# I'm officially a barista!



## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Been thinking of offering my services voluntarily to one of the local cafes to get experience before setting up our own place, then today spotted an ad for p/t staff required, in the window. A two minute chat with the boss followed, and I'm in!

Absolutely chuffed, as they are currently in disarray, rarely even open, and when they are there is a high demand for coffee which they can't currently fulfill, so they're just glad to have some help in getting up to speed for the tourist season. It's nice to be wanted!! Now I just have to get to grips with a commercial machine.


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## AndyL (Apr 10, 2011)

That's amazing Mike, well done. I think it's a really wise move. it'll be interesting to see how working under pressure changes your approach, doubt you'll have time to use your current dosing technique.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## lookseehear (Jul 16, 2010)

Congrats!

When I was between jobs for a couple of months early last year I was thinking about going part time in a cafe just to get used to what a commercial machine is like, I hope you have fun!


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## sandykt (Dec 3, 2009)

Congratulations, it sounds like a dream job to me


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Sounds like a good chance to grab some experience.

Always consider that if the quality is generally low then this might not help when you have your own cafe - as the perception is that you are an extension of a previous establishment

You'll know within the first few days whether the management will be open to change and to investing in bringing the establishment up to standard

Hopefully they've taken the first step and you'll be able to get some valuable experience (and market intelligence) before opening a place of your own


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## RolandG (Jul 25, 2010)

Well done Mike - great move. It's going to be a great education - even if it's learning things you don't want to do. Most likely, you'll gain a different perspective as it highlights a load of issues you'll never even think of until you have to deal with them!


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Thanks everyone. Great day.


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## crispy (Jun 6, 2011)

Hope you learn some valuable stuff, don't forget to pass it on









Congrats...


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## thomss (May 9, 2011)

Well done mate, have fun!


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## BanishInstant (Oct 12, 2009)

Congratulations and good luck. Hopefully you can turn things around for them.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Phew! That's my first day at the coffee station finished. Infact, when I arrived there wasn't a coffee station - but there certainly is now! I planned to work perhaps 5 hours and ended up staying for 9. I kinda forgot to eat but the adrenalin kept me going. I absolutely loved it! Much of the morning was spent getting the equipment to a point where it is useable, as clearly nobody had show it any love for ages. At one point I rushed home and boxed up all my pitchers, thermometers, tamper, blind basket, puly caff etc... even my grinder! Their Aristarco EMA 80 grinder is quite unuseable at the moment, and the knob to adjust the grind is missing. I'm going in early tomorrow to see if I can do anything about it.... *does anyone have any suggestions/links relating to maintaining this grinder/parts?*

But even with my domestic flat burr grinder, I have to say I was very happy with the espresso coming out, and my milk management. It was absolutely thilling when some of the customers made a point of telling me their cappuccinos were fantastic! What a confidence boost for a barista on their first day.

The manager has already given me the go ahead to speak to roasters about sourcing great beans!

Sorry - I'm still buzzing







 Thanks again for the support folks.


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## AndyL (Apr 10, 2011)

Absolutely fantastic Mike, that's amazing. well done son!!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## lookseehear (Jul 16, 2010)

Sounds like they're benefiting a lot from you! Also sounds like a great day however so mutual gain I guess.


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## GrumpyOldWesty (Dec 10, 2010)

Well done Mike, please do tell us your experiences in the commercial world.


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## coffeebean (Jan 26, 2010)

That's brilliant! Well done Mike! If you want some sample beans give me a shout......


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## 20Eyes (Mar 16, 2011)

This thread's a great read. Well done Mike, not only many people's dream job but you're so obviously doing it with absolutely the right passion. Wish you nothing but continued success (and reckon these guys will end up fighting to hang on to you!)


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Thanks again!!

That's day 3 over, and each day has been slightly longer than the last! That's not a bad thing though... I've just volunteered to go in earlier and stay later because they have needed things that have never been done... eg

- a serious cleaning of the espresso machine (and daily maintenance/close down),

- a grinder rebuild (I'm still not happy with it)

- ordering samples of beans etc.

Tomorrow I'm running some very basic barista training, which I'm not worthy to do but happy to pass on what I can if it helps raise the passion for good coffee. Hopefully I can eventually persuade them to get a professional barista trainer in - but it's early days.

Actually I've been really amazed by the response to what we've started doing there just over the past few days, both from the management and from the customers. I really don't see myself as a good barista yet... I just try hard! But each day tons of the customers (mostly tourists) are going out of their way to say how great their coffee was, and that they haven't had anything so good during their whole holiday in Scotland. I'm not bragging here - I'm just amazed by how many ordinary people actually appreciate a coffee that (hopefully) isn't awful! The manager, who previously didn't think coffee mattered much, said that the last few days have proven to her what a hugely important thing it is - a complete turn-around. It's very encouraging, not just for myself as a future cafe owner, but maybe also for the 'good coffee' movement in the UK.

So I just want to say thanks to everyone here for training me! Because that's the truth of it... as the thread started by Vintage about this forum highlights, there's a heck of a lot to learn when it comes to coffee and the fantastic people on this forum are an encyclopaedia baristica! If not for Glenn starting it all, and you chaps contributing your posts, so many of us would probably still be wondering why our coffee tastes so bad. (Mine still does... but now I know why!) So really, every compliment I've had this week belongs to the members of this forum and to Glenn for leading the way. Well done geezers!!


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## awlred (Mar 10, 2009)

Sounds fantastic! Great to hear the owner is realising it's worthwhile investing in the product.


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## hashluck (Jan 11, 2011)

Brilliant, this is a great read


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

For anyone still reading.... today was scary!

The dodgy ancient grinder eventually gave up the ghost today - mid-service !!!!

Impossible to make any espresso drinks due to an uncontrolable grind size.

And the touch-screen till system died, locking up the money etc.

And various other problems. Panic stations all round. 6 tables seated.

So...no coffee-making facility, no order processing system, no money, under-trained front-of-house staff, no direction from new owners.... Expectant customers looking on...yep, scary.

Aye, if you're thinking of starting you're own cafe, there's no substitute for hands-on experience at someone elses!!! (The notably absent owner telephoned me mid-service to proudly say he'd managed to resolve my grinder problem by getting a £20 grinder from Argos. Hmm... I thought this job might be Ben Nevis but it just became Kilimanjaro!)

We closed the doors, had a meeting, and reopened with renewed gusto... eventually taking more money than previous days, thanks to some creative/desperate measures (e.g. running some rice through an alternativem ancient, untested grinder found in the back room, to give it at leat a minimal clean).

Today I have begun to ask myself how far I am prepared to bend my principles... There is definetely a difference between a 'coffeeshop' and a 'cafe'... at least, in this particular venue!!

Rollercoaster.


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## awlred (Mar 10, 2009)

MikeHag said:


> Today I have begun to ask myself how far I am prepared to bend my principles...


This is the price you pay when you work for someone else and you have to find something you can be comfortable with. You definitely need to find your line in the sand and not cross it because it's very easy to 'Milgram' past it.

Hopefully your coffee still tasted reasonable through the ancient grinder. Providing it's capable of a consistent grind then it may not be a disaster, but the owners may be well advised to start looking into a second grinder if for nothing else than the reliability of your current grinder may be questionable. eBay is a godsend for cheap-ish grinders.

A positive sign is that the owners do seem to 'get it' by which I mean they'd rather serve no-one and resolve a problem that serve people crap and create a bad name for themselves.

And this is all great experience for you in learning how to deal with problems and crisis manage which is a skill a lot of people lack.

Best of luck!


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Sounds like a real challenge Mike and glad you're keeping your head above water.

Proper barista training is not as expensive as people think, and the rewards are immediate.

Keep us posted on the next few days - this is a great thread


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## GrumpyOldWesty (Dec 10, 2010)

Great thread Mike, and yesterday sounds really 'seat of the pants' stuff. Do keep us posted

Peter


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## RolandG (Jul 25, 2010)

Well done Mike!


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## CoffeeClassics (Apr 19, 2011)

Wow Mike, exciting and somewhat intense sounding times. Hope things good well for you. Let me know if you want any coffee samples, I also know a good engineer up in Scotland, who I can hook you up with if you need one.

All the best

Clare

http://www.coffeeclassicsdirect.co.uk


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## CoffeemanSouth (Jun 12, 2011)

Hi Mike - hope all is going well.

We can source Aristarco Grinder parts but the range may be limited and we dont have them in stock. Please PM if you are interested in anything specific.

Regards

Coffeeman South


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

CoffeeClassics said:


> Wow Mike, exciting and somewhat intense sounding times. Hope things good well for you. Let me know if you want any coffee samples, I also know a good engineer up in Scotland, who I can hook you up with if you need one.
> 
> All the best
> 
> ...


Thanks Clare. Sending you a PM


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Just thought I'd do a follow up on the new job.

*Some cool things:*

- The customers are loving it. Actually my favourite thing is that so many of them respond so well to the enthusiasm I can't help but exude! For example, I speak to passers-by outisde the cafe and tell them we're doing something special such as using beans that were roasted this week by a really good roaster, and even if they don't know what this means, most are intrigued enough to come in and try our coffee. Better still, most then buy a second cup! I don't know whether the coffee is as good as I hope it is, or whether they are just entranced by the passion of the barista. I pray it's both!

- On Sunday, when I wasn't working, the cafe was over-run with customers who wanted coffee, coffee coffee. As a result, the manager has had a rethink of their complicated menu, and simplified it to make it more about coffee, cakes, and simple sandwiches... rather than costly, time consuming foods.

- The primary member of staff I've trained successfully made it through the aforementioned "coffee Sunday" at the helm of the espresso machine. (I can only hope she didn't bend the rules too far)

- I've managed to buy some new grinder burrs for the NR1400, so now we at least have a solid baseline for improving our shots further.

- This week we're sampling blends from Artisan Roast (Janzoon), James Gourmet Coffee (F6), CC&T (Cranston Hill), Matthew Algie (two kinds), Thomsons of Glasgow (Rocco), and 'Barista' blend provided by Espresso Services. I hope we can do them enough justice to pick a clear preference. (Sadly HasBean didn't get back to me







)

- According to my solicitor, this experience will help my case when it comes to speaking to banks about my own business.

*Some uncool stuff:*

- Yesterday I spent £160 of my own money on espresso equipment for the cafe (after verbal agreement from the manager) but I have begun to wonder whether they will repay me. I'll give them a week or so... I simply can't work without things like milk jugs, puly caff and a tamper, and I'm not giving them mine!!

- Simplifying the menu seems good to me, but when customers come in wanting a burger and fries and can't get it any more, I get the feeling that a fickle finger of blame is directed my way. But hey... I just make the coffee!!

- Even though I know what I'm doing, I could still actually do with some training in operating at speed. There's nobody here to provide that. (I'm mulling over a few ideas here though)

- As Awlred indicates above, working for someone else is all about compromise... and when you aim for higher standards than your boss does, it get's interesting!

But please don't think I'm being critical. It's an imperfect world, and I'm very glad to work somewhere I can influence the quality of the coffee we produce. I just hope that the management don't change their mind in a few weeks and start selling Nescafe! It could happen!!


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## stavros (May 4, 2011)

This is a brilliant journey you are on Mike, and I imagine a lot of us are reading with feelings of both envy and relief. Great experience none the less. In the short time I've been making serious coffee I've had friends and family getting snobby about the coffee they drink elsewhere after tasting mine, so I'm not surprised you are gaining interest and repeat customers through your enthusiasm and commitment to quality. I hope you continue to keep us informed and I'm sad you are not close enough for me to visit and order a double espresso off you!


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## awlred (Mar 10, 2009)

Ensure they repay you, a verbal agreement is still a binding one!

It sounds like you're really making a positive impact on the customers and passion is the biggest way you can promote something, it can't be faked and seeing someone with passion for a product they're selling is a very rare thing.

As for the "fickle fingers of blame" I wouldn't worry too much over it, it sounds as if the few who are put off at the lack of a burger are being more than made up for with the influx of new coffee lovers. And on a business stand point I can almost guarantee that coffee has a better profit margin than the burgers. It's very easy for cafes to over-expand their menu and end up doing nothing well, having a smaller scope means more focus can be paid to getting it right.

From my experience doing a bar at speed comes down to stream-lining your actions. If you have a timered grinder you can save a huge amount of time and purge your group, empty your portafilter and wipe it out while the grinder is grinding your next shot. This can save a huge amount of time. If you're purging the group in a hurry, use the machines pre-set single shot run, it'll take about 5 seconds with no resistance and do the job for you, one less button press (saving 1/2 a second in a 40 second process is not insignificant). If you're doing latte art, when you're rushed minimise it to hearts/2 heart tulips.

The other thing is the layout of a bar. If your bar isn't laid out effectively then you'll reach a wall of how fast you can go and it's hard to get past it. You want to move from one end to the other with very little back-pacing. I'd suggest keeping the milk, pitchers and milk cloth by the preferred steam wand.

All in all it sounds like you're on to a win though! F6 from JGC is a lovely coffee in my experience, not sampled the others for comparison. As far as HasBean goes Steve was out of the country in Maastrict so may not have go through his e-mails as quickly as usual. They're service is usually good. E-mail them at wholesale (at) hasbean (dot) com and Dale should get back to you.

As far as your fear about them going to NesCafe, while it's always a possibility for them to decide to, I think it would be foolish. They've invested a bit of money in this and seen a positive response from their patrons. You've seemingly made an impact too, so if they do the unthinkable and you were to open up a shop nearby then you may not have problems in getting people through the door! I'm really glad to hear there are other people out there doing good things for coffee outside of Ol' Landaan Taan









One last thing, with the new burrs on the grinder it's grind setting will change very frequently. This will settle down after you've run a few kilo's of coffee through it, but in the mean time, keep an eye on it, your shots will suddenly speed up and you'll just need to adjust the grinder slightly.

-Alex


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## CoffeeClassics (Apr 19, 2011)

Totally agree with Alex, Mike.

Contract is binding, worst comes to the worst, take it with you when you leave.

Plenty of places do burger and chips, not everywhere does a good coffee prepared by staff who care - remind the boss to look at the profit and the customers coming through the door. Easy to do lots of things badly, but then it's also worth thinking about the impression it gives off (had a flyer through my door for a take away that did a meal deal including a doner and a pizza - doesn't fill me with confidence that either will be any good!)

Oh and god forbid they go down the nescafe route (Clare as a person, not Coffee Classics, as I support the Nestle boycott, NCT hat on now)

Anyway, do keep us up dated with the latest in our own coffee shop soap!


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## PaulN (Mar 10, 2011)

Interesting read Mike, sounding good.

Are you not already working btw, i thought this was very part time? Also you are being paid arent you?

Not that it really matters with the old gear but running fully uncooked rice through grinders isnt great, the yanks talk about dry rice but its partly cooked more like a 2 minute rice.

A couple of photos of the place and setup would be nice on this thread btw.

Cheers

PaulN


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Thanks for being interested in all of this, folks! Ok, latest update on my new life as a barista...

I'm now (eventually) fairly comfortable with the the espresso workstation. The new grinder burrs have had several kilos through to season them and they are now performing really well. You were absolutely right, Alex, whilst they were settling in it was a little tricky to retain a consistent shot and I had to keep adjusting the grind (and the tamp, unfortunately, as one click of adjustment was proving too much). The rice thing was an emergency measure, and I won't repeat it







New shower screens, plenty of cleaning products, and a daily cleaning ritual are working wonders. The other day the manager bumped into some acquaintances in the restaurant industry... they got chatting and they told her about this place in Aberfoyle where the coffees were "second to none". "That's our place!" she told them! Really nice to hear such unsolicited feedback.

But I'm taking the compliments with a pinch of salt, because here's the thing. Apart from Glasgow and Edinburgh the coffee in Scotland is generally poor, so in my view it's easy to serve something that exceeds customers' expectations ... but that doesn't mean were *truly good *yet. So we will continue improving daily, if I get my way.

And here's one of my challenges in that regard: So far I've been able to take staff with no experience and start training them - a blank canvas - and they are doing well. But the other day a new lady started work here, with many years experience running a busy pub. She knows how to make espresso drinks, i.e. how to push the buttons, but she doesn't know how to make good coffee. For example, her milk steaming is one long gargle-fest, she never wipes the steam wand, and she puts powdered chocolate on her cappuccinos. Aaargh! I need to do something about this, as it is undoing all my good work. She needs to be retrained. But I need to tread carefully, as she is quite headstrong. This cafe needs her experience in Front Of House, and I can't afford to p*ss her off, so this is going to be a test of my diplomacy skills!

I've taken my Hario Slim Mill in, and I'm gradually introducing the management to brewed coffee. Today I have some Tanzanian and some Columbian from Artisan Roast Glasgow, and two French Presses, and I'm planning to do a taste comparison with staff, just to raise interest. Baby steps.

Regarding payment, my mind is eased now. There are actually multiple 'owners' involved in the cafe, and my fear stemmed from one of them saying she had no money to pay me. I then heard horror stories from former employees of the old manager, which made me nervous. However, one of the other new managers has been repeatedly asking me for details of what they own me (e.g. for the parts/beans etc I've bought), and he's very keen to square up. Phew! New businesses can be unstable things!

Wage-wise, I'm paid less than minimum wage, but that's fine. I'm not doing it for the money, and the experience is invaluable. Pocket money really.

The latte art is coming on.

Will try to get some pictures of things up at some point.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

A few snaps of Jan and I. She's volunteering on weekends and doing a great job. Good lass. This rosetta wasn't bad. We seem to sell a lot more cappuccinos than lattes so I'm not getting as much practise as I'd like with the latte art... maybe I need some training to do cappuccino art.


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## crispy (Jun 6, 2011)

have you got big hands, or is that a tiny jug?


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## DavidS (Apr 8, 2010)

Go for tulips on the Capps, you can get some beautes!


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

crispy said:


> have you got big hands, or is that a tiny jug?


Fairly big hands I suppose, being 6'4". I think its the 50cl Motta, not too small really. It's a good size to steam milk for one or two lattes. For two cappus I'd go for a slightly larger one due to the increased stretch. I'm finding that (even with a commercial machine) steaming just enough milk for one drink is better in a smaller jug, as using a larger one presents a shallow target in the bottom of the jug so it's not as easy to control the milk. I suppose I could always fill a larger jug with more milk, but I'm also working hard to avoid wasting milk... seems like a good habit to get into, especially as I want to enter the competitions in due course. And I never resteam milk. Anything left in the jug goes down the sink.


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## funinacup (Aug 30, 2010)

MikeHag said:


> ...I'm also working hard to avoid wasting milk...





MikeHag said:


> ...I never resteam milk. Anything left in the jug goes down the sink.


Good man!


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

MikeHag said:


> ...the other day a new lady started work here, with many years experience running a busy pub. She knows how to make espresso drinks, i.e. how to push the buttons, but she doesn't know how to make good coffee. For example, her milk steaming is one long gargle-fest, she never wipes the steam wand, and she puts powdered chocolate on her cappuccinos. Aaargh! I need to do something about this, as it is undoing all my good work. She needs to be retrained. But I need to tread carefully, as she is quite headstrong. This cafe needs her experience in Front Of House, and I can't afford to p*ss her off, so this is going to be a test of my diplomacy skills!


The soap opera continues









I've learned that the aforementioned lady started 'retraining' the people I've already trained in how to make espresso drinks... i.e. teaching them

- to pre-fill the dosing chamber with grinds

- to never use the tamper(!!)

- to make the coffee weaker (the latte/cappu cups are 8oz so I've set the standard at a double shot. Would rather err on the side of strong than milky)

- to use the Automatic buttons to make a shot rather than stop the shot manually... so basically not monitor the shot at all.

... the list does go on.

Fortunately the other staff had clocked that when she started making the coffees her way there was a notable lack of compliments from customers compared to previously, so they are now even more keen to do it correctly. There's a mountain to climb to get everyone up to a good standard, but it's good to see some of them being enthusiastic. And thankfully the aforementioned lady got the boot before I had a chance to do anything about her shenanigans! (I believe she insulted the manager.)

Oh, we have finished sampling beans and are now going with Formula 6 from James Gourmet Coffee, a personal favourite and it went down well with customers. Now we just need to get rid off the Illy-branded cups! (However, it's funny how many customers say it was the Illy sign outside that attracted them!)


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## awlred (Mar 10, 2009)

It's really frustrating knowing that there are paid for trainers out there who train poor habits, although really reassuring to know the staff can tell she's blowing smoke









Formula6 is a tasty blend and Peter James is an excellent roaster.

Don't be too hasty to take compliments with a pinch of salt. Even slightly better than mediocre coffee is a good pace ahead of the average shop and sometimes the best way to learn is through personal experience. Futhermore, compliments aren't an easy thing to come by, if you're getting regular compliments then you're doing well above average.

As for Illy, for the price paid I'd expect services that aren't legal to trade but perfectly legal to give away







,, and it's an excellent example as to the power of good marketing.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

A breakthrough in training the staff today. Don't know why I didn't think of it before. A demo! I did a demonstration of a mocca with one of those spiders web patterns on top. Suddenly the penny dropped with them and they realised that they think latte art is cool







This meant I now had their full attention, a rare thing with these teenagers (forgot to say, two of them are only 15 years old - a challenge in itself at times). The lesson for me is to find a way to make training less factual/technical and more fun. The technical parts can come once the trainee has a thirst for more info.


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## Scotty (Mar 21, 2011)

Off in a couple of weeks and may be heading up north. Might pop in for a coffee if we head through aberfoyle


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## PaulN (Mar 10, 2011)

MikeHag said:


> Now we just need to get rid off the Illy-branded cups! (However, it's funny how many customers say it was the Illy sign outside that attracted them!)


Ill have some illy espresso and Cappuccino cups off you mate


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

They are nice cups mind you. I think actually the cappu cups may be 7oz. Great for cappu or flat white but I really think we should have larger cups in the cafe for lattes. At 2:5 The ratio isn't right at the moment IMO and I don't think single shots are the solution. Anyway, shame about the logo on them. You could have them all if it was up to me


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Scotty said:


> Off in a couple of weeks and may be heading up north. Might pop in for a coffee if we head through aberfoyle


Great to hear it! Must say, we're still getting staff trained up so when I'm not around then there's an understandable quality dip... so please be understanding







))

I have chosen a protoge to hyper-train, so in a few weeks we may be more consistent.

We'll get there!


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Sigh.

I already suspected that finding good people in my own coffeeshop next year will be a challenge, and I'm now even more convinced thanks to today's frustrations of trying to train teenagers I didn't hire and who don't have any inherent interest in much more than blunting their elbows on the bar. Passion is worth its weight in platinum.

Yesterday was good. Today was bad. I need to manage my frustrations better. Interesting learnings.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

I realise now due to my having to adapt to someone else's vision of what this cafe/restaurant is/should be, I have accidentally departed from my own vision of what are acceptable practises. I'm only slightly ashamed... these things happen when you're learning and at least I've recognised the problem quickly... in the space of a few weeks... and taken steps to resolve it. As always in this thread, I'll summarise the scenario for the benefit of anyone else planning to work as a barista or open a cafe/coffeeshop:

My view is that a small number of fully trained baristi should be the only people making coffees, but due to how the owner was staffing up his shifts (kind of a last minute, random selection of whomever was standing next to him at the time) I had to try to train everyone so that they could all make espresso drinks. The main problem was that I was trying to train too many people. It was getting out of hand. Standards were falling. Milk was being gurgled, standard double shots were being split across two cups. When I discovered it I was quite outraged. The fact that I don't work there every day, so cannot see everything that is going on, doesn't help.

To overcome this I've pretty much snatched control of daily Front Of House (FOH) staffing from the owner. I've created three shifts, assigned roles and responsibilities to staff during those shifts, and banned all but a few staff from going near the espresso machine. The chosen few are now being hand-held to ensure that they are developing their own sense of impecably high standards in espresso and milk. It's a 'hearts and minds' exercise, and so far it's working with them. I think they feel more valued. Also, the other staff now see using the espresso machine as a privilege granted only to those who prove themselves worthy, so I'm working on giving them each ways of doing so. Staff who do well are rewarded, whilst staff who don't pull their weight have their hours reduced the next week, and an explanation of what they can do to recover those hours. Hopefully it's a virtuous circle, although we shall have to wait and see how it pans out.

Phew. It's not all coffee, is it?! But I am still getting to make drinks myself, and it was really lovely today when I poured a heart for a table of customers and a few moments later the waitress told me they were taking photos of it. That's what it's all about for me, really. Doing something I'm pround of and that pleases the customers. That's a good day


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## Swifty (Aug 30, 2010)

Good Effort!

Keep it up and nice to see someone that cares


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## MonkeyHarris (Dec 3, 2010)

I'm sure your clear passion will shine through and affect your staff in positive way. Keep up the educating


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## AndyL (Apr 10, 2011)

I love this thread. I'm just filled with admiration for you Mike. Top man, top job.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Fran (Dec 27, 2010)

AndyL said:


> I love this thread. I'm just filled with admiration for you Mike. Top man, top job.


I agree 100% ! Good job, Mike!


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## seeq (Jul 9, 2011)

AndyL said:


> I love this thread. I'm just filled with admiration for you Mike. Top man, top job.


Agree completely, I really enjoy reading the updates in this thread, you should set it up as a blog!


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## coffeebean (Jan 26, 2010)

Good on you Mike! Keep up the good work! I agree - this would make a great blog!


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## crispy (Jun 6, 2011)

Kudos sir, I wish I had the opportunity to do exactly as you are... keep it coming









Enthusiasm is indeed infectious, it's also what will help you succeed as a barista / owner in the future...


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Thanks chaps. Your positive words help me level out the ups and downs


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Two months in and I've decided to call time on my job at this cafe. The main reason is that I'm spending more and more time doing a manager role, and less time working bar. It's all good experience, but I don't need management experience, I need time at the groupheads. Whilst the owner would happily agree for me to do that, I know that he wouldn't fill the managerial gap and the impact would be a gradual drop in customer satisfaction to the point where I'd be ashamed to work there. Better to leave whilst standards are high, and try to leave them with the capability to maintain those standards if the owner chooses to make it a priority.

Like I said earlier, it's not all about coffee... but I'd like it to be moreso!


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## seeq (Jul 9, 2011)

Feels like the end of an era! Has made some great reading. Can't wait until the cafe opens!


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## Fran (Dec 27, 2010)

Sounds like a justified step. You can walk away with your head held high!

Is it worth keeping some kind of connection to the cafe? Since you're now associated with the coffee in this cafe, maybe its worth you doing monthly trainings for the staff, or a basic step by step coffee guide for them?


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Thanks Fran.

Yeah, I'll be leaving them a bunch of materials I've produced... front of house training ppt, machine maintenance, menu and rota documentation etc. and also said I'm happy to talk if they need help with things. But I need to be a little careful. If the owner doesn't take a more hands-on approach to keeping standards high then I know the staff will start taking shortcuts again and ignoring the training. Even with monthly sessions it would happen if there's no 'quality champion'. Bear in mind this isn't a city with millions of people to recruit from. The population is only 500 so getting good staff isn't easy and it's part of the reason the service industry is quite crap in Scotland. I'm not keen on being known as the person who trained the staff in the cafe that does bollix coffee.

One idea I had though is to run a fortnightly coffee club at the cafe for customers, doing cupping, sharing coffee info, trying to get people understanding speciality coffee by making it fun. The cafe would benefit from that and so would the community.


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## Samango (Jul 14, 2011)

Thanks for this thread Mike,

I've really enjoyed following your story

Good Luck

Sam


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## speedstead (Aug 3, 2011)

Totally agree. Really well done friend! Great job!


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## 20Eyes (Mar 16, 2011)

MikeHag said:


> Two months in and I've decided to call time on my job at this cafe. The main reason is that I'm spending more and more time doing a manager role, and less time working bar. It's all good experience, but I don't need management experience, I need time at the groupheads. Whilst the owner would happily agree for me to do that, I know that he wouldn't fill the managerial gap and the impact would be a gradual drop in customer satisfaction to the point where I'd be ashamed to work there. Better to leave whilst standards are high, and try to leave them with the capability to maintain those standards if the owner chooses to make it a priority.
> 
> Like I said earlier, it's not all about coffee... but I'd like it to be moreso!


You really ought to speak to a TV production company and pitch 'Mike Hag's Coffee Shop Nightmares' to them.

There's a new US show called Bar Rescue which is very similar, a guy goes in and helps failing bars turn things around. You could do the same with coffee shops... from Barista to TV star!


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## coffee021 (Aug 17, 2011)

fantastic! hope you have fun pulling great shots for appreciative people - I can see the owner being over the moon with his newly acquired chef barista!


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

My last day today and what a great way to go. A busload of Italians descended on Aberfoyle and I had the pleasure of trying to meet their espresso expectations. I've found Italians to be hard to please with espresso... very discerning. Today I made sure the espressos were all solo ristrettos (I haven't yet met an Italian who likes doppios). I worked and reworked shots to get them just right.

So pleased with the results. "Best we've had!" Lots of "-issimo"s. Music to my ears. One customer, from Naples, was so pleased at the simple act of giving a glass of water with espresso, which he said is a Neapolitan thing and not done in other parts of Italy. He ordered another, which seemed to amaze his wife. They took photos. Turns out he's a food and drinks writer back in Italia. We exchanged business cards (isn't Vistaprint great?







) as he wants to write a piece (I also showed him the Wild Food blog).

Then more of his countrymen followed his lead. More smiles and compliments. Really touching, actually. They really seem passionate about espresso.

The best thing about this is that the other staff saw it and so are a little more bought into the impact of high barista standards. I'll be helping the cafe with training on an ongoing basis as needed, trying to keep the momentum going.

Jan and I have just seen a cafe come on the market in our chosen destination, so maybe we'll be opening sooner than planned. Who knows. But that's me signing off this thread. Hope you enjoyed it as much as me


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## CoffeeMagic (Aug 7, 2011)

Sounds like the new thread has been introduced







...the further adventures. Very best of luck, Mike, in your new cafe business.


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## HandsOnRoaster (Jul 5, 2011)

MikeHag said:


> so pleased at the simple act of giving a glass of water with espresso, which he said is a Neapolitan thing and not done in other parts of Italy


Congratulations Mike! I picked up on your comment regarding the water - I agree this is really simple and almost goes without saying, but is so rare in these parts. Even having fresh water available somewhere in the cafe is often lacking....but guess that's a whole other topic in itself!

Cheers


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## dbairduk (Dec 22, 2011)

wow! Great thread.. just shows what is to come when you get your own place!

Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk


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## coffeeone (Dec 11, 2011)

Really great thread. Just found it and had fun reading through. Cannot wait to read your stories when you get your own place. Just wish it was gonna be alot closer to me.


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## brun (Dec 26, 2011)

Thanks for posting this, really interesting


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