Welcome to Part 1 of the Coffee Fest live on the show floor interviews from Anaheim, CA 2023! It was a pleasure to kick things of with coffee legend and returning guest, Kenneth Davids! Kenneth has been involved with coffee since the early 1970s and has published three books on coffee, including the influential Home Roasting: Romance and Revival, now …
In the face of necessary reality checks and the inherent ups and downs of starting and running a coffee shop, there must always exist the foundational idea that “You can do this” and “It is possible”. That belief in possibility is what drives today’s guest whoI am honored to call a good friend, Michael Ryan of Threadbare Coffee Consulting. Michael …
Early on in the podcast (2019) I had Maxwell on to tell the story of Narrative and then 3 more times since then to discuss deeper topics related to running a great shop, dealing with challenges, and tools to success. I have known him for over a decade and believe he channels the kind of character and values the entire …
What would you think if you went to a sit down restaurant an hour before close where, after seating you, they brought your food out in doggie bags “because we are closing soon and we don’t want to have to do dishes”. My guess is that it would seem…
While culture is a needed focus, today it has become the hottest buzz word that can mean almost anything. What is most useful these days as we rightly focus on culture is a lens through which to view it that brings clarity and helps guide us to take action in ways that serve our staff and ultimately the business. Way …
Having an engaged staff that are motivated and inspired to not just get through the shift, but to truly invest into the cafe and help improve things is a dream shared by many owners. This culture where each individual team member takes ownership and finds creative ways to refine the operations, quality, and hospitality does not have to be just …
So many things vie for our attention in the day-to-day work of the coffee shop. In the midst of the fires we need to put out, questions that need answers, and ideas everyone has (both good and bad) we have a general idea of what we are aiming for but…
Managers hold the key to the success of the shop. They are tasked with taking all the people, place, and processes and making them work well together day to day. When a manager is correctly supported by the owner then they are able to do a great job and your whole business benefits. Without proper support, operations, morale, and the …
It is easy to get discouraged in running a cafe. There are a million things to do and the temptation to despair becomes worst when we hold an idealized version of ourselves and our work in our heads everyday. What are we working for and what are we…
When it comes to our training and resourcing of staff we often have a desire for people to “get it” and to be detail oriented, but fail to give them much to “get” or to orient them to the details. This results in inconsistency and frustration in both customers and staff as baristas fill in the blanks that management should …
