Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

Photography and coffee seem to just go together. There is something about creating moments and capturing moments that is a common drive where we can see the beauty in the mundane and get a whole new appreciation for our work and world. Today we are going to chat with of one of our industries great photographers, Rob Sykes. Rob Sykes lives in Houston, TX with his wife and daughter. H practices Zen meditation, writes haikus, and works full time as a PICC RN at North Cypress Medical Center. In addition to this, Rob is a serious coffee and street photographer and content creator who you can catch around the Houston cafe scene, roaming the streets of major metropolitan areas, and of course capturing magic at Coffee Fest's Latte Art World Championship Open. In this conversation we talk about Rob's journey into coffee, photography, and how he sees the world through those lenses. We cover: Getting into photography through coffee Mindfulness and intentionality Zen meditation and coffee shops Capturing culture The beauty of the mundane Knowing what to shoot and why Staying aware of your surrounding Focusing on community Links: Instagram @layman_rob Related episodes: 352: Music, Culture, and Coffee w/ Hip Hop Artist, Propaganda 365 : Spilling the Beans on Global Coffee Culture w/ Lani Kingston 199 : Founder Friday w/ Mario Jimenez of Banana Dang Coffee, Oceanside, CA 024 : Chermelle D. Edwards, The Coffeetographer : Documenting Art and Culture Through the Lens of Specialty Coffee : Barista Culture, Consumer Experience, Movements in coffee culture Interested in leveling up your coffee shop? 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

The coffee shop is a can be a stressful place. There are no shortage of challenges big and small that confront us daily whether you are a barista of cafe owner. The trouble we run into is when our confirmation bias kicks in with every challenges and our emotions run away with us and we start telling ourselves a story about what is happening that may not be true but certainly feels true in the moment On today's shift break we will be talking about how we can combat overthinking and negative emotions through pursuing objectivity, truth, and growing in confidence as a result. Related episodes: Getting Over Guilt 224 : Essentialism: Focusing on what truly Matters w/ Greg McKeown 111 : Self Care 101: Taking care of yourself while taking care of others 176 : Harnessing Emotions at Work w/ Andrea Hoban of Oji Life Lab Professional Distance (Blog) When Going Above and Beyond Goes too Far 258 : Prioritizing your Mental Health in the New Year w/ Dr. Lara Pence Make Your Problems More Specific Like the episode? Subscribe, share, and rate the show! Visit these amazing sponsors! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co Want clarity, perspective, and solutions? Sign on for KTTS Consulting coaching calls today! Email Chris@keystotheshop.com

Some interviews we have on the show touch on so many deep, important, and impactful subjects that it is hard to stop the conversation. This was one of those. I wanted to talk about our guests' career and then see where it led us and indeed we ended up discussing an assortment of issues that are sure to inspire and spark curiosity in you as you listen. Today we sit down with the great mat North! A seasoned veteran with over two decades experience, Mat's career has taken in the full gamut of the of the industry. Stints with both national and local chains as well as time in the consumables and engineering side of the business have given him a well rounded view of the coffee world. In 2013 Mat opened Full Court Press, a small specialist multi roaster coffee shop and now Nano- roastery in the heart of Bristol. His knowledge, passion and attention to detail ensured FCP quickly became a forerunner in the city's scene. It is FCP's excellent customer service, coupled with the team's ability to articulate their extensive knowledge in an approachable way that has ensured Full Court Press not only serve exceptional coffee, but have sparked an interest in specialty coffee among their customers. Having sold FCP in 2021 he's moved into the green side of the industry as part of the European office for Raw Material, a not for profit social enterprise working in all aspects of the supply stream. He is also the author of the acclaimed book, Coffee - A Modern Field Guide, and recently served as National Coordinator for the UK chapter of the Speciality Coffee Association. As we chat I hope you take notes and continue to pursue the subjects discussed. From Mat's career evolution and lessons learned through business ownership - to his take on how the industry has evolved and what is key for us to prioritize in the future, this conversation is loaded with value and insights from start to end. We discuss: Learning through early retail experiences Discovering what coffee could be Abandoning a phd in physics to pursue coffee physics and engineering training helping with coffee How to be inspired by unknowns and learn Starting his shop Full Court Press Curating a multi roaster program Feedback loos in QC Water in coffee Writing a coffee book Quantifying the art of coffee Marketing vs true innovation How consumers are leading the way in quality coffee Evolution of specialty retail The priority of price equity and leaving efficacy based models Links: www.matnorth.com Instagram @mat_north Related episodes: 242 : A Conversation with James Hoffmann 374: Opening a Coffee Shop: Fantasy vs Reality (w/ bonus commentary)" 349 : Talking About 21st Century Coffee w/ Kenneth Davids Sustainability Series #2 : Importing & Roasting 333: Bridging the Professional and Home Barista Gap w/ Lance Hedrick of Onyx Coffee Lab Learning -vs- LEARNING Interested in leveling up your coffee shop? 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

I am so happy to share with you this Founder Friday episode that takes a hard look at what is possible when you want to offer excellence at scale in a cafe setting. I am joined by the founder of the iconic and standard setting company, WatchHouse, Roland Horne. Roland founded WatchHouse in 2014 after extensive experience running small-to-medium-size businesses, including luxury aquarium design consultancy Aquarium Architecture. He holds directorships with property development funds Verum Domus and Coutts & Partners and has a MSc in Economic History from the London School of Economics. Roland is currently pursuing his Executive MBA at the University of Oxford. Over the past seven years WatchHouse has grown from one cafe on London's iconic Bermondsey Street to ten sites, and in August celebrated the one-year anniversary of the WatchHouse Roastery at 36 Maltby Street. A CEO with formative experience outside the speciality coffee sector, Roland has a unique and ambitious perspective on the sustainable expansion of the brand throughout the London and beyond. In today's conversation we get to hear the story behind WatchHouse and how Roland has grown this brand through values and a desire to keep integrity of service and quality front and center. I think you will get a great deal from this chat. We discuss: From luxury aquariums to coffee Defining modern coffee and evolving Focusing on your unique value proposition Why you need to focus on the MLP Big concept in an initially small space Making hard financial decisions and listening to customers Beginning to roast Scaling and customizing for the community Living wage and following through on delivering value Getting better as you get bigger Staff structures Overcoming the assumption that big is bad Providing spaces for Happiness Links: www.watchhouse.com Instagram @watchhouse Related episodes: 320 Founder Friday! w/ Francesco Sanapo of Ditta Artigianale, Florence, Italy 171 : Founder Friday w/ Matt Chitharanjan and Namrata Asthana of Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters in India 348: Founder Friday! w/ Benito Burmudez of Cafe Unido, Panama City, Panama! 263 : Founder Friday w/ Mike McFall, Co-Founder of BIGGBY Coffee! 017 : Founder Friday w/ Jonathan Rubinstein of Joe Coffee: Entrepreneurship | Coffee Business | Hiring | Barista Culture | Growth Visit our amazing Sponsors! www.groundcontrol.coffee www.pacficfoodservice.com

It is that time of year where cafes are all but expected to have the ubiquitous PSL in their menus. But there is so much more. Beyond this staple drink specialty cafes around the world have developed both wonderful signature creations and others that don't really resonate. Today on shift break we will be chatting about signature drinks and I will be offering some tips on how to approach curating and creating your specialty drink menu so your beverages are more likely to succeed. Related episodes: 274 : Crafting Specialty Drinks in your Shop w/ Matt Foster" 317 : Encore Episode: Death by Comparison 282 : How to Listen to your Customers Taste the Rainbow! : Menu knowledge, tasting, flavor, coffee cupping approach to your offerings Don't fall into FOLO! (Fear of Limited Options) Visit these amazing sponsors! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co

Should you open a coffee shop? How hard could it be anyway? Thousands of people around the globe have a dream to open a cafe. Once open however that dream can quickly become a nightmare. I am thrilled to have been able to collaborate with fellow podcasters over at the Adventures in Coffee podcast to put together an episode that deals with this subject head on. In this episode you will hear from several aspiring, and experienced entrepreneurs as James harper, Scott Bentley, and myself take you through the 3 major areas of inspiration and focus cafe owners need to be aware of. The money, the scene, and the dream. This was awesome to get to be a part of and i hope you enjoy this very important and entertaining show! Links: Adventures in Coffee Slate article: My Coffee Shop Nightmare By Michael Idov Related Keys to the Shop episodes: 283 : 5 Bad Reasons to Open a Coffee Shop 223 : Building a Financially Resilient Business w/ Andrew Carroll 239 : 5 Best Practices for the Best Small Business w/ Henry Lopez 141 : The 27 Challenges Managers Face w/ Bruce Tulgan Interested in leveling up your coffee shop? 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

Joey Stazzone is the President of Cafe Kreyol, where he focuses on sustainable coffee production. In this discussion, he dives into how long coffee should rest after roasting to achieve optimal flavor. He challenges the myth that freshest is always best, emphasizing the importance of off-gassing periods. Stazzone shares insights from recent studies on coffee resting times and how consumer habits influence roasting practices. He encourages coffee professionals to innovate tasting methods and educate customers about the ideal timelines for enjoying their brews.

The work of running a cafe seems to never be quite complete. While we know that chasing " perfection" is not the goal, we would do well to embrace the idea of dial in and refinement in our work. Today on Shift Break we will be talking about what a summer woodworking project from years ago taught me about refining what we do in our cafes. Related episodes: Higher Degrees of Imperfection 373 : The Owner's Role: 5 Behaviors for Effectiveness Feedback Culture : Making feedback a part of what you do not just something you sometimes do 181 : Organizational Self-Knowledge Turning Radius Visit these amazing sponsors! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co

The coffee shop is made up various tasks and roles that all work together to create something magical. Wen those roles are not clear or followed through on then the we lose the magic and gain frustration. No role in the cafe is as important than that of the owner (arguably managers but that's another topic), yet we rarely see owners having job descriptions let alone a schedule organized according to both the administrative / financial needs AND the areas of operations, quality, and people. In today's episode we will discuss the 5 behaviors that are necessary for owners to successfully and effectively lead and manage those 3 areas so they can facilitate and create a thriving coffee shop. We cover: Operations, People, and Quality The need for detailed scheduled work Constant curiosity Tension as needed structure Honesty at all costs Using problems to discover and institute solutions Crafting systems needed for operations that serve the people Related Episodes: 314 : The 6 Essential Qualities of Coffee Shop Leaders 368 : Walking the Line Between Leadership and Friendship 307 : 10 Simple ways to Level Up your Coffee Shop 253 : Mindsets that Sabotage Success 248 : The 5 Elements of Resourcing your Team Interested in leveling up your coffee shop? 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

Finally. It is time to get meta and have a Shift Break conversation about...shift breaks. We all go to work with a finite amount of energy to use on that days tasks and responsibilities. Trouble is that we also tend to work well beyond the point at which we have used up our energy and subsist on coffee and fumes. The shift break is supposed to be something that allows for some respite in the midst of a busy day but is often more an idea than a regular and well resourced practice. Today on Shift Break we will talk about the shift break, its role in the cafe, the reality of how we tend to minimize it, and why making it a reality for your staff is a critical part of caring for them and your business. Related episodes: Shift Break: Four Steps to Inspiring Your Staff How to Talk to Each Other The Importance of Debriefing Reasonable Expectations Main 248 : The 5 Elements of Resourcing your Team Visit these amazing sponsors! The best espresso machines in the world! www.lamarzoccousa.com Custom branded mobile apps for your shop! www.espressly.co