Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

Now ore than ever coffee shops should be building stable and resilient teams to give them the best chance at success in an unstable market. Unfortunately there are many needless problems and practices that plague cafes and are catalysts for unnecessary turnover. Today we are going to cover what I believe are the top 10 reasons why we lose employees and what we should be doing to fix these problems. If we address these 10 things well then we will be on our way to creating an environment where staff never want to leave. Links to related episodes: 221 : Building your People Program w/ HR Consultant Dana Goodwin 179 : What you MUST Know About Employee Culture w/ Stan Slap 067 : 6 Truths About Power : The Responsible Approach to Power Dynamics in the Cafe 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 Bridging the Values -Actions Gap Need consulting? email me: Chris@keystotheshop.com 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

The truth can hurt. In our minds, when we thing about "keeping it real" we are usually about to engage in some form of uncomfortable, confrontational interaction. In today's episode we will be exploring this idea and how an alternative way of approaching it will actually help us really keeping it real. Related episodes to explore: The Affirmation Vacuum Stop Lying Elevated batch brew and so much more! Ground Control Cyclops Brewer Your Own Branded App! www.espressly.co

I am excited to re-share this oldie with you. Mainly because it has a ton of very useful insights that I think we all need to ponder these days. Life (aka 2020) won't let up and the 7 things I talked about back in November 2017 could not be more relevant. In many ways, we spend a lot of our energies reinforcing self-sabotaging behaviors and habits. Thing is, even though I originally broadcast this as being for baristas, you can just as easily see these 7 things in your life as a business owner. So on behalf of the Chris of 2017 and the Chris of 2020, I hope you enjoy this blast from the past! Links to recommended episodes: Main Episodes: 135 : Stay Motivated in the midst of Difficulty 083: 6 Essential Books for your Professional Growth 008 : Finding Joy in Coffee w/ Nathanael May 207 : Hope in Difficult Times w/ Kathy Turiano of Joe Bean Coffee Roasters Shift Breaks: Patience & Passivity : Career Advice for the Long Game 2 Qualities of Quality Baristas The Barista Slump Your Peers are not your Customers 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

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 Selfish Self-awareness 067 : 6 Truths About Power : The Responsible Approach to Power Dynamics in the Cafe The Broken Chair 165 : The Art of Deep Listening w/ Oscar Trimboli 121 : Working from Your Strengths w/ Strengths Finder Guru, Lisa Cummings Your Own Branded App! www.espressly.co Elevated batch brew and so much more! Ground Control Cyclops Brewer

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: What makes specialty coffee special How accessible should it specialty be What it means to be inclusive of customers What are good mindsets to have for business The role does the cafe plays When differentiators become a barriers Winning the trust of customers The problem of low barriers in starting a coffee business How cafes have contributed to problems in the industry Good business models post-COVID Links: www.jameshoffmann.co.uk Subscribe to James' You Tube Channel www.squaremilecoffee.com James on Instagram 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 022 : Founder Friday w/ Colin Harmon of 3fe Coffee, Dublin Ireland & Author of the new book, "What I know About Running Coffee Shops" 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

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: Early growth and challenges Becoming only a roaster Scaling the business Knowing your strengths Following the vision The Evel Knievel connection Hiring standards Supporting + communicating w/ staff Impact of COVID Evolution their approach to coffee Curating the message and communicating the right things. Establishing customer expectations and delivering excellence Biggest lessons from the past Links: www.dillanos.com David on: Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Related episodes: 118 : Founder Friday w/ Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters founders, Phil Robertson and Sebastian Sztabzyb 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! www.prima-coffee.com/keys Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks? www.pacificfoods.com/food-service

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: The One-on-One 172 : Why Tracking Performance is a Must! Being the point of Clarity Communicate, duplicate, repeat Tips for Great Staff Meetings Elevated batch brew and so much more! Ground Control Cyclops Brewer Solid, cafe quality espresso for an accessible price: www.flairespresso.com

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: Barista Workflow The role of the menu Customer order flow Ergonomics Designing with cleaning in mind Health department/ Regulations Need help designing (or redesigning) your bar? KTTS Consulting can help! Email me: chris@keystotheshop.com Related episodes: 175 : How to Keep your Cool : A Fridge, Cooler, and Ice Machine Masterclass w/ Luke Peterson of The Maintenance Department! 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! www.prima-coffee.com/keys Want the best plant based beverage for your coffee drinks? www.pacificfoods.com/food-service

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. www.Vogacoffee.com Download the "Take Aways" from this episode. A PDF of all the takeaways and major points made by our guest! Visit Coffee Project NY's Website Instagram

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 #1 Interview Mistake My Favorite Interview Question The Right People? Need consulting or coaching? Let's talk Chris@keystotheshop.com Elevated batch brew and so much more! Ground Control Cyclops Brewer Solid, cafe quality espresso for an accessible price: www.flairespresso.com