restaurants, the birth of the idea of Unreasonable Hospitality, and the nuances of how it is applied in both life and the work of serving others. We cover: Choosing to focus on hospitality What is "Unreasonable Hospitality"? Applying the practice to your daily work Managing your own emotions as you serve Being the "Best" for the right people How to gain buy-in from a younger work force Metrics to focus on for hospitality Can we kill hospitality through systems? Staying motivated without awards Links: www.thankyou.nyc https://www.unreasonablehospitality.com/ https://www.thewelcomeconference.com/ Instagram: @wguidara Related episodes: 421: Encore Episode: Simple, Powerful, Hospitality w/ Philip Paul Turner 424: Developing Menu and Hospitality Guides 058 : Holiday Hospitality 380 : Founder Friday! w/ Cary and Cindy Arsaga of Arsaga's Coffee Roasters 224 : Essentialism: Focusing on what truly Matters w/ Greg McKeown 314 : The 6 Essential Qualities of Coffee Shop Leaders Keys to the Shop Coaching and Consulting! Click here to schedule a free consulting discovery call with KTTS Click here to book a formal one-on-one consulting call! Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com www.coffeefest.com

Sep 2, 2023 • 47min
RoR #25 : Training Up the Next Generation of Roasters w/ Steve Lee of Pocket Knife Consulting + Linea Caffe
Steve Lee, a seasoned coffee expert with a rich background in roasting and education, shares his insights into training the next generation of roasters. He emphasizes the need for effective mentorship and hands-on learning, discussing his personal journey from barista to roaster. The conversation dives into innovative practices at Intelligentsia and tailored teaching techniques that enhance understanding. Lee advocates for nurturing talent through open communication and continuous growth, ultimately striving to elevate the coffee industry.


