301 : Hiring and Training for Excellence

Chris DeferioLeadership, Management, Podcast, Training

These are the two most important and intensive processes in the cafe yet they often are the most rush and poorly thought through. The preparations we make and the actions we take when hiring and training staff will and does create a ripple effect that is felt by everyone who interacts with your business for years to come. Maybe more …

Hard Work is Hard

Chris DeferioPodcast

At work there is unnecessary difficulty and then there is just…necessary difficulty. The trouble is that sometimes we can blur the line between the two and generally will default the thinking all difficulty is to be avoided or is a sign of something…

299 : 5 Rules for a Successful Coffee shop

Chris DeferioBusiness, Podcast

What makes a successful coffee bar? This whole show is dedicated to exploring the depths of the question and yet there are a few fundamental elements that, if practiced, will greatly help your coffee bar succeed. Were are not going to be talking about the common things you might associate with success such as location, Cost of Goods, and great …

Care Assurance is the New Quality Assurance

Chris DeferioPodcast

Quality control and assurance is common in most well established coffee shops. Even if it is not a dedicated position, it at least is an area where we invest a lot of time and effort. What we don’t see very much of is a focus on care. How do the staff…

298 : A Trophy, or Atrophy?

Chris DeferioBarista Craft, Business, Career, Podcast

Winning coffee awards and competitions is pretty cool. There are many benefits to pursuing accolades for your coffee shop through such as marketing opportunities, sharpening skills, energizing staff, and networking. The question we have to ask ourselves though is, just how critical are competitors and awards tot he success of our shops and what metric should we be using to …

Encore! Curbing Their Enthusiasm

Chris DeferioPodcast

On a daily basis we have opportunities to take a customer’s genuine curiosity and excitement and either affirm it and guide them or to stamp it out and push them away. In coffee shops all over the world the former scenario play out but what we see too…

297 : Making Coffee Education Fun w/ Suneal Pabari of Leaderboard Coffee

Chris DeferioBarista Craft, Podcast, Training

A big issue with coffee education is accessibility. Much of the practical information that leads customers and coffee professionals alike to understanding, buying, and brewing great coffee is either locked away in our roasteries and cafes or hurried in a sea of misinformation. That’s where Leaderboard Coffee comes in. Today we are going to talk with the founder of Leaderboard …

Motivating Staff Through Culture

Chris DeferioPodcast

How do I motivate my staff? This was a question I received at Coffee Fest regarding managers and I believe the answer is applicable both to baristas and to managers. Heck, it’s pretty much true for anyone. It starts with culture.  In today’s…

296: Holistic Barista Training w/ David Castillo of Go Get Em Tiger , Los Angeles

Chris DeferioBarista Craft, Podcast, Training

Training staff to become productive, competent, and confident members of the team is a massive challenge all coffee shops face. In spite of our best efforts we often end up with baristas who have completed training but are still not ready to work the bar effectively and this brings about frustration for everyone. There is a better way and today …