Forum Poll
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cell phone etiquette (or lack thereof)
what is the best (NOT rudest/biggest slam) line you or any barista you know has ever used when dealing with a customer on a cell phone?
it is a point of commiseration all baristas share: customers who can’t be bothered to keep their conversations either outside or to a courteous low volume so that the rest of the zip code doesn’t know all the sordid details of that person’s life as they wait for their beverage.
i’m interested in gathering a working collection of some effective tactics to help the community as a whole share tips that can help those of us who work behind the counter in diffusing such situations. does the place you work post some sort of diplomatic warning sign at the door or counter for would be cell offenders? is there some secret you have mastered to help you rise above rude cell phone behavior? maybe you just have a little story to share about a cell situation that worked out better than expected.
obviously, i’m working hard here to set up some avenues for baristas to revisit their own feelings about what is commonly viewed as an unchangeable annoyance. again, i’m NOT looking for the slickest thing you’ve ever said to belittle a customer, or how you rudely skip all customers talking on their cell phones. let’s think positively, people, since we all have suffered the same fate and would love to know how better to deal with it.
i remember once a customer in my line during the height of the morning rush was waiting patiently in line when his cell phone rang. he was the first person waiting in line, ready to be served as soon as a register opened, yet when his ring rang he so astonishingly and refreshingly and old school politely excused himself completely out of the store to take his one minute call, at which point he actually got back in line at the very back of the line (maybe 12 deep at that point) and patiently awaited his turn to come again. i was so invigorated by this amazing display of cell phone manners that when he finally did reach the register i, as the manager, very prominently and within earshot of the next three or so people in line thanked him for practicing such stunningly cool cell phone etiquette and promptly comped his order. he smiled as if to say, “thanks for noticing, but i didn’t do it to be the center of attention,” which only underscored my point. after positively reinforcing such great social etiquette so publicly, we began to see more and more of this type of courteous cell phone behavior sprouting up in my store (although i don’t recall comping anyone else’s orders after that…sad ain’t it?) for that brief moment my store was an oasis of positive cultural change and i’m proud to say i was there to witness it.
your turn to share a moment or strategy…
Signature Drink Offerings
Part of the concept behind the signature drink in barista competitions is of a house or barista-specific specialty drink that can be ordered. The problem is that so many of these drinks are so elaborately assembled, that it would be seemingly impossible to have them on the menu as an offering.
I know of a few shops with “signature drinks” which are comprised of a combination of standard syrup or sauce flavorings, but are these really the same thing? Does an espresso drink made to taste like a Snickers really match the notion of a Specialty Coffee culture? We are to the point that people see coffee as a “sweet treat” more than anything else when they visit a shop. There are exception, few though they may be, but even then.. syrups are available, but very rarely do we find a real “signature drink” on the menu.
I think it would be interesting if shops would offer the signature drinks of their SCRBC entrants on the menu as a regular offering. This would mean, however, that huge elaborate setups like Jon Lewis’s “still” aren’t exactly a practical choice of equipment, and neither are Tatiana’s beer hats.
I’ve found that customers really like seeing a list of Signature drinks on a shop’s menu, as it makes ordering something much easier. I think it would be nice if these signature drinks matched up to the Specialty Coffee quality experience.
Is anyone in Texas already doing this?
Do those who care come off the wrong way to their customers?
If you’ll please take a look at exhibit A:
I know I’ve felt like that before… but without the verbalization. I know I’ve seen a customer (or several) walk in, when I was feeling inspired to make some killer espresso, and then they dash my hopes by ordering a bottomless cup of airpot drip.
I don’t believe I’ve often said anything about it to them, but the feeling is still there, and I can’t help but think that somehow, the feeling is illustrated in some way. Maybe in my voice. Maybe in the look on my face. It’s difficult to keep passion hidden, I think, and that’s really all it is.
The question, then, becomes this. Is the coffee equally as important as the customer? In other words, if a customer comes in and requests that you just destroy an espresso for their drink, what do you do? Do you honor their request, or do you politely decline because of the disrespect it implies towards everyone else down the chain who’s touched that coffee before you?
Is the customer really always right?
Just a thought.
Medici rah!
Up to Austin today with the fam. Of course, no trip to Austin would be complete without a pilgrimage to Caffe Medici. Flickr pics up here. Just look for the Caffe Medici set.
Also went to our other favorite Austin haunt, Momoko, for bubble tea.
I realize on days like these that a grossly misproportioned part of my life centers around beverages and the pursuit of good/quirky/interesting/flavorful beverages.
An espresso love story.
This is a pretty old video, but I saw it again today and thought I’d share it with you all.
Barista Competition Score Sheets
The Scoresheets and registration forms for the SCAA’s South Central Regional Barista Competition are now available.
Check our own SCRBC page to download them, or go to the official SCRBC website.
I hope this competition turns out to be a huge success!
Browsing
I was at the library yesterday. With two small children, I go often; but yesterday was a special treat. My wife and I decided to skip past the local branch library in favor of San Antonio’s Central Library, the one that was designed by some famous guy from Mexico and that looks, well, like it was designed by some guy from Mexico.
Anyways, one of the (obviously) nice things about large libraries is the sheer volume of books to peruse. Sometimes I get lost in the sea of print, never quite finding on the way out what I went in there for. So I was pleased to stumble serendipitously on two coffee books that many here may or may not have seen.
The first is Coffee, A Dark History, by Antony Wild. [FYI, I usually link to Amazon's site since it often lets you browse a few pages online.] With the compulsory overview of the history of coffee (i.e., Kaldi’s goats, smuggling coffee into new lands, etc.) it is a non-standoutish. But, as the title suggests, Mr. Wild does dabble in some of the, ah, seedier and seamier underbellies of the trade. Some chapters deal with slavery and coffee, hierarchical systems that sprung up around the coffee trade, and of course there is the seemingly obligatory chapter on so-called “Fair Trade.”
The other book I picked up is more of a geographical survey and is entitled, The Birth Of Coffee, by Daniel and Linda Lorenzetti. With some amazing photographs covering every major coffee growing country in the world, this book reads more like a collection of travel essays, the kind that allows the reader to pick up rich resources of information about the coffee world without feeling like one is reading a dry dissertation. Thoughtful and romantic, this book is a beautiful compendium and should at least be browsed if not checked out at your local central library…if not bought outright. I’m happy to have found two such books to keep me occupied for a while. 
WiFi and Coffee Houses
It seems that in today’s market, it’s almost a requirement for a coffee retailer to have WiFi available on premise.
Should this service be free to anyone who wonders into the shop, even if they merely order a glass of water “for here”?
Should there be a seating time limit under such circumstances? Do squatters prevent new business?
Is the WiFi expectation similar to hours of operation in that if it’s not consistent and wide open, the odds for success drop?
I know of a couple of shops that require you to make a purchase, and then the customer is given a password that allows access to the network. One of these shops even had a time constraint on the password, so that it would “expire” an hour after being activated.
Is this the way to do things? Does liberated internet help business, or does it hurt more than it helps?
White Rock Coffee - Dallas, TX
Brad Cook, a home barista and official CoffeeGeek, recently made a trip to White Rock Coffee in Dallas. He posted a review on the forums, and I thought people who don’t frequent them would be interested in this little shop that roasts their own coffee in-house.
White Rock Coffee 10105 E. Northwest Highway Dallas, Texas 75238 USA 
214.341.4774
Brad says,
This morning I had a conference to attend in Dallas. I went up last night and visited my grandparents. It just so happens that White Rock Coffee is a few blocks from my grandparents’ place so I decided to stop by this morning on the way to the conference. I had seen them mentioned on CoffeeGeek once where they had been somewhat maligned by a poster and the owner responded. His attitude in that thread seemed to be that of a fellow coffee geek who is interested in quality.
I was only in there briefly and I ordered two drinks to go. It’s a very nice looking place…uniquely Texas looking with it’s Austin stone facade. Clean and fairly classy both inside and out. Inside I found a professional roaster that is obviously not for show surrounded by various raw beans, some of them in sealed one-way valve bags and most in burlap. They sold some coffee/espresso accessories such as french presses, mugs and some cheapo tampers. The owner of this place had commented on their Brazil Daterra so I ordered a double macchiato and an Americano made with the Daterra.
I could not see behind the machine/counter so I did not have the opportunity to watch the barista’s technique or time the shots. He ground the coffee per shot though and he made both drinks very quickly and the little foam on my macchiato looked competent if not a tad too bubbly. Volume of the Macc seemed about right so I’m guessing the shots were around 2oz. The machine was a big Cimbali…probably 2 group. I think the grinder he used was a Mazzer. Again, this stuff was all sort of hidden behind the Cimbali and various other counter items so I didn’t get a good look.
I’m really not very good at all in describing flavors. Both drinks were pleasing by my tastes. The macchiato was more roasty than my own home-roasted and brewed espresso but that seems to usually be the case for me at coffee shops. It was a nice roasty, bittersweet chocolate flavor with some other flavors that I haven’t really pegged for comparison to something else. The Americano was good too although not as strong as I make them at home as I put a little less hot water in there. I wish I was better at flavor descriptions so sorry about that. The flavors did have a nice complexity.All-in-all I would definitely go back to this shop after this one experience and I probably WILL go back there next time I visit my grandparents. I would rate the coffee experience as higher than Beatnix but slightly lower than Cafe Medici. I wish they had the equipment positioned so that the customer can view his/her drink being made…just to keep things honest!
Thanks for the review, Brad!
If you could build your ideal coffee house in TX.
Where would it be? What sort of location would it be in? How would it be layed out?
What kind of equipment would be installed? What kind of coffee program would be in it?
Would they serve food beyond pastries?
I’m curious to know. What do people in TX really WANT in a coffee house?
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