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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
“If you’re not growing, your dying”, phrases like this tend to drive us pursue a path of growth that often prevents us from slowing down or finding margin in which we can see that something, or even we ourselves, need to stop. Today on Shift Break we…
In the busy cafe we tend to want to power through the work and in the process we rush the customer. The average cafe guest can feel as though they are simply being handled or herded instead of welcomed and served. Today on Shift Break we are…
Signature beverages and seasonal drinks are a huge part of what rounds out the cafe menu and, if done well, can make you stand out for all the right reason. Of course, it stands to reason, that if they are done not so well, you stand out for…
Training employees remains one of the central tasks of cafe ownership and management. Rather than training from a central standard and source that has been thoughtfully crafted to onboard and develop the skills of the barista to meet specific…