Shows / Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
A coffee podcast providing coffee shop owners and leaders, with insights, inspiration, and the tools you need to grow and advance your coffee business. 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.
Episodes
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
421: Encore Episode: Simple, Powerful, Hospitality w/ Philip Paul Turner
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…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Who Are We Creating Our Standards For?
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…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
420: Meaningful Roles in the Cafe
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…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Are YOU Using Your Manual?
I hear it all the time, "My baristas just don't use the manual!" Of course it is frustrating to work into a document and resource only to have people forget or…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
419: Behaviors That Establish Excellent Management Culture
The culture of your management and leadership team is perhaps the most important one to focus on if you want the over all company culture to be healthy. What…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
418: Founder Friday! w/ John and Luigi DiRuocco of Mr. Espresso, Oakland, CA
It's Founder Friday! Leaving a legacy and making an impact on the industry is something we all want for our businesses. Few companies get to the place where…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Focus on Your Manager Culture
In all the building of systems and curating of culture we do, the one culture that tends to get short changed is the managers. Whether it is just you and one…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
417: Dialing in Your Water w/ Taylor Minor of Third Wave Water
For a long time the coffee you could get at home was limited in quality because the average home user, while able to purchase gear and coffee, was not able to…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
SPECIAL! Part 2! Coffee Fest Live Louisville, KY 2023 w/ Lauren Lathrop and Rob Arnold | Learning to Roast Coffee + How to make Great Cocktails and Signature Drinks
Part 2 of 2023 Coffee Fest Live Louisville, KY interviews! In these interviews I sit down with stellar presenters and lecturers to dig deep into a range of…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
SPECIAL! Part 1 Coffee Fest Live Louisville, KY 2023 w/ Jackie Nguyen and Sean Roberson | Master Social Media + Serving Great Coffee to Underserved Neighborhoods
Part 1 of 2023 Coffee Fest Live Louisville, KY interviews! In these interviews I sit down with stellar presenters and lecturers to dig deep into a range of…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Resentment in the Cafe
If we work with people long enough, we are going to face frustrations and challenges. Too often these normal relational issues go unresolved and solidify into…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
ROR #23 : How to Close the Industry-Consumer Flavor Gap w/ Phil Beattie, Dillanos Coffee Roasters
As an industry, our flavor preferences turn into what we market, which turn communicates a message about quality and what people should care about when it…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
416 : People-First Principles for Growing Your Shop w/ Mike McFall of Biggby Coffee
Growing you coffee shop is about more than just adding locations. Growth has to do with developing internal resilience, culture, and practices that are life…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Bottling Your Best Barista
All of us have had the conflicted emotions of having baristas that are simply amazing but then also knowing that those baristas will eventually leave the…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
415: The Best Lessons On How to Listen w/ Listening Expert, Oscar Trimboli
Learning how to listen is the cornerstone of effective and transformative communication. In the hustle and fast paced daily activities of the coffee shop, it…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Seeking to Learn Across Age Divides
Especially important for the younger generation is access to the wisdom and experience of those who have gone before. Older coffee professionals can also…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
414: Secret Ingredients for a Successful Coffee Shop
The barrier of entry for getting a coffee shop open is lower than ever. Many have the idea that if they can get the shop open, then they have succeeded. But…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Menu Simplicity as Hospitality
I mean, I like variety as much as the next person, but overly complex menus are overwhelming and create confusion for customers who rely on us to curate our…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
413 : Coffee Education and Training at Origin w/ Fabiola Solano of Soy Barista
In order to train people in coffee and barista skills you have to not only be a student of your subject, but also a student of your students and their unique…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
RoR # 22 : Master Insights on Roaster Maintenance and Care w/ Doug Graf, Vintage Coffee
Setting up and maintaining a roaster for functionality, safety, and quality output is perhaps the biggest challenge of roasting. There are many variables and…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
412 : Founder Friday! w/ Lem Butler and Kyle Ramage of Black and White Coffee Roasters
It's Founder Friday! Partnerships in coffee bars can be tricky things. You really have to make sure you have complimentary character traits as well as a…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
The Myth of Hands Off / Automated Leadership
There is a shortcut for everything these days. Automation, templates, and other tools would give you the impression that you can automate of be hands off with…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
411 : Excellence, Approachable Coffee and Always Learning w/ Kenneth Thomas of Umble Coffee and Coffee 101 Podcast
Opportunities for specialty coffee still abound in certain areas of the American South. With those opportunities comes challenges of communicating coffee in a…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Don't Forget Relationships
The foundation of the building determines the stability of what is built on it. When it comes to building a coffee shop business your growth cannot out pace…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
410 : A Conversation w/ 2023 U.S. Barista Champion, Isaiah Sheese of Archetype Coffee!
Tenacity, humility, and curiosity. Whether you are working as a barista, competing, opening your own shop and roastery, these are character traits that are…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Embrace the Fallout
It is not so much the fear of change that keeps us from moving forward in the areas we know are necessary. It is the fear of what will happen when we implement…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
409 : The Science of Optimizing Your Espresso w/ Samo Smrke
One of the hardest things to make consistent in the coffee shop is your espresso. There are so many variables that contribute to the final product, not to…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Avoid These Cafe Meeting Mistakes
Like you, I have been to and conducted my fair share of cafe meetings. And also like you, I have seriously questioned the effectiveness of these get togethers…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
408: Coffee Tools, Music, and Serving the Community w/ Anita Tam of Slow Pour Supply Co.
The world of coffee is saturated with suppliers of tools and equipment. Most are seeking the transaction and chasing the opportunity the current market has…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
RoR # 21 : Data, Community, and the Art of Roasting w/ U.S. Roasters Champion Andrew Coe of Elevator Coffee
On this Rate of Rise episode I am thrilled to get to have a conversation with the new U.S. roasting Champion, Andrew Coe of Elevator Coffee in Portland, OR…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
407 : Founder Friday! Encore Episodes, David Schomer of Espresso Vivace!
It's Founder Friday! I just learned of the news that the original sidewalk bar for Espresso Vivace is going to be closing permanently. This is very sad news…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Coffee, Integrity, and A.I.
Today we have an incredible number of options to increase efficiency and outsource everything we do, including the things that people would normally assume…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
406: Five Ways to Immediately Improve Your Coffee Quality
Out of all the reasons that may be contributing to customers either loving or avoiding your shop, the quality of your drink beverages actually ranks pretty…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Things the Owner Can't do for You
When it comes to leadership, the power and authority that is inherent in the position creates a need for higher degrees of responsibility to facilitate and…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
405 : Beyond the Schedule w/ Wil Brawley of Schedulefly
Technology and tools are meant to serve people, not the other way around. As we multiply apps, software, snd services in the name of optimization and ease, it…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Pitching your Ideas to Your Boss
"If only the boss would listen to my ideas this coffee shop would be so much better!" We all have ideas for how to improve different aspects of the cafe. Many…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
404 : Education, Home Brewing, and Launching a Roastery w/ Kyle Rowsell, September Coffee
Creating in depth, engaging, and ultimately helpful educational content is no easy task. Today the number of options we have for gear, techniques, and the…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Baristas Are Not Magic
There are no shortcuts to creating something meaningful, dynamic, and sustainable. But that does not stop us from thinking that that there are! Whether you are…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
403 : The Craft of Food, Coffee, and Writing w/ Matt Rodbard, Founder of TASTE
Most all of us are driven by a desire to create something that makes an impact. Be it through food, or through coffee, we craft an experience and hope that the…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Service, Spite, and Compromise
I was having a conversation with my wife and son about the practice of "decafing" customers and when anyone would take it upon themselves to do that…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
RoR #20 : Challenging the Status Quo w/ David Lalonde of Rabbit Hole Roasters, Montreal, Quebec
When you think about success in roasting coffee, you will more than likely be concerned first and foremost with quality. While quality is critical, it is not…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
402 : Innovating a Generous Wage Structure w/ Mike Schroeder of Oddly Correct
In the hospitality industry, a guiding ethos that drives many successful coffee bars, restaurant, and bars alike, is the concept of generosity. When we operate…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
SPECIAL: Coffee Fest Live! NYC 2023 Part 2 w/ Jesse Harriott, Jenna Gotthelf, Anu Menon!
Part 2 of 2023 Coffee Fest Live NYC interviews! In these interviews I sit down with stellar presenters and lecturers to dig deep into a range of relevant and…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
SPECIAL: Coffee Fest Live! NYC 2023 Part 1 w/ Jordan Brown and Anand Patel
It is time for the first the 2023 series of Coffee Fest Live interviews! In these interviews I sit down with stellar presenters and lecturers to dig deep into…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
401 : Founder Friday! w/ Jack Benchakul of Endorffiene Coffee Bar in Los Angeles
Creating a moment of delight and excellence is what we all want to do when we set up our shops and make coffee for others. We also want to be delighted…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Stop Glorifying Chaos
Ever find yourself saying or hearing things like "Well, we go through it!" or "That was so crazy, welcome to Saturdays!" or "That's just the way it is here!"…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
400 : The Values of Speed and Service w/ Jaime Denney of Scooter's Coffee
The market place of coffee has seen rapid expansion of drive thrus and concepts focused on quick service. There is no doubt that customers appreciate speed…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
More Power To Them
Your staff need you to empower them. We like to think that we do this but many times it amounts to surface level communication and resourcing that is out of…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
399: Encore Episode! How to Change Things in the Cafe
From the first day you open the doors to your coffee shop one thing confronts you as a constant. Change. In order to run a healthy business we have to embrace…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Are You Open?
This is not just a question asked by an over eager customer haunting the front entrance 10 minutes before you open the shop. It is also a question a customer…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
398: The 5 Biggest Mistakes Coffee Shops Make
Coffee shops can have everything going for them on paper, but it is what is practiced in the day to day that determines whether you are successful. The truth…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
RoR #19 : A Vision of Sustainable Roasting w/ Arno Holschuh of Bellwether Roasters
Sustainability can become more of a reality if we determine to use the tools at our disposal wisely. Perhaps even more so if the tools we use to roast evolve…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Slow is Fast?
You have heard this many times from managers and trainers alike. The idea being that if you want your work to go at a quick and consistent rate then you have…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
397: Diversity and The Color of Coffee w/ Keith Hawkins, The Color of Coffee Collective
Creating opportunities for a wide group of people to experience coffee seems like a goal we have for just for consumers. As good of a goal as that is, it is…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
396 : Founder Friday: Before + After Edition! w/ Jonathan Pascual of the Newly Opened Opo Coffee
Welcome to another before and after edition of Founder Friday! Occasionally we sit down with an entrepreneur who is in the proccess of opening their shop to…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Loving Where You Are
It is all too easy to throw shade at your current state. It is also because of that easy path to bating yourself up that we find it difficult to find the good…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
395: Connecting Roasters and Producers w/ Henry Wilson of Perfect Daily Grind and The Producer Roaster Forum!
Specialty coffee has its fair share of challenges across the supply chain. Solutions for those challenges are only as good as how they were created, namely…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
SPECIAL: Coffee Fest Live! L.A. + PNW 2022 Part 2 w/ Shad Baiz, Jeremy Lyman, and Melind John!
Welcome to part 2 of a live series of interviews conducted on the show floor of @coffeefestshow Los Angels and PNW in 2022! Today we will be starting off by…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
SPECIAL: Coffee Fest Live! L.A. + PNW 2022 Part 1 w/ Manish Shah, Stephanie Alcala, Maria Cleaveland, and Jim Ngokwey!
Welcome to part one of a live series of interviews conducted on the show floor of @coffeefestshow Los Angels and PNW in 2022! In these interviews I sit down…
- Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders
Right Tools, Wrong Job
You might have the perfect checklist, SOP, policy, and plan to apply to you current situation, it might even make things technically better, but if you are in…