Coffee Fest LA was awesome and I am finally getting this episode out right before we fly out to Dallas! Stay tuned. In this episode I sat down with one great presenter and give some of my own thoughts on the show and lessons you can apply in your business and area. Kevin Mejia grew up in Monrovia, CA as …
Many owners start in the business of coffee shops by buying an existing cafe. Sometimes there is a lot of work to do. Other times, the cafe is already a successful, well love, and established cafe. The later example is actually a bit more daunting since now there is legacy, community, and great staff to steward, all while learning the ropes …
In the ecosystem of entrepreneurship we glorify and practice a certain kind of paranoia about our businesses. We are never happy and always suspecting we are behind, or broken in some secret way that we need to find. The result is that, even when we arrive to a good place, our ability to recognize it and rest in it is …
The coffee shop experience is one that should be accessible to a wide variety of people. How we go about building a welcoming and hospitable space is not only the work of interior design, workflow, and service standards; it also extends to the menu and what we offer. Enter the 2 dollar drip. An item that represents an intention put …
Cold brew only is not a normal thing for a coffee bar. It takes deep dedication, innovation, and focus to drive that concept and offer customers out of the ordinary that they both remember AND love. For ten years now our guest has been blazing a trail for cold brew lovers to experience a fun, hospitable, pure, and deliciously crafted …
What happens when we build into our systems exceptions for the less than desirable habits of staff? Well for starters we rob that staff member of the opportunity to grow and receive correction to meet the standards. We then rob our business of reach its potential as we now erode the foundations from the inside. Lastly we rob the customer …
We love extremes. Novel services, events, specials, and stunts to catapult us into the consciousness of our customers seem to be what we favor and are fixated on. After all, it proves that we are different, better, and that we care about people and quality!…right? Not exactly. Just like Settling the Table before it, Wil Guidara’s great book, Unreasonable Hospitality …
The temptation for fast-track people during training is a very common one. I would go so far as to say that, half of the reason we see the inconsistencies and quality of product and service issues we do today, comes from pushing people through training and putting them on bar when they are not equipped to succeed. Today on Shift …
We hear the advice from the popular author of “The E-Myth” saying that we should work ON our business, not IN it. While I understand and agree with the point being made to not get caught up in tasks perpetually that make you a bottle neck, I believe we have taken it a bit far as of late where many …
I hear the word “vibes” used as a stand in for a lot of different things. Most often it is used to describe a somewhat ambiguous sense of good feelings or peace of mind around a culture or a person. The idea is great, but the issue is that without having specific and meaningful definitions of what brings those vibes …
