SHIFT BREAK! The Trend of Backwards Hospitality

Chris DeferioPodcast

Who is it we are serving when we start or work in the coffee shop? If you listen to a lot of the way people talk today, you might think we expect customers to serve our needs more than we pursue meeting the needs of and serving our customers. Today on Shift Break we will be talking about the trend …

Shift Break! The Problem of Commiseration

Chris DeferioPodcast

In forums, trade shows, and conversations everywhere, people are talking about their problems, and that’s not a bad thing! The problem starts when the talk is not productive and starts to warp reality and damages our ability to work, serve and lead well due to the bitterness commiseration tends to produce. Today on Shift Break we will be talking about …

SHIFT BREAK! Considering the Future You When Making Decisions

Chris DeferioPodcast

Have you ever made a regrettable decision in the moment that you would have made differently if you had given yourself a bit more time and space to reason it through? I think we have all been there. Many are there right now! Every time we decide something in the present based on desperation, impatience, or fear, the future version …

SHIFT BREAK! New Managers: Learning Before Changing

Chris DeferioPodcast

When a new manager is placed in a cafe, they often will try to change a lot of things in a bid to justify their role and/or create what they believe is the positive change they have long wanted to see as a barista. While both are understandable,…

SHIFT BREAK! Should You Remodel or Renew Your Cafe?

Chris DeferioPodcast

If we change anything in the cafe, it will more likely be something related to the optics, branding, or remodeling the physical cafe in order to get that feeling like we have become different and this will usher in more motivation, excitement, better…

SHIFT BREAK! Better Than Bad is Not Good

Chris DeferioPodcast

Your decisions in the business related to hiring, quality, operations etc need to be based on what is actually good for the business and the people you work with and for now. Trouble is that we often are stuck at a low level of expectation and accept…

SHIFT BREAK! What Should Coffee Cost a Customer?

Chris DeferioPodcast

Investment is what creates value. There are many other investments beyond the financial that customer must make in the coffee experience that make the act of going to get coffee worth it.  In today’s Shift Break we will be talking about the…

SHIFT BREAK! Seasonal Staff

Chris DeferioPodcast

I have talked to many clients as well as Key Holder Coaching Group members who employ seasonal staff. There is a big challenge when looking to hire, train, and manage them since the term of their employment is short and they are either new, or they…

SHIFT BREAK! Time Management For Managers and Owners

Chris DeferioPodcast

If you are a manager or leader on shift, or the owner of the cafe, how you spend your time really matters. You have been given authority as a tool to help those you serve and they are counting on you to be organized and purposeful in the use of your…