Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

People. This is what owners consistently say is one of the biggest challenges they have in running their shops. Why is this? Well, I was just at Coffee Fest in Dallas/Fort-Worth and heard basically the same thing form many experienced owners.

Today we will be talking about what is behind this issue and what can be done to begin to unravel and fix the way we view and lead people in our cafes.

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Coffee Fest LA was awesome and I am finally getting this episode out right before we fly out to Dallas! Stay tuned. 

In this episode I sat down with one great presenter and give some of my own thoughts on the show and lessons you can apply in your business and area. 

Kevin Mejia grew up in Monrovia, CA as a skateboarding, cycling, and fitness lover. It was through his love for cycling where he discovered specialty coffee around 2013.

Fast forward to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kevin's career started to take a shift when he...

Many owners start in the business of coffee shops by buying an existing cafe. Sometimes there is a lot of work to do. Other times, the cafe is already a successful, well love, and established cafe. The later example is actually a bit more daunting since now there is legacy, community, and great staff to steward, all while learning the ropes yourself!

Today is a story of how one woman took on this challenge to take over an iconic cafe and what she has learned thus far.

I am excited to be talking with the n...

In the ecosystem of entrepreneurship we glorify and practice a certain kind of paranoia about our businesses. We are never happy and always suspecting we are behind, or broken in some secret way that we need to find. The result is that, even when we arrive to a good place, our ability to recognize it and rest in it is nonexistent.

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about why we sometimes need to just let our businesses be. Rest in what has been made and grown and demonstrate to those you lead how to enjoy...

The coffee shop experience is one that should be accessible to a wide variety of people. How we go about building a welcoming and hospitable space is not only the work of interior design, workflow, and service standards; it also extends to the menu and what we offer. 

Enter the 2 dollar drip. An item that represents an intention put into action to offer something to anyone who has less but still wants to experience the beauty of what a coffee shop has to offer its community. 

One of the people championing this item and the ph...

Cold brew only is not a normal thing for a coffee bar. It takes deep dedication, innovation, and focus to drive that concept and offer customers out of the ordinary that they both remember AND love. For ten years now our guest has been blazing a trail for cold brew lovers to experience a fun, hospitable, pure, and deliciously crafted cold brew menu.

Today we will be talking to Stephanie Jones, Founder of Mrs. Jones Cold Brew in Pensacola, FL  

Mrs. Jones Cold brew is a brick and mortar cafe that specializes in high end bo...

What happens when we build into our systems exceptions for the less than desirable habits of staff? Well for starters we rob that staff member of the opportunity to grow and receive correction to meet the standards. We then rob our business of reach its potential as we now erode the foundations from the inside. Lastly we rob the customer of a great experience because all the little compromises and permissions we give to issues that should be addressed, make their way into the cup. 

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about why operators should n...

We love extremes. Novel services, events, specials, and stunts to catapult us into the consciousness of our customers seem to be what we favor and are fixated on. After all, it proves that we are different, better, and that we care about people and quality!...right? Not exactly.

Just like Settling the Table before it, Wil Guidara's great book, Unreasonable Hospitality has been making the rounds in the coffee sphere. Many draw inspiration from this book and it helps them make their shops better. Others I have seen take the idea of "unreasonable" and jump over the...

The temptation for fast-track people during training is a very common one. I would go so far as to say that, half of the reason we see the inconsistencies and quality of product and service issues we do today, comes from pushing people through training and putting them on bar when they are not equipped to succeed.

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about the danger of "fast-track" training, some of the reasons I believe are behind this practice, and how we can guard against it so we are actually training people well and setting...

We hear the advice from the popular author of "The E-Myth" saying that we should work ON our business, not IN it. While I understand and agree with the point being made to not get caught up in tasks perpetually that make you a bottle neck, I believe we have taken it a bit far as of late where many want to skip a crucial step in the process of their growth. 

Today we are going to be talking about why you need to, and always will work IN your business and why that is a good t...

I hear the word "vibes" used as a stand in for a lot of different things. Most often it is used to describe a somewhat ambiguous sense of good feelings or peace of mind around a culture or a person. The idea is great, but the issue is that without having specific and meaningful definitions of what brings those vibes to fruition, we end up with more problems than good times.

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how you can avoid making critical decisions around hiring, work, and the operation of your cafe based...

We all have ambitions and hopes for our career but time passes and we don't see any progress. It would be a mistake to chalk this up to fate instead of a lack of progress that comes from a lack of intentional actions as well as our underlying beliefs. 

Today we are going to explore what some of those beliefs and actions look like to help you unlock the potential of your career and make meaningful advancements.

KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS!

Are you a coffee shop owner looking to join a co...

All too often we are likely to stick with the comfortable and known dysfunction or the habitual neglect of important areas of our business, than to take the uncomfortable but needed step of fixing and bringing life into those areas. In fact, I believe avoidance of taking action on those areas in need of attention is the first step in business failure.

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about embracing the pain associated with bringing attention, resource, and life back into areas that have been cut off and neglected and why doing so is in...

The quality of your coffee is one of the main reasons people choose your cafe vs another. It is the baseline expectation customers have for a specialty coffee shop and today, in spite of our abundant resources and access to information and tools, we are still far from consistently meeting, let alone exceeding, those expectations. 

On the show today we will cover 5 ways your cafe can make your coffee and your whole menu taste better. I do believe we have claimed victory too soon and have conflated procuring quality products with producing quality products. I hope this e...

You may have the best advice and information, but then your delivery can often fall flat or even have the opposite effect. This is very common in the cafe leadership environment where things are busy and our emotions feed into how we speak.

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how to start paying attention to and adjusting the spirit behind the words you speak and how to make practical adjustments so what you say will be effective.

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One of the coolest things about coffee is how it can be used as a catalyst for change. Today we are going to be talking with someone who has built one of the best examples of how a business with a vision can make real progress for inclusion. We are talking with Lindsay Wredge, Co-founder of 321 Coffee in Raleigh, NC! 321 Coffee is a coffee shop and roaster built on inclusion. Based in Raleigh, NC, 321 currently employs over 50 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). They are the ones roasting the coffee, taking the orders, and making the lattes and...

Today we have an impossibly vast range of resources and content about anything you need to learn or know about coffee and coffee shops. What a time to be alive! The issue that comes with these accessible and abundant resources is the issue of learning but never applying or growing. We have become people who seek information as the end in itself, not the means to an end

On this episode I am going to give you some perspective on why we tend to collect content but very rarely apply it, and talk about a framework for...

If we want our staff to succeed, we have to give them clear target to aim for. Unfortunately shocking number of cafes have what I would describe as invisible targets that only appear once the arrow is released. No wonder managers and other staff feel that winning at work is a rigged game.

In today's Shift Break we will talk about the importance of providing clear targets, and how to build momentum and confidence in your staff as they grow in their ability to hit them.

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For cafe owners, the way you and your coffee shop grow is determined by how you are supported and nourished by community.

The trouble is most owners are isolated, stressed, and are in desperate need of a type of community that is not just generally related to business but is made up entirely of other coffee shop owners who know exactly where you are coming from.

That is what Key Holder Coaching Groups are all about.

A small group of invested coffee shop owners who are dedicated to encouragement, accountability, insights, and helping...

In coffee we can often question the impact of our efforts. Over time though, small consistent steps in the right direction can not only carry you over many miles, it can transform you and those for whom you are working. What may seem like plodding work now, is the foundation for what will be built in the future.

Today we are talking with someone whose work has taken several turns over the years. All of which were in the direction of uplifting farmers with whatever means were at hand. Today the massive impact of those consistent actions...

Integrity is hard to identify unless you are actively looking for and working on it. But what is "it"? Well, in some ways it is consistency, but that is not enough. Integrity is more than production of the same thing the same way, it is more related to the mindset and spirit behind that consistency. In coffee, we have a lot of room to improve our consistency, because we are lacking in how seriously we take integrity. 

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about what integrity means and where it shows up in the work o...

In order to provide excellence in the cafe, we need to focus on people. Building, caring for, and managing a team is the cornerstone of any great cafe. The potential of your coffee and hospitality depends on this!

Today we are going to be talking with someone who has lead and managed at the highest levels of coffee. With her passion for logistics, people-first leadership, and team development, she has delivered consistent quality for staff and guests alike. I am thrilled to welcome to the show, Ewelina Kania!

Ewelina has spent over a decade in...

If we know anything it is that striking a balance in our communication is very difficult. It often feels like we are neglecting affirmation for fear of not addressing issues, or we neglect addressing issues and challenging our staff because we worry about how they will take it. So we stick to simply working a lot and mostly doing both poorly. No more!

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about why you and your staff need challenge and affirmation to both be real and regular practices in the daily work and life of the shop...

As we continue to see specialty coffee shops grow and expand into the furthest reaches of the globe, one thing remains an enduring value to customers. That feeling of belonging. A sense that the hospitality and the good will of those providing it are genuine makes every cup taste sweet and the memory of the experience even sweeter.

Perhaps no professional in recent years better embodies these values than today's guest, Monique (Mo) Maravilla!

Mo is a Filipino entrepreneur, coffee roaster, educator, traveler, and champion of joyful hospitality.

Her journey began on the...

Every Coffee Fest we sit down with presenters and speakers to talk about their field of expertise and learn from their experience in coffee.

This time we had a wonderful time talking with three professionals at Coffee Fest Chicago! 

We start with Lan Ho, Founder of Fat Miilk Vietnamese coffee bar in Chicago!

Lan Ho is the founder and CEO of Fat Miilk, a Chicago-based Vietnamese coffee company redefining the role of Robusta in modern coffee. Through a platform spanning direct sourcing, roasting, retail cafés, and consumer packaged goods, she is building a...

Leading and managing are only as effective as your knowledge and understanding of the who, what, and why of your cafe. Sadly many people with the title of manager or in positions of leadership are going day-to-day putting out fires, chasing down tasks, but never getting ahead in developing and supporting their staff in meaningful ways. 

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about some practical tools to start using in your leadership practice right away and how to think about the position you hold so you are able to grow yourself and grow others. 

How we think determines how we act. This is especially true when it comes to pressurized situations like the kind that we find in a busy coffee shop environment. We talk a lot about leader, ship, tactics, and principles, and aspire to be better leaders, but if we don't fix our thinking, our actions will not be effective in our efforts will fall flat.

On today's episode we will be discussing for major mind set shif that every coffee shop leader needs to make in order to properly serve the people they work with and for.

It's Founder Friday and I am so pleased to finally welcome the one an only Tim Wendelboe!

Tim Wendelboe runs his own roastery and espresso bar in Oslo, Norway where he imports, roast and serve high quality coffees.

Apart from winning 8 Nordic Roaster Competitions with his team, he was the 2004 World Barista Champion and the 2005 World Cup Tasting Champion and has also published several books on coffee. Tim spends a lot of time working together with the producers he buys coffee from in order to improve the quality of their coffees. He is also working...

Seemingly in balance to our episode with Kwame Christian on big swings, we need to talk about small starts! 

Making decisions about size, scope, and scale of our cafes can set us up for success or it can set us up for disappointment. I see this play out time and time again where people over commit to something and bite of more than they can chew. This leads to al sorts of downstream issues.

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about the mentality of starting small in all aspects of your business and w...

Summer Webinar Series from Keys to the Shop®!

Congratulations! You hired the right people! Now comes one of the most critical parts of the relationship between employee and employer, raining and onboarding.

All too often we rush this process and engage in "trial by fire" training, we give people big manuals and handbooks and simply tell them "read this". How's that working for ya?

I can tell you from working for 27 years in coffee and personally coaching over 85 cafes, this is common and this does not cut it.

In this 2nd i...

There is wisdom in taking well considered steps in your life and business. The trouble is that sometimes, when the best move is a big one, we can write it off as unwise or reckless. How can we overcome what holds us back from making the right big moves? 

Well I am pleased to welcome back to the show someone who has lived out and navigated this problem. My friend and world renowned expert in communication and negotiation, Kwame Christian! 

Kwame Christian, Director of the American Negotiation Institute. He is the author of two bestselling boo...

I had a conversation with a successful cafe and roastery client recently. We talked about delegation and what was standing in the way of them giving tasks and authority to others. It came out that they were worried about relinquishing control and that they want things to be perfect. Of course this owner is in good company, we all have this feeling that ultimately holds things back. 

 Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how we can not just let go of the limiting beliefs preventing us from empowering others, but how we can reframe ho...

Boardgames and coffee! The two were meant for one another. Gathering around a table to share an experience with your friends and family is core to how community happens.

In the last decade we have seen an explosion of gaming and coffee cafes meeting a need for connection over shared dice, boards, cards and cups.

Todays guest has been a pillar in this community for over 7 years and brings an incredible depth of knowledge and skill in hospitality, leadership, and culinary to the gaming table.

We are talking with Kevin Kerkhof of Hitherto...

We serve 2 types of customers. External and internal. The external customer is the one that comes in for a coffee and spends money and time with us as guests in the cafe. The internal customer comes in for a job and spend their energy and time helping us serve the first customer well. In this environment, managers are critical leaders in caring for both groups. Not only this, managers are under pressure to serve the big vision of the business and those who own it. No wonder management burns out as much as they do!

Today on...

In the world of specialty coffee, the relationship between roaster and cafe is one of the most vital. In a healthy relationship, there is a support for the client that mirrors the hospitality and quality that the roaster hopes the cafe produces using their coffee.

There may be nobody more qualified to speak to both side of this relationship of mutual support than today guest, Sam Lewontin!

Sam is a veteran coffee professional whose nearly 30 year career has taken him from barista in many small and obscure shops, to owning and growing one of NYC...

I have noticed a lot of noise in the industry. The coffee shop and its owner are the targets of a crushing and never ending stream of marketing that does not care about your success, but only moving units. The uncertainty that was supposed to be solved, is made worse, and the simple desire to serve coffee professionally, gets over complicated. No wonder we burn out so often. 

 Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how simplicity is the best strategy for any coffee shop and is worth establishing as a central pillar of the bu...

A cafe's culture is built by intentionally investing in values, hiring, training, and leadership structures and behaviors. These areas are integral to any cafe's success. The issue is that for many, they tend to be rushed or even afterthoughts, leaving the people part of our coffee shops under developed and the resulting culture fragile. 

In this episode we will go over the three areas we are covering in an upcoming webinar series and how each of them factor into your cafe's success.

Today we will discuss:

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We are notorious in coffee for promoting people into management based only on technical skills or that they might not be quite as unreliable as others on the team. We also rush good people who need more time to develop resilience into the position and set them up for failure. In order to make good decisions, there are many traits we need to look for in a a manager, but one in particular is important enough that I feel every manager should possess at least the beginnings of it.

 Today on Shift Break we will be...

Today we have access to information about the world of coffee that is unprecedented. At times it can be overwhelming to consider all the areas of the coffee industry that need fixing while we also work daily to care for those we have immediately with us.

The trick is to tune into sources that convey not just the reality of the problem, but can also feature stories that showcase hope as we work to make progress.

Today we get talk with someone whose work in writing about coffee has helped countless people grapple with and...

Sometimes we hope against hope that we can eventually win the customer over to that one flavor, those later hours of your cafe,  or the new menu item that the internet said was a sure-fire winner. Whether it is our own pride or some other reason, we can hang on to things a bit too long and damage our business in the process. 

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about the signals your customers are sending you regarding your coffee shops hours, menu etc and how we can get the hint, get over our stubbornness, an...