This video gives you a pre-installation checklist and considerations before buying and installing a commercial espresso machine. We aim to help you prepare for a smooth installation of your coffee machine by discussing some things to think about. This checklist also helps you to design your space for the coffee machine and outlines some other considerations for installing an espresso machine.
Many of these items are often overlooked and accumulate to added costs and time that may not be included in your budget. It is important to get the foundation of the installation correct to prevent any further issues in the future. Having the right foundation will also set you up to start making beautiful espresso. Enjoy!
]]>In this video we take a look at the grinder’s features and discuss why we chose this model. We then outline some of its pro’s/con’s and will carry out another view once it has been placed in a commercial setting for a few months.
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In this video I run through 5x tips for buying a commercial espresso machine. The video is designed for new café owner’s wanting to gain an understanding of what to look out for when buying a commercial coffee machine.
The tips relate to choosing a commercial espresso machine that is suitable for your café rather than from a technical point of view. The video was made after ongoing request of new and start-up café owner’s asking about these common five questions pointed out in the video. These 5x tips give you an understanding of what is required in a commercial espresso machine for your café.
The above video discusses the different types of volumetric espresso machines including semi-auto and automatic. Here's a video below that describes these differences in more detail:
]]>As a coffee roaster, I’ve spoken to many café owners over the last few days about the COVID-19 lockdown. There is a lot of uncertainty, stress and worry for many of us that run a business or in paid employment. Unlike many other businesses, café staff are unable to operate without being present in the café and ‘working from home’ doesn’t help cashflow to pay the bills. I’ve summarised a few idea’s that may help some café owners to use this time to re-open after lockdown as a stronger and more appealing business.
Here's The Five Tips:
This can be in the form of e-mail, social media or blog posts. Touch base with your customers to let them know you are ok and what you are up to during this time. Take this opportunity to thank them for their loyalty and let them know you are using this time to make improvements to your operation. This small reminder will give your customers a sense of emotional connection to your cafe and will no doubt make them miss your company, food and coffee.
The lockdown gives us zero options to bring in cash with no takeaways or ability to sell food and coffee. Cashfow is tough at this time and selling vouchers could be used as a means of getting a small injection into the bank account. The vouchers could coincide with other changes planned during this time such as offers from the new menu or a catering offer to their workplace. Many of your loyal customers would love to support you during this time and a voucher could be a great means of allowing them to do so while they also get something to look forward to when you re-open. Vouchers would need to be sold online and it is important to affirm your audience that your business will re-open with a strong operation and not on the brink of liquidation.
Remember that business plan you created to get finance? Have you ever looked at it since? Now is a great time to review your café operation and set a plan moving forward. This planning could entail budgeting, financial, operational or marketing/branding.
Although times are tough, it is still important to have a vision or goal for your café and doing so will help guide a path for success.
Some questions that could help you set a plan:
Didn’t I say that café staff can’t work from home?
I understand this isn’t exactly possible when you operate a café or restaurant but following on from our previous tip, your staff can use this time from home to add extra value to your business. Here’s some examples:
We all know how strict New Zealand food safety standards have become and upcoming inspections have caused us many sleepless nights. The new food safety standards come with a lot of paper work; a complete book of paperwork for most cafes. Now is a great time to ensure this paper work is up-to-date and fix those issues that caused you to just scrape by during your last inspection.
Some of these ideas may not apply to your style of business or café. I understand these are not complete solutions or remedy’s during this crisis but are tips to help us mitigate our losses and set a plan to move forward stronger for the future. If you have any other ideas or have something to share please do get in touch.
]]>250-500 cups later and the pearly red curls that brand the face of the workhorse used throughout the day are waiting to be scrubbed and taken care of – you’re expected to close the entire shop and diligently clean a machine using nothing but the passion of pouring to fuel you. Working in coffee can be the least bit motivating, especially after a day spent in a one-way conversation with the occasionally demanding customer.
How do we motivate our staff to remain enthusiastic about their involvement in the specialty coffee industry?
In the Handbook of Motivation Science, Shah and Gardner define motivation as “the forces within us that activate our behaviour and direct it toward one goal rather than the other” (Shah & Gardner, 2013).
A barista’s goals are difficult to understand; they range from personal to situational. Situational goals are short term and are linked to activities that directly affect a given task. For example, the task might be to complete a shift. Situational goals of that shift might be to serve beverages quickly or ensure all customers are served politely – avoiding a breakdown or simply surviving the shift is another example of a situational goal for the overall task.
The forces within us
Emotion: “An emotion is a complex psychological event that involves a mixture of reactions: (1) a physiological response (usually arousal), (2) an expressive reaction (distinctive facial expression, body posture, or vocalization), and (3) some kind of subjective experience (internal thoughts and feelings)" (Nairne, 2000).
Emotions activate motivation. Given the nature of how complex emotions are, there is unfortunately not a ‘one size fits all’ solution to motivation.
In a recent study posted on Harvard Business review, it was reported that teams perform better in emotionally sensitive environments. Laura Delizonna writes, “Psychological safety is both fragile and vital to success in uncertain, interdependent environments. The brain processes a provocation by a boss, competitive co-worker, or dismissive subordinate as a life-or-death threat’’ (Delizonna, 2017).
Cups are slamming against plates as the dishwasher spins to the beat of high frequency sound waves leaving a massive speaker; customers are impatiently waiting for their fix of caffeine as a barista wars against a sea of endless dockets passed on by the captain of the POS system – I think it’s safe to say that most café spaces are ‘’uncertain and interdependent’’ and need psychological safety.
Herzberg’s Motivation Hygiene Theory
Frederick Herzberg theorized that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction act independently of each other – his understanding lead to him developing the Motivation Hygiene Theory.
The fundamental principles of the theory include the study of two factor: motivators and hygiene factors – I felt that these were necessary and applicable given the complex nature of emotions and motivation.
Motivators: “(e.g. challenging work, recognition for one's achievement, responsibility, opportunity to do something meaningful, involvement in decision making, sense of importance to an organization) that give positive satisfaction, arising from intrinsic conditions of the job itself, such as recognition, achievement, or personal growth’’ (J. Richard Hackman, 1976).
What should business owners focus on?
‘’Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.
Needs lower down in the hierarchy must be satisfied before individuals can attend to needs higher up. From the bottom of the hierarchy upwards, the needs are: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization’’ (McCleod, 2018).
Psychological safety
In simple terms, psychological safety is the belief that you won’t be punished when you mess up.
Dockets. I never thought that they’d have such a massive impact on my ability to successfully complete a given task.
My first couple shifts working in Melbourne were probably the hardest I have ever worked – the volume of coffee was almost triple the amount I was comfortable with and the pace followed suit. I was too slow behind the bar and made many mistakes – I recall being pushed aside one or two times because nobody had the patience to bear with an inexperienced barista.
It's hard, I know. But what is the solution? Train your staff and treat them with respect. Far too many baristas are thrown into the deep end and expected to rise to the occasion – there’s no motivational music playing in the background and this is not Rocky.
Mental health
It’s 06:45 and a flock of deadline driven customers are knocking on the doors with determined eyes. The grinder’s blades are still cold, and someone is already nipping at your heels – this is enough to give the most confident and strong barista a hit of anxiety.
The environment we work in is incredibly tough; a survey conducted by Talor Browne found that 38% of coffee professionals considered leaving their post due to emotional issues experienced from their working environment.
It’s impossible to control completely, but be aware of your staff and their needs – when last have you asked your staff about their emotional well-being? The bags underneath their eyes aren’t always the result of an early start.
Career progression
Slangin’ shots for a lifetime might seem cool when you have a couple month’s experience on your curriculum vitae, but baristas need to be sure of where they’re headed – despite their chilled-out viewpoints, they need a stable path. Humans need security.
Hygiene Factors: “These are extrinsic to the work itself, and include aspects such as company policies, supervisory practices, or wages/salary’’ (J. Richard Hackman, 1976).
Examples of hygiene factors include job security, status, benefits, work conditions etc.
Working agreements
Baristas need security. The best place to show that intention is by drawing up a simple working agreement – your staff need to have a clear outline of what their roles and responsibilities are, helping in an unfamiliar role is a favour, it’s unfair to expect your staff to sacrifice their lives to your business.
Company policy
Make sure your staff know what company policy is on certain things: the customer isn’t always right.
The most crippling thing when competing is being told you have lost when you weren’t even aware of the rules – it’s incredibly difficult to have an opinion on something when an employer has provided no grounds for one.
If you care about your business, you’ll care enough for your staff to know what your identity is.
This is part one of a two part, possibly three-part article that aims to address motivation in the coffee industry. This is simply an introduction, the points referenced will be addressed further in the coming posts.
Stay tuned,
Written by
Jacques is a content manager, writer and coffee professional. As an enthusiastic barista, his love for computers is close to being on par with coffee.
You can follow @cfc_jacques
Resources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sxpKhIbr0E
https://hbr.org/2017/08/high-performing-teams-need-psychological-safety-heres-how-to-create-it
http://coffeedontbringmedown.tumblr.com/results
https://www.verywellmind.com/murrays-theory-of-psychogenic-needs-2795952
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With the advancement of technology, like everything else coffee machines have become more automated. This has not neglected the need for a skilled barista but technology is slowly changing the role of the barista and allows us to make more consistent coffee and have a better understanding of the scientific principles of what makes a ‘good’ coffee.
As touched on in the video, an automatic espresso machine ends the extraction automatically, where a semi-automatic espresso machine requires the barista to manually turn on and off the extraction (with the touch of a button). Traditionally, an automatic machine would measure volume and the extraction would end once a desired volume has been achieved. There are now machines available that measure by weight instead of volume.
An automatic machine has the ability to control the extraction manually therefore doesn’t have any real advantages over a semi-automatic machine. Despite the added cost, most cafes are moving towards the trend of automatic espresso machines, primarily for reasons of consistency and speed. This would mean that the small added cost is generally a wise investment for café owners choosing an automatic espresso machine over a semi-automatic.
**Super automatic machines are a different type of machine again and these machines are typically found in office or vending machine situations where the machine makes the coffee from the touch of a button. This includes the extraction of the coffee shot and steaming of the milk. Super-automatic machines are rarely used in cafes due to their inability to make adjustment to temperature and humidity fluctuations within a working environment.
]]>Here’s a quick run-down of the basic equipment and accessories required to get you started making espresso.
Equipment
Accessories
Cleaning
*Standard household and commercial wall plugs are 10-amp. Due to the large current that an espresso machine draws this requires a 20-amp (most 2-group) or 32-amp (most 3-group) power plug. This requires the work of an electrician to re-wire the power supply and install a new plug socket. It is wise to install a 32-amp power plug as this will also accommodate a 20-amp power plug.
]]>1-Time
Am I prepared to put in long hours, early starts and weekends?
This factor is heavily dependent on whether your café is a 5, 6 or 7 day operation however regardless, cafes can involve long hours. Early starts are a norm in the industry especially if you plan on getting flour on your hands to do the baking. On a positive note, most cafes close in the afternoon giving you time to pick up the kids from school or head home for paper work.
2-Financial
Can I go without paying myself for months if needed?
Starting a business can take time to generate a profit and it would be injudicious to forecast a profit and/or a feasible wage for the owner from the day of opening. We have all seen the statistics of high failure rate of businesses opening within the first 3-years and it is important to plan in advance for slow starts and/or unforeseen expenses that creep up along the way. A café can be a profitable means of earning a living but don’t expect this to come too soon.
3-Lifestyle
The hospitality lifestyle isn’t for everyone…
I have experienced many individuals and couples who have given up the corporate lifestyle for the dream of owning a café. From lawyers to accountants to sales managers and everything in between. *Some of these people find that the fast-paced hospitality environment is not as enjoyable as they thought and this type of work is not fit for everyone. Many white-collar jobs require linear thinking, sequencing and analysing facts commonly known as left-brain thinking. A lot of hospitality work requires rhythm, visual thinking and intuition – right-brain thinking. This simply means that it can take time and practise to accumulate the tools and mental capacity required for hospitality – this small aspect is often overlooked and many people think and wonder ‘how hard can it be’?
This most definitely isn’t the case for everyone who went from wearing a suit and tie to an apron and coffee tamper, purely an observation of a few personal cases I’ve identified. I’ve also identified many successful café owners that have come from corporate jobs and developed a passion and appetite for the hospitality industry.
4-Physical
Being on your feet all day, often with little, interrupted or no breaks can be physically demanding. Although you won’t get bad posture from crouching over a computer desk, being on your feet all day can take some time to get used to. There’s no need to be a marathon runner, but being fit and physically capable does have its advantages when working in a café. Don’t forget to buy a large tub of hand moisturiser for those rough barista hands too! This can also be seen as an advantage and possibly a means of cancelling the gym membership you never went to anyway.
5-Staff
Managing staff can be very rewarding but does have its difficulties. As cafes are labour intensive, this comes with the responsibility of managing a team of people to keep your operation running. Leadership plays an integral role in the operation of a café and many café owners can confirm that the right team is an essential ingredient for a successful café. Hospitality typically has a high turnover of staff but this isn’t always true across the board. How you manage your staff will play a significant impact on the culture and work ethic within your business.
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