Do you feel the pull, the itch, the compulsion to add more, buy more, and create specials and new things for your customers all the time? You are not alone. The industry is filled with cafe that are stuck in a never ending cycle of making, buying, and adding new things so they do not fall out of favor or …
The life of your business is going to be determined by how easily and frequently you and your staff can identify, during the workday, behaviors and events that represent the values of your company. The problem is that because we are so busy with the tasks of the work, it makes it difficult for us to identify those times in …
You read this kind of question mostly from nervous owners who are glued to their screen and anxiously review every data point with bloodshot eyes. Like a nervous flyer, ever bump on the plan is a sure sign of an imminent crash, but here’s the thing, it’s not. Today on shift break we will be talking about why these kind …
It is that time of year here in the U.S. where many will reflect on what they are thankful for. In this current age where bad news and reasons to despair abound, it is even ore important to fight for and seek out the good and positive in our lives. But even for those of us who see value in …
I was invited to speak recently to a group of coffee professionals on the state of the industry based on what I have experienced through my consulting, career, and interviews. One of the main things I shared was that coffee quality in roasted form is at an all time high. But quality is embarrassingly low. The issue is not the …
If you listen to every well meaning linkedIn post or biz hack YouTube video you can stand out so much that you actually lose touch with he foundation of your business. Today on shift break we will talk about ways to pursue more customer attention but in a way that reinforces your roots and foundations vs pulling you aways from …
In our world of coffee shops we feel if we can get through the day without too many disasters or fires that we are doing well. The people we put into various roles adopt a similar mindset of avoidance of bad is equal to accomplishing good. but when you reflect back on your day and even career, when you have …
Coffee shops come in all shapes, styles, sizes, and focus on many different aspects of social experience and craft. If we look back we can see that certain themes emerge. Whether it is the 90’s coffee shop with bold colors, self serve airpots, lots of sugar, and no wifi, the early 2000’s sparse coffee temples with no sugar, or the …
The only way to really know how your business is doing, is to know how your staff are doing. Do you know, to the person, how each staff member is doing with service, hospitality, and skill in crafting coffee? This seems like it should be a no brainer but an incredible number of owners simply assume rather than verify and …
The great Danny Meyer said, “Policies are nothing more than guidelines to be broken for the benefit of our guests”. I come back to this idea often when trying to balance the tension between the need for structure and boundaries, and the freedom to be flexible in them and sometimes in spite of them. Today on Shift Break we will …
