Well, it’s back to the grind for me. I’ve been terribly lazy the last week and haven’t done much training or posting on coffee. I have, however, been checking on constantly with my friend, Stephen Morrissey, to see how he faired in the Irish Barista Competition. I must congratulate him on his third victory of the competition year… He is the Irish cupping, latte art, and barista champion!
I think I’ve finally nailed a signature beverage for the Western Regional. I’ll save the details so the judges can hear them first. It’s relatively delicious and I feel that it leaves room for play between the Western and the US. Though I haven’t been in the lab, the competition has been on my mind and I’m starting to sweat a bit… mostly because the official word is that Heather Perry will be returning to compete in the regional. I expected this for Minneapolis, but not Berkley.
Sunday, I saw what I am calling my best shift ever at our coffee bar. It was one of those days many would call understaffed. From my start at 1PM, we had 4 people on shift. At 4PM, we lost one of those people. Myself, our manager~ Ty McNulty, and barista Jared Linzmeier all closed the bar together. We were slammed like I’ve never seen before. The line was out the arches till 7:30. However, we all dug in and pumped out coffee all day long with relatively smiling faces.
Now, I say this was the best day because it was what business owners dream of. A long, fast moving line, operated by a minimal amount of employees, and having people by your side you can rely on. It was a dream. Walking out the door, I felt like it was a day that showed more of the potential as to what this coffee bar can be. The tips were phenomenal and I was happy. Now, I’m crossing my fingers, hoping we can maintain the staff we currently have, and get them all up to speed, as to have more reliable crews and days like this.
Finally, I’m curious as to what many of you out there are doing in response to cell phones… and those who have them, but lack etiquette. I’ve heard stories, seen signs, but am curious as to what else is out there. We’ve had a recent outbreak of really bad cell phone behavior and would like some more ideas on how to manage it…
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