359 : Founder Friday! w/ Nigel Price of Drip Coffee Makers NYC

Chris DeferioFounder Friday, Podcast

It’s Founder Friday once again and I am thrilled to shine a light on someone who has built their business on a heart for people, relationships, and an offering of accessible quality coffees. Today we are talking with the founder of Drip Coffee NYC, Nigel Price! Nigel left a career in finance to pursue opening his own coffee shop. Once …

Language Barriers and Understanding

Chris DeferioPodcast

“We don’t speak Starbucks” I cannot tell you how much damage phrases like this have done over the years. More than just creating hostility at the register with customers who don’t speak the same “coffee language” as us, it also sets the stage for more…

358 : Changing Coffee Through Proportional Pricing w/ Andy and Nanelle Newbom of Torque Coffee

Chris DeferioPodcast, Roasting, Supply Chain

The system works exactly the way it was designed to work…and it needs to be broken. This is the goal of a new model of coffee trade introduced by Andy and Nanelle Newbom through their company Torque Coffee. Andy and Nanelle Newbom are life long coffee professionals who have been foundational in helping establish the standards for transparency and excellence …

Vanity Metrics

Chris DeferioPodcast

In coffee, we like to see ourselves making progress and we check our state against certain metrics and goals that we believe, once reached, will transform our business and as bring satisfaction. Today on Shift Break we will be discussing vanity…

Don’t Hire on a Trial Basis

Chris DeferioPodcast

It happens in cafe all over the world. Baristas are hired on a trial basis to see if they are a good fit for the business. On the surface, this practice seems logical and, no doubt, may yield some positive results. But…I believe the practice of…

356 : 5 Barriers to Progress in Your Coffee Shop

Chris DeferioBusiness, Podcast

Many shops make sense on paper but in practice there is something missing. There are lot’s of unseen barriers to progress and success in your shop that get in the way of the best plans no matter how you rearrange the staff, equipment, hours, ingredients, etc. Today you and I will be chatting about five barriers to progress that are …

Do You Need to be the Best Barista in Your Cafe?

Chris DeferioPodcast

I have heard many times from owners that they need to be the best barista in the shop. The idea is that if they are not, then the staff will not respect them and it would compromise their leadership. As you might guess, this is a bit misguided. In…