Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

Going from barista work to take on a management role can be a tough transition. It can also be a very rewarding one both personally and professionally. On this episode we talk with Lauren Airola about her experiences as a barista and a manager at Onyx Coffee Lab in NW Arkansas. We discuss her "Employee Focused" management style, how she discovered more about her strengths and weaknesses, her advic...

It's the second edition of Founder Friday and today we get to hear the story and learn from the experiences of Maxwell Mooney who owns Narrative Coffee in Everette, WA. We discuss how he got started in coffee, his driving vision for Narrative, how competitions and the coffee community helped shape that vision, and much more! I hope you enjoy the discussion. Maxwell is a true professional and incre...

Are barista competitions relevant what I do on the bar every day? How does my business benefit from sending staff to compete? These questions are asked by almost everyone at one time or another when they consider a coffee competitions. Today Jess Steffy, Owner of Square One Coffee in Lancaster, PA, joins us to not only answer these questions but also to share her experiences from being both a succ...

Data, Metrics, Measurements...they play a critical role in the success of your shop. But how we approach the information available to us will determine how well we use it. Today Simon Ouderkirk  a former coffee professional who now works with Automattic  (the company behind Wordpress.com, WooCommerce, and JetPack) talks to us about how we can best approach data and make it work for business and ou...

Joyfulness in our work is something we all would like more of. Nathanael May joins us to discuss how we can cultivate joy in our work in coffee. Being a barista and remaining joyful throughout the day can be challenging especially when things just seem to be going wrong. In this episode we talk about the difference between Joyfulness and happiness, Joy's important role in the cafe, how we can take...

Checklists get things done!!! If you work in coffee you use  a checklist. Some lists are effective and others...not so much. In this episode we explore the 4 keys to making an effective checklist and talk about what role it plays in the cafe and in a baristas professional development.  

This is the first in a monthly interview series highlighting founders of great cafes on the last Friday of each month. This month we are featuring new owners Taylor and Shem Doupe who own Soleil Cafe (So-lay cafe) in Syracuse, NY! They started their cafe in may of 2016 and have been very well received by the community. Their passion for people and great coffee is what drives them and in this inter...

This weekend I got to go to Coffee Champs in Knoxville, qualifying event for the United States Coffee Championships . While at an event party hosted by Wild Love Bakehouse I sat down with 5 baristas to get their unique take on coffee service, career development, and the future of the cafe industry. Each perspective shines a light on something different that you will find useful for your own career...

In this episode you and I get to discuss some practical leadership practices for the shop to help you keep people first. There are 10 things that, if implemented, will help anyone who is currently a leader or is aspiring to hold a leadership position in a cafe to lead effectively while also providing proper care for their staff.  Thanks for listening! Show Notes can be found at: www.keystotheshop....

We get to talk about mentorship with 2013 World Barista Champion , Pete Licata. In this conversation we discuss what mentorship is, what are the benefits of its one-on-one nature -vs- other learning methods, and how do we find mentors to help us in out coffee careers. We also discuss how we can invest into others and act as a mentor to those who might need our help in our professional community. P...

In this episode I discuss with guest Ryan Soeder a cornerstone of any great cafe...Workflow. Ryan will break down the ins and outs of good workflow, why it is critical, and 5 ways you can improve.  Resources: www.sunergoscoffee.com Follow Ryan: Twitter Instagram  

Greetings! In this episode I get to formally introduce myself and what you can expect here at Keys to the Shop. Plus I discuss the philosophies and values that drive the show. WELCOME!!!