Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

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424: Developing Menu and Hospitality Guides Jul 31, 2023

Show notes

When it comes to our training and resourcing of staff we often have a desire for people to "get it" and to be detail oriented, but fail to give them much to "get" or to orient them to the details. This results in inconsistency and frustration in both customers and staff as baristas fill in the blanks that management should have all ready filled in. This is where a good guide comes in.

Today we will be chatting about developing a guide for the two most important areas in the cafe that need consistent excellence; the menu and hospitality

We Cover:

Why we tend toward generality
The reason menu and hospitality are most critical
Embracing detail for quality internalization
What to include and why
Using and referencing your created tools

Related episodes:

Key Holder Coaching Group is launching in September!

🔑 Key Holder Coaching Groups will be hosted by myself and consist of a curated group of 5 coffee shop owners. 🔑 We will meet together 2x per month for 2 hours over a 6 month period. 🔑 This structured group will allow each member to have multiple hot seat opportunities to present specific issues to the group and gain insight, feedback and direction to help them develop themselves, their people, and their business. 🔑 In addition we will be consistently updated on each others progress and have opportunity to speak into each others lives. 🔑 Key Holder Coaching members will have access to each other via the Signal app as well. I am very excited to begin what I believe will be the first of many groups!

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423 : Founder Friday! w/ Danny and Michelle Quiroz of Reserva Coffee Roasters | McAllen, TX Jul 27, 2023

Show notes

I am so excited to present this Founder Friday with two people who are doing amazing things in coffee! I met them in the first year of their business in 2018 as clients and they have done a great job of growing their business with excellence and care.

Today we get to talk with Danny and Michelle Quiroz of Reserva Coffee Roasters in McAllen, TX!

Danny Quiroz is also Managing Partner at Reserva Coffee Roasters. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. In his role as the in-house Roast Master, Danny is responsible for overseeing sourcing, roasting, and fulfillment operations. He is deeply committed to perfecting his roasts, ensuring that both guests and staff receive the highest quality product possible. Danny takes great pride in his journey as a roaster, starting from humble beginnings roasting small batches and now utilizing the Mill City MCR-30 roaster.

Michelle Quiroz, a Managing Partner at Reserva Coffee Roasters in McAllen, Texas, holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in engineering management from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Michelle is responsible for overseeing café operations and driving strategic growth for the organization. She places great importance on team-building and creating a welcoming environment for both staff and guests. Michelle's primary focus is establishing standardized café operations across all Reserva locations, having successfully launched three cafes in the past two years.

In recognition of their work, they were named the Lower Rio Grande Valley's Small Business Persons of the Year in 2020.

We discuss:

The journey to begin roasting
Developing the concept and skills
Going from roasting to a retail shop
Feedback and evolving operations and offerings
Scaling and weighing opportunities
Hiring and management
How past skills and work impact operations today

Links:

www.reservacoffee.com

IG @reservacoffee

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chris@keystotheshop.com

Three Questions for Better Cafe Decisions Jul 27, 2023

Show notes

Everyday we make decisions about both small and large things in the coffee shop. Often those decisions are made in a reactive way that is more born from a sense of urgency and FOMO than intentionality and right fit.

Today on Shift Break we will talk about 3 questions to ask when you are faced with any decision and how the habit of asking and answering them will transform your business.

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ROR #24 : Perspectives on Roasting for Espresso w/ Jaroslav Tuček of Doubleshot, Czech Republic Jul 26, 2023

Show notes

Roasting for espresso is a tricky business. Not only are there multiple variables that inherently complicate the extraction process but there is also a wide variety of opinion is and preferences for what the final flavor experience should be like.

On this Rate of Rise episode we will be talking about how one world renowned roastery roasts for espresso and how their technique and approach has evolved over their history. We are talking with Jaroslav Tuček, founder of Doubleshot in the Czech Republic.

Born and raised in Czech Republic and graduating High school in Arizona US, Jaroslav has been in coffee since 2002. Starting as a barista at Portola Cafe in California, he obtained AN M.A. in Canadian literature from SFU in Vancouver where he continued work in coffee with 49th Paralell. Upon return to The Czech Republic he worked for the first specialty roastery learning fromjeremy Raths.

In 2009-2010 he left to Panama together with my gf (current business partner as well) and spend one year working for Graciano Cruz and Maria Ruiz in Boquete, mostly learning about the farm level. He had the opportunity to be part of HiQ Coffee launch in the US, where he worked with Graciano Cruz and Willem Boot on a development project in Chalatenango in El Salvador.

They started Doubleshot in 2010, sourcing green from people we met or worked with in Central America. Over the 13 years we opened 4 coffee shops, training center, and bakery in downtown Prague. However, wholesale is still the major part of our business. We took part in many World barista, brewers or coffee in good spirit competitions. Jaroslave also used to be a certified Q, SCAA Cupping judge, SCA AST etc.

Nowadays, green bean buying and QC, together with managing different teams of people in marketing, social media, desing etc. Doubleshot employs around 90 people, and sells coffee all around the world

Links:

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422: Coffee Truck Success w/ Vincent LaVolpa of Green Joe Coffee School Jul 26, 2023

Show notes

One of the best options for getting started in coffee without as much risk is a coffee truck. Especially emphasized post-pandemic, mobile concepts like coffee trucks have grow exponentially and with it the need for reliable information on how to become successful in that context. Today we will be talking with one the go-to coffee truck authorities, Vincent LaVolpa of green Joe Coffee School!

Vincent discovered coffee while in the military working in the 16th Engineer Battalion of the 1st Armored Division as a driver eliminating IEDs. After this he became a paramedic with Albuquerque Ambulance for 7 years where coffee sustained him through that difficult work. In 2015 he started his first coffee trailer. By the end of year 2, he had a coffee truck, trailer and 4 carts. In 2018, my 3rd year in business, he opened Helix Coffee and Yoga, a coffee house and yoga studio collaboration with his wife. During this time, wrote his first book on coffee trucking. In 2019, they became pregnant with their second daughter and decided to close the shop. Vincent then dedicated himself full time to coffee consulting where I help people launch profitable mobile coffee businesses.

Today we will be talking with Vincent about practical knowledge, misconceptions, and keys steps to take in running a successful coffee truck.

We cover:

Evolution of Green Joe
Creating and scaling the first truck
Important lessons learned
Working with the trades and planning the space
Keeping it simple
Flexibility
Hiring for a coffee truck
Misconceptions and considerations

Links:

www.greenjoecoffeeschool.com

www.greenjoecoffeetruck.com

Related episodes:

Key Holder Coaching Group is launching in September!

CLICK HERE to fill out the application to join the group

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The Courage to Correct Jul 21, 2023

Show notes

While we always want to assume our staff are aspiring for the highest standards, we know that they (just like us) need help. In the course of the day there are many opportunities to speak into the lives of your baristas as a coach and guide. Be this as it may, some of us avoid correcting staff and in so doing we create tension and an environment

Today on Shift Break we will talk about the often feared subject of correction and why it is not only needed but a sign that you care about the success of your staff and the experience of your customer.

More Power To Them

Being the Point of Clarity

Communicate, Duplicate, Repeat : Key habits that make information stick

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421: Encore Episode: Simple, Powerful, Hospitality w/ Philip Paul Turner Jul 17, 2023

Show notes

One of the most important aspects of our business is how we welcome people into our space. Early on in the KTTS podcast I sat down with someone who I still consider to be one of the best examples of showing genuine hospitality in a way that is simple yet powerful.

Today I am re-sharing with you all this interview with Phillip Paul Turner who at the time was a manager for Sunergos Coffee's 5th St. shop in Louisville. At this time I was still the operations manager for the company and got to see Philip living these principles regularly.

I hope this episode really impacts the way you pursue hospitality in your shop.

We cover:

The right way to view people
Simple methods for hospitality
The welcome, acknowledge, include framework
Why it is hard for us to execute
The benefits over time

Related episodes:

Key Holder Coaching Group is launching in September!

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Who Are We Creating Our Standards For? Jul 14, 2023

Show notes

Serving our customers well means being able to give them our best. This can only be done if we are constantly seeking to improve what we do. But not at the expense of who we are doing it for.

Today on Shift Break we will be chatting about who it is we are really trying to impress and serve. Who we have in mind as our primary audience will be what guides our decisions, successes, and, in many cases, our failures.

Related episodes:

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420: Meaningful Roles in the Cafe Jul 11, 2023

Show notes

You see it all the time, a barista is promoted to a role such as trainer, manager, cafe lead etc, but they quickly find that there is very little preparation that has gone into this role. They are either simply not doing much, but now they have a title, or they are doing far too much in an effort to make up for the bosses lack of planning the role prior to promotion. In both cases there is burn out and frustration that is completely avoidable, if we would invest into creating meaningful roles in the cafe.

Today we will be exploring this topic and i will be giving your some pointers about how to create roles that deliver value to both the business, and the person occupying them.

Related episodes:

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