Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

We promise people a lot of things. Whether they are implied by marketing, or stated directly, the biggest differentiator between a cafe that is trusted and one that is not will be whether you have a plan for doing what you say you will do. 

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about why keeping promises is perhaps the most important area for operators to focus on and how to approach the logistics that need to be in place to actually fulfill those promises related employment, leadership, menu, and service. 
Related episodes: 
SHIFT BREAK! What It Means To Have Integrity In Our Work
Coffee, Integrity, and A.I.
Managing Expectations in Systems
330 : Establishing Systems in Your Coffee Shop
KEYS TO THE SHOP CONSULTING Helps You Find Joy
Book a free call now: 
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min 
 
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Thank you to out sponsors!
Everything you need for back of the house operations https://rattleware.qualitybystainless.com/
 
The best and most revered espresso machines on the planet: www.lamarzoccousa.com

People. This is what owners consistently say is one of the biggest challenges they have in running their shops. Why is this? Well, I was just at Coffee Fest in Dallas/Fort-Worth and heard basically the same thing form many experienced owners.

Today we will be talking about what is behind this issue and what can be done to begin to unravel and fix the way we view and lead people in our cafes.
 
Keys to the Shop Consulting:
Consulting to help you and your coffee business thrive
Book a free call now: 
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min 
 
Related episodes:
194 : Encore Episode! Leadership in the Cafe: 10 Steps to being a People First Leader | Aired January 17 2017
579: How to Really Care For People in the Cafe
 
SPONSORS!
"Your Brand Cafe" for all your Cups, Sleeves printing and much more! 
 
The worlds best plant based beverages! The Barista Series!

Am I behind? This was a question I was asked by a coaching client recently. They worried that they may be not to where most people "should be" in their coaching. I have talked with thousands of people in my 3 decades of coffee and one thing that persists is the nagging feeling that you are not as good as others and that you need to keep pace with them or some terrible undefined thing will happen. Whether it is the progress you make in coaching or the growth of your cafe, your situation and journey is yours and no one else's.

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about this compulsion we have to always think we should be further along andf how to embrace the road you are walking and steward the people and opportunities you have. This is what brings lasting and fulfilling growth.
Related episodes: 
Three Questions for Better Cafe Decisions
Your Peers are not your Customers
317 : Encore Episode: Death by Comparison
604: 5 Habits Holding You and Your Team Back
 
KEYS TO THE SHOP CONSULTING Helps You Find Joy
Book a free call now: 
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min 
 
SPONSORS!
 
Thank you to out sponsors!
Everything you need for back of the house operations https://rattleware.qualitybystainless.com/
 
The best and most revered espresso machines on the planet: www.lamarzoccousa.com

Coffee Fest LA was awesome and I am finally getting this episode out right before we fly out to Dallas! Stay tuned. 
In this episode I sat down with one great presenter and give some of my own thoughts on the show and lessons you can apply in your business and area. 
Kevin Mejia grew up in Monrovia, CA as a skateboarding, cycling, and fitness lover. It was through his love for cycling where he discovered specialty coffee around 2013.
Fast forward to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kevin's career started to take a shift when he decided to start learning how to roast out of his garage by watching countless amounts of coffee content online and taking classes with other well known roasting teachers. Kevin's interest in roasting really started to take shape when he started to discover Honduran specialty coffee. As the child of Honduran immigrants in the US, the discovery of something from his parent's home country that he could share with the world became very intruiging to Kevin. In, 2022 Kevin and his fiancé, Dulce, took what little money they had in savings and purchased a 3kg Mill City Roaster and started Bevel Coffee.
From that point, Bevel operated as cottage food operation selling roasted coffee and as a pop-up coffee cart which went everywhere from birthday parties and weddings, all the way to farmer's markets and other pop-ups throughout LA. This journey eventually led Kevin and Dulce to the patio of a pizza shop called Prime Pizza in Altadena, where they began to build their roots in the city for a little over a year before the Eaton Fire came through and devastated the community.
In an effort to continue the Bevel Coffee journey, Kevin and Dulce stayed put, and kept serving the community, attending any and every event related to the neighborhood, and fostering stronger relationships. Eventually, a year and half after the fires, the pop-up finally became Bevel's first brick-and-mortar on Feb 28 of 2026.
Kevin's journey in coffee is very reminiscent of his years spent skateboarding and mountain biking. It required passion, community, and a "get up and do it again," attitude that ultimately led to achieving the goal of opening a cafe where he could share all the coffees he loves with a community he loves even more.
In this interview we discuss his cafe's history and his own growth and development as an owner and operator. 
 
Links:
https://bevelcoffee.com/
 
Go check out Coffee Fest Trade Shows Today! 
www.coffeefest.com

Many owners start in the business of coffee shops by buying an existing cafe. Sometimes there is a lot of work to do. Other times, the cafe is already a successful, well love, and established cafe. The later example is actually a bit more daunting since now there is legacy, community, and great staff to steward, all while learning the ropes yourself!
Today is a story of how one woman took on this challenge to take over an iconic cafe and what she has learned thus far.
I am excited to be talking with the new owner of the iconic cafe, Taproom Coffee, Ashley Derrick!
Ashley and her spouse, Alison, have lived in the East Lake neighborhood of Atlanta GA for 23 years. Ashley has been a Realtor for 19 of those years and has consistently taken her clients to Taproom Coffee - long before she wanted to buy it. Doing good work feeds her soul and she loves spending time with community members trying to figure out how to change the world - all while sipping on a cup of coffee.
 
Links: 
https://www.taproomcoffee.com/
https://www.instagram.com/taproomcoffee/
 
Consulting to help you and your coffee business thrive.
Book a free call now: 
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min 
 
Related episodes:
COVID-19 Focus : Jonathan Pascual | Taproom Coffee and Beer | Atlanta, Georgia
177 : Founder Friday w/ Jonathan Pascual of Taproom Coffee and Beer in Atlanta, Georgia
542: Founder Friday! w/ Nori and Tin Burmudez of Corridor Flow, Lomita, CA
SPONSORS!
"Your Brand Cafe" for all your Cups, Sleeves printing and much more! 
 
The worlds best plant based beverages! The Barista Series!