Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders artwork

Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

894 episodes - English - Latest episode: 25 days ago - ★★★★★ - 221 ratings

A coffee podcast providing coffee shop owners and leaders, with insights, inspiration, and the tools you need to grow and advance your coffee business or coffee career. We learn from experts both in and outside the coffee industry as they deliver specific, practical, and actionable advice about ownership, optimization, profitability, barista work, employee culture, management, scaling, leadership, personal development, and anything else that will help you achieve success in the coffee shop.

Food Arts Business Careers management barista business coffee leadership retail roasting shop
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

Episodes

482: Founder Friday! w/ Rahul Reddy of Subko Coffee Mumbai, India

June 27, 2024 15:11 - 57 minutes - 85.4 MB

At the head of some of the most exciting brands in India's rapidly expanding specialty coffee scene is Subko. More than coffee, Subko has created a platform to show case the flavors, culture, and design of India through multiple disciplines. At it's heart is sourcing, roasting, and serving the best coffee the subcontinent has to offer and Mumbai is just the beginning. Today we get to hear the story and insights of Subko co-founder, Rahul Reddy Rahul Reddy is the co-founder of Subko Special...

SHIFT BREAK: The Best Marketing Strategy

June 27, 2024 12:59 - 11 minutes - 12.1 MB

We only have so much energy, time, and money to give to marketing our coffee shops. There is a lot of stress related to having the right strategy for getting people to become aware of you cafe and then visit and keep visiting. To make matters more worse, the consumer must wade through a sea of competitors who are applying similar social media and advertising strategies. So what do you invest into to give you a big return? Today on Shift Break we will be discussing what I believe is an ofte...

481 : Exploring Sensory Analysis Using "The Coffee Rose"/ Ian Fretheim, Director of Sensory Analysis at Cafe Imports

June 24, 2024 20:05 - 54 minutes - 58.5 MB

Tasting coffee is arguably one of the most important, yet subjective practices we engage in as coffee professionals. As our guest today will articulate, tasting and evaluating a coffee's Characteristics is done as a means of communicating to others. In order for us to communicate we need a common language and we need to contextualize as we go. That is where "The Coffee Rose" comes into play. Today we are diving into the world of sensory analysis and ways to create accesibity and understandin...

SHIFT BREAK: Stop Talking, and Start Doing

June 20, 2024 16:39 - 10 minutes - 11.6 MB

It is easy to talk about the things we want to improve, fix,  and institute in the cafe. Trouble is that in all the talking of doing the how we need this or that, we tend to leave it there and wait until an opportune or ideal time comes along, rather than simply taking 1 small decisive step toward what we need. Today on Shift Break we talk about why we need to default to taking action more vs simply talking about and planning the perfect next step Disciplining ourselves to do this creates ...

480: Focus on What Your Customers Love

June 16, 2024 14:50 - 27 minutes - 29.6 MB

Your customers count on you to create a wonderful cafe experience everyday. That is the implied or explicit promise of our marketing and what most of us aspire to deliver. The way we get there is by paying close attention to what our customers love and fortifying those element of the business through focused resourcing and training and improving as we go. What are some of the most important areas to focus on that will truly communicate to your customers that you take their patronage seri...

SHIFT BREAK: Respecting Your Barista's Professional Boundaries

June 12, 2024 17:59 - 10 minutes - 11.3 MB

In the cafe, it is easy to lapse into assuming that people who work for you, should also be available and responsive at all times even when off the clock. The lack of quick response from staff when off the clock to calls, emails, slack messages etc is often considered some sign that the employee is not right for the organization and can have a negative impact on how that employee is perceived and invested into.  Today on Shift Break we talk about the importance of respecting the boundaries...

SHIFT BREAK: Why You Need Exit Interviews

June 05, 2024 19:00 - 11 minutes - 12.3 MB

Try as we might, the reality is that eventually even the best staff will leave our shops for another job or career. How they leave is largely up to us as leaders. Some will exit on bad terms for reasons related to bad management or their own personal behaviors that are an ill fit. Others will have been wonderful team members and right fit for the role, but need to move on. In all cases there is much to learn that we miss out on when we don't conduct exit interviews. Today on Shift Break we...

479: Marketing, Automation, and the Future of Coffee Shops w/ Andre Eiermann, Eversys

June 02, 2024 10:55 - 1 hour - 76.6 MB

Andre’s coffee journey started as a coffee trader in Switzerland. He moved shortly after to Kenya and Tanzania and spent most of his time on coffee farms, in cupping rooms and in drymills. In the laboratory he cupped sometimes 800 cups of coffee a day. After his time at origin, Andre worked for several coffee roasters in marketing across Europe. He gained a deep understanding of the coffee industry – from whole beans, R&G, instant to the ready-to-drink category. The last years have been...

479: Automation and the Future of Coffee Shops w/ Andre Eiermann, Eversys

June 02, 2024 10:55 - 1 hour - 76.6 MB

The world of coffee and coffee shops is changing rapidly. The variations of business models that serve innumerable contexts globally require intentionality in how we pursue innovation and how we stay aware of the flavors and expressions that define the specialty coffee world. Today we are joined by a perpetual champion of coffee experiences and resident industry optimist, Andre Eiermann! Andre’s coffee journey started as a coffee trader in Switzerland. He moved shortly after to Kenya a...

478: Building Efficiencies Into Your Roastery w/ Scott Stouffer of Probat Coffee

June 01, 2024 14:56 - 53 minutes - 52.8 MB

Setting up and optimizing your roastery for compliance, efficiency, and sustainable quality output is not just something to be done once in the beginning. The disciplined pursuit of building and refinement should be the primary focus of operators in order to best serve the business and all the people that rely on it.  Looking out at all the areas of the roasting space, it can be overwhelming to begin that journey, so today we are talking with one of the best practitioners of roastery engin...

SHIFT BREAK: When Numbers Lie

May 30, 2024 22:05 - 10 minutes - 11.6 MB

Numbers tell a story, but not the whole story. Though the number of times someone purchases an item on your menu may indeed mean that they prefer it to other options, what data cannot tell us is whether or not customers who generate those numbers are truly enjoying what they receive or are they quietly tolerating it. Today on Shift Break we will be talking about the need for cafes to fill in the details that numbers alone cannot and why our main focus should be to be connected to the custo...

477: Inspiring the next generation of Coffee Farmer w/ Yolima Taborda Rojas of Paisa Coffee, Colombia

May 27, 2024 11:21 - 58 minutes - 59.5 MB

Two of the most important things that help coffee farmers are market access, and being able to invigorate the younger generation to work in and advocate for coffee farming.  While at the SCA Expo in Chicago this year I tasted some amazing coffees from Colombia that were presented by today's guest who has taken one the challenge to represent her family's farm and many other small farmers in Colombia while also inspire the next generation in the process.  Yolima Taborda Rojas is the founder ...

476: Founder Friday! The Story of Story Coffee w/ Don Niemyer of Story Coffee Co.

May 24, 2024 16:42 - 51 minutes - 61 MB

Each one of our shops tell many stories. The story of our own arrival as owners, the story of the coffee and the efforts it has taken to get to a finished product, the story of our community and customers and the parts they play in shaping their world and shop itself. A coffee shop is at once a reflection of the people and a light that guides us to the future. Today we are going to hear the story of one such shop, whose owners have had quite an adventure as writers of and participants in the...

SHIFT BREAK: Owners, It's OK to Make Mistakes

May 20, 2024 20:03 - 13 minutes - 13.6 MB

Coffee shop owners, do you ever feel as though the entire world is on your shoulders and that one mistake will send the whole business crashing down? The pressures and expectations that cafe operators face drive many to pursue unrealistic standards for themselves and others, which tends to multiply mistakes vs the intended avoidance of them.  Today on Shift Break we will be talking about why it is ok that you, and other leaders in the shop make mistakes, and how the work of creating the co...

475: Essential Tools for Cafe Management

May 20, 2024 15:11 - 33 minutes - 34.9 MB

Being a manager in a coffee shop may be one of the most difficult jobs in the cafe. Not only do you bear the responsibility  of the daily operations, you also have the expectations from the owners as well as your barista team. Most managers are barely making is through. Much of the stress experienced can be avoided when we equip managers with tools to help them succeed in their roles, allowing them to see progress as a result of their efforts.  Today we will be talking about several essent...

SHIFT BREAK: How to Assess a Barista's Performance

May 14, 2024 18:32 - 10 minutes - 11.5 MB

One of the most critical parts of leadership in a cafe is how you invest in developing those you lead. Depending on how it is done, evaluating and assessing performance can either inspire and encourage, or it can deflate and discourage.  Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how to think about and conduct assessments through a values framework that recognizes both the technical and relational aspects that make up the job of barista.  If you are a cafe owner and want to work one on...

474 : On Roasting and Representation w/ 2024 U.S. Roasting Champion, Eduardo Choza | Mayorga Coffee

May 08, 2024 19:42 - 40 minutes - 45.7 MB

Learning to roast and hone one's skill in the craft is a difficult task. Add to that the pursuit of competition and leading an entire department of a to U.S. coffee business and you have yourself one very talented coffee professional.  Today I am thrilled to interview the new U.S. Roasting Champion, Eduardo Choza! Eduardo is the Director of Coffee at Mayorga Coffee. He oversees the operations of E-commerce and Coffee Education & Training for Mayorga Coffee. Among being a talented roaster...

SHIFT BREAK: Feedback is Not a Lecture

May 08, 2024 19:34 - 11 minutes - 11.7 MB

Too many times we confuse giving feedback with lecturing our staff which easily shuts down the person we were intending to communicate with. Feedback is critical to your culture but, As past guest and friend of the show,Tom Henschel has said, "Feedback is not a lecture, it is a conversation.  Today on Shift Break we will be breaking down this statement, what it means, and how to apply it in your cafe. If you are a cafe owner and want to work one on one with me to bring your shop to its ne...

473: A Master Class in Wholesale Coffee w/ Honor Forte of Olympia Coffee Roasters

May 06, 2024 18:21 - 50 minutes - 51.3 MB

Developing the wholesale arm of your coffee roasting company boils down to the  value can you offer your potential customers.  Beyond the coffee itself, your wholesale customer needs assistance in their own coffee journey and your company, specifically the reps, need to be able to be equipped to deliver that help. At the heart of what makes a wholesale program successful is relationships. Todays guest has been doing this now for 13 years and walks the talk of delivering value through service...

SPECIAL! Grocery, Community, Roasting, and Mobile Coffee | Live Interviews fromCoffee Fest NYC 2024!

May 03, 2024 16:10 - 1 hour - 87.2 MB

Welcome to another episode in the live from Coffee Fest interview series!  This is a series of 4 conversations with presenters on the show floor at Coffee Fest NYC. The topics range from how to connect with community, running a successful mobile coffee operation, getting your coffee into grocery stores, and how to approach roastery workflow and architecture.  First up is Sarina Prabasi, co-founder of Buunni Coffee in NYC. We talk about how to truly connect with your community through y...

SHIFT BREAK: Evil Owners and Lazy Baristas

May 01, 2024 17:51 - 15 minutes - 22.9 MB

How many times have we fallen prey to assumptions about one another in the cafe that end up creating needless strife and hold back progress at maybe the most critical point in the supply chain? Answer, too many times to count. We create these characterizations and generalizations at our own peril and wonder why there is toxicity in the coffee shop.  Today on Shift Break we will be talking why this type of thinking from both owners and baristas is so common and what we can do about moving p...

472: Why Technical Skill as a Leader is Not Enough w/ Jonathan Raymond, Refound, Author: Good Authority

April 30, 2024 10:59 - 48 minutes - 69 MB

Being technically skilled as a leader is a small part of what makes one effective. The larger part of cafe effective leadership has to do with emotional skill and how we either create or destroy relationship in the daily life of our coffee businesses. The impact of our over-focus on technical skill leads to many cultural issues that eventually show up in the partial or total downfall of your business. Today I am please to welcome back to the show Jonathan Raymond, who is the author of the ...

471 Founder Friday! Encore Episode w/ Emi Fukahori of Mame Coffee in Zurich Switzerland!

April 26, 2024 14:52 - 1 hour - 78.4 MB

In the world of cafes there are many ways to be excited about coffee. Some of those ways can alienate a customer instead of welcoming them into this magical world of sensory experiences. Today we are re-airing an episode with someone who exemplifies the kind of excitement we need more of in coffee. The kind that wants to share the love and joy of coffee in an approachable and sincerely caring way.  Emi Fukahori is the 2015 Swiss Barista Champion as well as the 2018 World Brewers Cup champi...

SHIFT BREAK: Beyond the Metrics

April 24, 2024 14:36 - 11 minutes - 11.1 MB

Business success leaves clues. Metrics such as labor percentage, COGs, Employee Turnover Rate, and more are all measurements we use to both guide how validate past decisions and guide future decisions. But what about the intangibles that the numbers themselves have a hard time showing? On this Shift break episode we will be talking about why we need to focus on the numbers as well as the deeper meaning and intangible areas of the life of the business that contribute in a way that often can...

470: SPECIAL! Raising Barista Wages | KTTS x Valor Coffee Podcast Recorded Live at SCA Chicago!

April 23, 2024 11:52 - 1 hour - 85.1 MB

The goal of business is ultimately to provide for people. Firstly a business is stared as a means for the owner to provide for themselves and their family by providing a service and product to customers and thereby providing a demand for the actors in the value chain of coffee that came before them. This is all carried out by the group of people we provide a wage to in that service. The barista.  The compensation that baristas receive can vary based on skill, experience, performance, and a...

SHIFT BREAK: Minding Our Business

April 18, 2024 13:40 - 12 minutes - 12.5 MB

How do we help? A few thoughts have been swirling in my mind since the SCA expo in Chicago, and one of them has to do with the best contribution we can make to help each other in the industry with our respective parts of the supply chain. It seems that many are majoring in things that are not directly related to their business, and therefore letting their business slip into disrepair.   On this Shift break episode we will be talking about the power of tending to the effectiveness of our bu...

469: Unremarkable Hospitality and Cafe Terroir

April 17, 2024 17:58 - 27 minutes - 29.4 MB

When we read about amazing hospitality stories in restaurants, it can (and should) inspire us to pursue hospitality in our our coffee shops. Trouble comes though, when in our pursuit of the next level hospitality experience we can easily start to generate an unhealthy fascination  with singular experiences at the expense of celebrating and maintaining good and normal, maybe even "unremarkable" moments of hospitality that make up much of our day. In addition to this, there is a push for cafe ...

SHIFT BREAK: The Art of Letting Go

April 11, 2024 20:25 - 12 minutes - 12.1 MB

In order to progress, you need to let go. For coffee shop owners this is hard to do because so much on the initial business is based on personal work and many "firsts" that bring with them a sense of nostalgia and preciousness that can actually hold you back. The struggle to let go and allow for an evolution and progression might be behind why we can sometimes fail to see things through that we know are good but encounter some deeper personal resistance.  On this Shift break episode we wil...

RoR #30 : Improve your Roasting Range by Focusing on the Fundamentals w/ Willem Boot of Boot Coffee

April 11, 2024 00:27 - 46 minutes - 45.4 MB

Today, if you are a roaster, you need to be able to navigate a pretty wide range of options in equipment, varieties of coffees and processes, as well as being able to roast a wide range of styles from light, dark, blends and everywhere in between.    Thankfully technological resources abound, but the fundamentals of taste and skill in knowing the coffee as a crafts person remains a cornerstone of what will enable you to truly roast well across the ever expanding spectrum of specialty cof...

468: How to Be a Shift Lead

April 09, 2024 17:59 - 38 minutes - 39.4 MB

The Shift Lead position is one of those roles that is very misunderstood. Often a title given to baristas for whom the boss wants to retain or established as a position to police a shift that has problems that run deeper than merely following to standards, a shift lead can feel confused, forgotten about and conflicted due to a lack intentionality in establishing this role in the cafe.  Today we are going to talk to owners and baristas alike. For owners, about how to determine is a lead rol...

SHIFT BREAK: Embracing Problems as Blessings

April 04, 2024 01:06 - 10 minutes - 10.4 MB

A mentor to Danny Meyer once told him "Business is Problems". This was said to point out that challenges are not only inescapable, they are actually a part of the fabric of what we do. Unfortunately many of us are consider the problems of business as nothing more than a nuisance to be eliminated vs an opportunity to be embraced. Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how and why we should embrace problems in the cafe and see them as blessings that allow us to grow our business and o...

467: How to Create Coffee Magic with Your Menu w/ Ryan Castelaz of Discourse Coffee, Milwaukee, WI

March 28, 2024 12:29 - 56 minutes - 66.1 MB

The wonder and beauty of coffee is a catalyst for countless career coffee professionals and customers alike. The flavors and creation of special moments that draws us in, satisfy some sense of adventure as well as nurtures a need for belonging. On the business side of coffee it can be very easy for those elements to be lost and replaced with conformity, safety, and a sole focus on numbers that sucks the life out of what was once a joyous thing.  For today's guest, reanimating the industry ...

SHIFT BREAK: How to Fine Tune Your Coffee Bar

March 28, 2024 12:23 - 10 minutes - 10.3 MB

There is no neutral. Only forward or backward. Your coffee shop is not a static thing that will simply take care of itself. The people, space, product, and culture all need to be given care and attention to prevent breaking down over time. The best way to do this is to always be fine-tuning the cafe. Today on Shift Break we will be talking about why fine-tuning, optimization, and efficiencies matter in the shop and how you can approach the process in a way that is effective and fulfills yo...

466: The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection w/ 2024 U.S. Barista Champion, Frank La, Be Bright Coffee

March 22, 2024 18:06 - 53 minutes - 55.4 MB

The craft of coffee and cafes is as much a personal pursuit as it is a service to others. Providing a remarkable coffee experience to guests through coffee is what initially inspired Frank La to begin a career in coffee. Since then his dedication to exploring service, mentorship, business operations, and coffee itself has been guided by the Japanese philosophy of "Kodawari" or, the relentless pursuit of perfection.  Before launching Be Bright Coffee, Frank La developed his skills and becam...

465: Founder Friday! w/ John Piquet of Caffe D'bolla in Salt Lake City, UT

March 22, 2024 00:35 - 55 minutes - 60.3 MB

Creating a fine dining level experience in a coffee shop is no easy task. I requires discipline, focus, and a view of coffee that assumes that it is not just a beverage but that it is truly a culinary art. This is the disposition and mission of of today's Founder Friday guest, John Piquet of Caffe d'bolla in Salt Lake City, UT. For nearly two decades, John Piquet has crafted his expertise as a coffee professional, roaster and siphon brewing specialist. As owner and operator, caffe d'bolla ...

SHIFT BREAK: Detail Oriented Staff Starts With You

March 21, 2024 13:39 - 10 minutes - 10.5 MB

Being detail oriented is one of those traits we look for in baristas as proof that they are the right for our coffee shop. What we don't think about very much is that a good bit of what a barista gives to a business is based on what has been invested into them. In other words, you get out what you put in.  Today on Shift Break we will be talking about why this desired behavior and disposition of staff is largely up to you and how you go about orienting them to the details that matter.  L...

464: Encore : Making Order Out of Chaos, Handling Groups in the Cafe

March 18, 2024 17:14 - 44 minutes - 43.6 MB

There is no time where it is more critical to make a good impression than when you have a full and busy cafe. One of the main ways our coffee shops get filled is when groups meet at the shop. When groups of people come in to order, they bring with them a certain level of distraction and chaos that can easily slow things down and frustrate the staff and the customer.  In today's episode we are bringing back a classic KTTS episode from year one that addresses what originally was a listener q...

SHIFT BREAK: Managers, You Don't Need To Do It All

March 14, 2024 14:05 - 10 minutes - 10.5 MB

Now that you are a manager that means you have the ability to do all the things you know will make the cafe a better place right? Well, no necessarily. A least not right away. Manager frequently will end up very disappointed and dejected when they feel they cannot make the difference they so desperately want to make. The answer is not to give up, but to prioritize with patience.  Today on Shift Break we will be talking about why you do not need to do all the good ideas you have in your min...

463: Tips on Having the Right Meetings

March 11, 2024 17:53 - 30 minutes - 30.7 MB

If there is one thing most people agree upon, it is that they hate meetings. Have you ever considered why that is? Usually we hate meetings because they seem like a waste of time that only brings more confusion rather clarity. Poorly conducted or conceived meetings have led many of us to either give up entirely or to simply doggedly continue with ineffective meetings in spite of knowing they are not helping. There is a better way.  Today we will be talking about the main meetings you sho...

SHIFT BREAK: You Don't Want Loyalty

March 07, 2024 18:22 - 11 minutes - 11.6 MB

Many people want their customers to be loyal to their shop without providing much incentive for that loyalty. In fact we often will all but demand loyalty by virtue of our status rather than based on what we deliver. Customers all over the world will bend to this insinuated expectation we have against their better interest for only so long before they leave. Today on Shift Break we will be talking about why loyalty may actually be a behavior that prevents us from improving and truly earnin...

462 : What a New Children's Book Teaches About Mistakes in Coffee and Life w/ David Foster, Kiln Coffee Bar and Author of Jett Goes to Work With Dad

March 05, 2024 17:00 - 44 minutes - 47.5 MB

Hospitality, patience, and giving grace to others and yourself are lessons we can learn from many areas of life. The coffee shop presents a unique opportunity for us to exercise those character traits as we serve customers along side our fellow staff members in the often pressured and fast paced day-to-day cafe work. There will many mistakes made, but in those mistakes lies opportunity for growth and re-affirming a people first focus.  Today's guest, David Foster, wraps all this up in an a...

SHIFT BREAK : Trends You Can Ignore

February 28, 2024 19:01 - 10 minutes - 10.8 MB

Marketing can be good, and bad. At it's best it exposes you to resources that help you mindfully build your business. At its worst it takes advantage of your insecurity and fear of not know how to build that business and turns your dream into nightmare of chasing the "next" and the "new" just to try to succeed.  Today on Shift break we will be talking about a healthy way to interact with the ever expanding universe of options, data, sales people, and stats so that you can be decisive and b...

RoR #30 : Challenging Dogma With Data w/ Coffee Roaster and Chemical Engineer Mark Al-Shemmeri

February 28, 2024 18:52 - 44 minutes - 43.1 MB

Roasting has historically been shaped by the experiences of crafts people and their experiments with what works, or does not work, in their roastery. These days we hav many people entering into the industry to affirm, challenge, and explore those dogmas in an effort to find the "why" behind the assumptions we have. Today's Rate of Rise guest, Mark Al-Shemmeri is one of those people challenging dogma with data.  Mark is a chemical engineer who spent four years as a doctoral researcher (Eng...

461: A Conversation With 2023 World Barista Champion, Boram Um, Um Coffee Co

February 26, 2024 22:44 - 53 minutes - 52.2 MB

When you think about quality coffee and what it takes to help usher in change in both how it is rendered and then how it is perceived globally, you would likely be overwhelmed with the notion. It is a lifelong vocation that requires not only personal commitment, but a large team of people to accomplish it Toady we get to talk with the new World Barista Champion Boram Um, who's family has been on this quest since his father moved to Brazil from Korea to begin his second professional life as a...

Special Interview! Ian Williams of Deadstock Coffee talks about marketing staying true to your culture, and leading in hard times | Live interview from Coffee Fest 2023

February 22, 2024 14:44 - 24 minutes - 33.1 MB

Last year we did many interviews live at Coffee Fest. I got to chat with Ian WIlliams of the famed sneaker/coffee concept Deadstock Coffee in Portland Oregon while on the show floor.  In this brief conversation Ian shared some very helpful insights around marketing, entrepreneurship, and staying true to values and culture while growing a business.  Deadstock began as a cart and has operated a sneaker-themed coffee shop in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood since August 2015. Since then ...

SHIFT BREAK: How to Take Criticism as a Barista

February 20, 2024 18:45 - 14 minutes - 14.3 MB

It is very difficult to take criticism. Especially when you may be fully aware of the imperfections of those offering the feedback on your performance. Trust me, I have lived the rage of those moments in full, and have come to see how many opportunities I wasted being upset vs taking the feedback and using it to improve and grow.  Today on Shift break we will be talking about how we should take the imperfect criticism and feedback we receive and own our part and our response... especially ...

Special Announcement: 2024 Key Holder Coaching Groups May be the Key to Unlock the Next Level in Your Business

February 19, 2024 23:51 - 6 minutes - 6.35 MB

Special announcement! Applications are still open for the next round of Key Holder Coaching Groups!  The Key Holder Coaching Group is a select group of coffee shop owners who love coffee, people, and want to see their business and others succeed!    Insights, perspective, accountability, and growth.   These are just some of the benefits I have seen change lives through consulting and over my years facilitating workshops and trainings. ​ ​I have personally been in a group for podc...

460: What to Look for in a Manager

February 19, 2024 18:15 - 30 minutes - 31.2 MB

People don't leave jobs, they leave managers. This is an old but still true saying that, for me, underscores the importance of selecting the right person to take on a management role in the cafe. A bad manager makes the work miserable, and a good manager makes the work rewarding and just like a conductor, orchestrates the talents of the players into a harmonious experience. But how do you find this person and what should you be looking for when it is time to put an manager in place? This w...

459 : Founder Friday! w/ Kymme Williams-Davis of Bushwick Grind Cafe in Brooklyn, NY

February 16, 2024 15:48 - 53 minutes - 52.6 MB

When some people see a need or an opportunity, they dream about who will meet it or make it happen. Others, like today's guest on Founder Friday, task it upon themselves to take action and create the reality they want to see for the benefit of others. Kymme is owner of Bushwick Grind, a speciality coffee shop and cafe, established in 2015. Here she hosts the 2Fish5Loaves community fridge which provides hundreds of pounds of free food to local residents. She is also a technologist with a te...

SHIFT BREAK : 2 Tips for Bar Design

February 14, 2024 20:22 - 12 minutes - 13.9 MB

There is nothing as frustrating as working on and getting served from a busy bar that was not designed appropriately. From size, placement, equipment selection, and more, there are many areas to consider when designing a space that runs well. Unfortunately bars get built quickly and without the right kind of thought put in at the start.  Today on Shift break we will be talking a two of the most important considerations you need to make sure you nail if you want your baristas and the busine...

Guests

Kwame Christian
2 Episodes
Tom Henschel
2 Episodes
Cody Gough
1 Episode
Jill Schlesinger
1 Episode
Jonathan Raymond
1 Episode
Pete Mockaitis
1 Episode

Twitter Mentions

@afnylander 2 Episodes
@narrativecoffee 2 Episodes
@colecoffee 2 Episodes
@roasterjoe 2 Episodes
@brucetulgan 2 Episodes
@ryansoeder 2 Episodes
@keystotheshop 1 Episode
@srossmktg 1 Episode
@philandseb 1 Episode
@liturgybeverage 1 Episode
@baristafilm 1 Episode
@baristahustle 1 Episode
@mjbutterworth 1 Episode
@thejennchen 1 Episode
@okan_eerieevil 1 Episode
@coffeemaverick 1 Episode
@gwilymbarista 1 Episode
@ozocoffee 1 Episode
@petergiuliano 1 Episode
@coffeetographer 1 Episode