Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jason Shipley on October 14, 2009 at 7:44am

We do speed drills and take the customer service out of the equation while working on speed, so I'll just do a set time to beat for 2 mochas and a cap or something of that nature. The key is to get them to move move move once the order is made but it's always hard to balance that with the barista taking the order seeming pushy or rushed.

Permalink Reply by Jason Haeger on October 14, 2009 at 8:33am

How is the work-flow? Is there a certain work-flow formula designed for efficiency in your shop?

If not, it would be a good idea. Arranging things to minimize steps is also a huge part of speeding up drink production.

Permalink Reply by Fraser Jamieson on October 14, 2009 at 12:55pm

Hmm...when the barista is busy, really busy, people shouldn't even be bothering them. There should be someone on cash who can take orders and talk with customers while the barista is working on making excellent drinks.

Personally, I like to get the junior baristas to work on quality first and then let speed come with time. The people working the weekend shifts should be experienced staff who are already producing at a good rate.

When I'm working busy nights, all I have time for is calling out "Medium Cappuccio...the next drink is a small cappuccio...small cappuccio...the next drink is a medium latte..." etc. During the week I've got lots of time to ask about their kids and what they did on the weekend. They usually already know what I did on the weekend.

Permalink Reply by alexander léger on October 14, 2009 at 1:17pm

thanks for feedback so far.

fraser, because we're not strictly a coffee shop and because of our location, work assignments are a bit different than this. its two baristas per shift and both make drinks and run the register. if we were busy enough to warrant a third employee per shift, i'd love to have a dedicated barista and then two expediters. sadly, its not gonna happen.

jason h, we've got limited space so changing our flow isn't an option. i think we're optimal on our set up. and without sounding like a jerk, there are employees who don't have this problem. i'm pretty sure its personal with the employees i have in mind. both of whom are recent hires and pretty new to the coffee industry (although they both come from service backgrounds).

jason s, i'm scheduling speed drills! i love this idea. i'm sure there's a way i can get them excited for it too. some incentives in the end for best quality and fastest. this is the best idea so far.


but i'd love to hear more...

Permalink Reply by Jason Haeger on October 14, 2009 at 1:25pm

In that case, what you should do is figure out how much time it really takes to make a drink, and set official target time limits from order to finished drink.

While there is more time during the week, this should be a standard protocol for every shift every day of the week. Of course, sacrificing quality is not an option. You're the boss, and you set the rules. This is just another standard to implement. If a barista is having an issue keeping up, they should probably feel free to approach you about it to ask for help, but the standard must be met.

Just a thought.

Permalink Reply by Daniel Williamson on October 14, 2009 at 1:37pm

Alexander Leger said:

its two baristas per shift and both make drinks and run the register. if we were busy enough to warrant a third employee per shift, i'd love to have a dedicated barista and then two expediters. sadly, its not gonna happen.

Maybe I read it wrong, but it sounds as though on the weekends at least you are busy enough to warrant three baristas! I think Fraser was spot-on. 1) Have one barista make all the drinks, 2) one bar-back prep the drinks, hand them off, and clean up after the barista while also getting people their pasteries etc. and 3) have the third person explain flavor profiles, answer questions, and run the register. Again, not being there in the shop, I can only base that on what I've read here. But it seems like that third employee may make all the difference in the world in terms of efficiency.

Permalink Reply by Jason Haeger on October 14, 2009 at 1:41pm

Just to expand on this further,

There is a concept known as the "downward spiral". You don't want to go anywhere near it. Fantastic, fast, and friendly service always has the potential to bring in more business. That having been said, it's not worth having fewer staff than needed in the long run. In the short run, it can be a little nerve racking, but there is simply "no replacement for displacement".. or in this case, there is no replacement for having enough staff during a shift.

I'm not saying it's needed, but you might take some serious consideration into whether or not it would be beneficial to have the third person on for the busy weekend shifts.

Daniel Williamson said:

Alexander Leger said:

its two baristas per shift and both make drinks and run the register. if we were busy enough to warrant a third employee per shift, i'd love to have a dedicated barista and then two expediters. sadly, its not gonna happen.

Maybe I read it wrong, but it sounds as though on the weekends at least you are busy enough to warrant three baristas! I think Fraser was spot-on. 1) Have one barista make all the drinks, 2) one bar-back prep the drinks, hand them off, and clean up after the barista while also getting people their pasteries etc. and 3) have the third person explain flavor profiles, answer questions, and run the register. Again, not being there in the shop, I can only base that on what I've read here. But it seems like that third employee may make all the difference in the world in terms of efficiency.

Permalink Reply by Daniel Williamson on October 14, 2009 at 2:17pm

Great thought Bam Bam. Complementing works wonders. Working with an employee rather than just giving them a warning shows them that you care for them first and their performance second. We are in the service industry, and to neglect investing in the lives of our employees is neglecting a large part of what we do. We want them to excel not just so we see a greater proficiency and increased sales, but because we want to see them grow as individuals and a huge part of that growth is helping them improve their work ethic. If that is the focus, then you will have helped teach them skills that last a lifetime in any area they pursue and will leave a lasting affect on them long after they have left our employment. I look at it as the old saying "you can give a man a fish and he'll have a meal, or you can teach him to fish and he'll never go hungry." Kinda corny, but that's true.

Bam Bam said:

Just to get the obvious out of the way - you mentioned that it's only a few employees whose speed you're worried about. Have you tried just talking with these few slower baristas one-on-one? I usually see great results when I just sit down for a brief one-on-one check-in, tell the person everything I love about what they do, and lay down the few specific things I think would push them even further into awesome-hood. Then I like to work together with the person to create a plan for achieving these goals, and we continue to check in until the goal is reached.

Permalink Reply by Pucci on October 14, 2009 at 4:01pm

Speed drills! Agreed! Work ethic can't be trained...but sense of urgency can. Drills also create awareness during slow time, and the possibilities are endless on how to deliver the drills. (contest, challenges, prizes, street cred., bragging rights, gold stars, pints of beer,winner gets to use the 'hello kitty' tamp). Also a great time to sample to make sure your little speedsters aren't sacrificing quality. The number one thing is, it will create awareness by framing the issue...creating that little voice saying "how can I do this faster?".

Permalink Reply by Daniel Williamson on October 14, 2009 at 4:06pm

Pucci said:

Work ethic can't be trained

True enough, but we can work to help develop the work ethic our employees already have.

Permalink Reply by Pucci on October 14, 2009 at 4:43pm

Good call. That's what I might have been eluding to in the "sense of urgency" half of that sentence. Development seems crucial to any specific improvements I can think of immediately, particularly this one. Again, good call.

Daniel Williamson said:

Pucci said:

Work ethic can't be trained

True enough, but we can work to help develop the work ethic our employees already have.

Permalink Reply by Jarred Hoffpauir on October 14, 2009 at 4:44pm

As a way to think about your issue from another angle, what could you do to increase your midweek traffic so that you could carry 3 staff on the weekends. From your post I am guessing you always have two through the week and im guessing that your sales do not really support that all week and you need to make the money on the weekend to help carry over the slow week. If you can increase your average sale or your number of transactions during the week you could add a third employee on the weekend.

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