I Am Applying For A Job At A Local Coffee Shop And I

What would make you try out a new local coffee shop over something like Starbucks?

Please realise that choosing anywhere over Starbucks is a very low bar.Almost anywhere that sells actual coffee will win.I have been a frequenter of coffee shops for over fifty years. I have spend a huge percentage of my life in coffee shops particularly while working.A lot of my working life involved travel. First around Ireland then around the UK and later on, around Europe with a couple of trips further abroad.My criteria for choosing a coffee shop are:Looks clean.Uses actual cups and saucers and not disposable paper cups.Not too small. If I choose to linger I don’t want to feel that I am going to put the shop out of business by occupying a table.Depending of the time of day: range of cakes or sandwiches.What will bring me back:Good tasting coffee.Friendly staff.Why would I choose Starbucks:There is nothing else around.I need to use the WiFi or toilets.Maybe I could buy a fruit juice instead of a bucket of brown liquid!Make repeat customers your aim. Become more successful by word of mouth. People who like good coffee like to tell others when they find a great new place.

Why do people love their local coffee shop?

Having started and operated many coffee shops over the last couple of decades, I discovered very quickly that coffee shops satisfy far more needs than just the fundamental physiological need of food and beverages.I believe that it’s this multi-dimensional needs-satisfying aspect of coffee shops that causes people to love them.Now assuming that the coffee shop makes great coffee, then people soon grow to love the consistent quality taste in combination with the caffeine hit, that only a coffee shop can deliver … all day, every day.But the great coffee experience is only part of the story behind why local coffee shops are loved by their customers. Here are a few more reasons:Its a sanctuary - In corporate life, “let’s go for a coffee” is actually code for “let’s get out of this stressful work environment and go to someplace we can chill out”. People love their local coffee shop because it’s a sanctuary.It’s an office away from the Office - Many customers use their local cafe as a place to do some work. The atmosphere, location and services makes it an ideal place to get away and do some work. Now while customers like this aspect of coffee shops, it’s not always appreciated by the coffee shop owner if the customer does not pay for their seat. What is an appropriate amount of money per hour to contribute to a coffee shop that I hang out in all the time?You’re accepted, you belong - Good coffee shop operators know you by name and can make your favorite drink without asking, because you possibly frequent their coffee shop over 10 times per week. This process makes people feel that they belong. They feel accepted, and who doesn’t love being accepted. A good barista understands that for some people, the chat they have with people is a loneliness inhibitor.It’s social - A coffee shop is a place to establish or grow a relationship. It’s a place where the barista and order taker must chat with you as part of the customized product delivery. It’s a place where it’s OK to chat to fellow customers, because the coffee shop is a ‘mutual appreciation society’.It’s a utility for so much more - It’s a neutral, convenient and relaxed place to meet someone. It’s a safe place to kill some time. It’s a place to leave something for another person. It’s a place that will give you credit to buy things when you have forgotten your wallet.Given all these endearing aspects of a local coffee shop, is it any wonder that people love them.

Why do humanities Ph.D. have a stigma of being a local coffee shop barista after grad school?

My PhD is in linguistics. In some institutions it's considered a social science. In others, it's considered a human science. But most institutions group linguistics with the humanities. Because of that, I was fairly exposed to the PhD in a humanities subject narrative. In all honesty: I'm not a barista. I've never had the intention of becoming one. Also, I don't know any PhD holders who are baristas.The academic job market is crap. Even more so in the humanities and the social sciences. That doesn't mean you can't apply the skills you gained during your PhD (which don't usually include making milkflowers in lates) to many other jobs. I believe that the problem lies in the unrealistic expectations of becoming a professor in your field upon graduation, and anything other than that is consid as a failure. It isn't.

Why do people buy breakfast (Starbucks, McDonald's, local coffee shops) instead of making it at home?

Single people :Elderly who are left single, and young people who are single, some of them no motivation to cook for themselves.Busy life styles:with both people working and with young people, classic family is gone, in North America, both parents are in rush to get over the day.Rural to urban:With the industrialization, there is/was huge change in the society, commute time are killing in mega cities.Sometimes it is very cost effective:Mighty food chains have huge buying power, and they serve breakfast sometimes with promotions, you cannot compete with them, when you factor in the time.Cultural thing:In Europe, say in Spain, small cafes, it looks to me are after every a few houses/shops, with attractive pastries, juice machines and coffee percolating, how can you resist, along with your honey/friend/what ever.In China, the whole heart Dim Sum is to have breakfast, chat and meet your friends.In India, street Dhabas are more or less same concept, meeting chatting and socializing, breakfast is a bonus.In Singapore, my son spent two years, he told me buying cooked food is cheaper than buying raw, I do not exact but he never ever cooked even once, not to brag, he was very high up in the corporate world, he was given a part time cook, but she made more or less a few meals here and there.BTW, I cook my own meals, to me there is no substitute for it, I myself is not a big fan, but that is a different story. My reasoning and explanations may only apply to a few.with best regardssam

Where would baristas typically go when they leave a coffee shop for a new job?

I would say there are three main routes. If you consider that the barista role as generally not that well paid then it'll clearly attract people qualified to work at that level. It's essential fairly easy in and easy out work, that's flexible in hours and there is decent demand. So if one place doesn't work out then move on.Some will see it as strictly temporary role, say a typical student, who will later revert to their expected career which could be in any field. Then there are the coffee geeks who enjoy the lifestyle and perhaps the kudos of being seen by peers and customers as a 'cool' barista! They may put up with low wages and seek to move around the local coffee scene picking up small salary increases, greater responsibility, eventually becoming a manager or even an owner. Finally, there's the generic 'hospitality' people who will move from role to role seeking better terms and conditions. They may be a barista in one place, a waiter in another, a front of house specialist or a bar person. Skills and experience are transferable to greater or lesser degrees. Again, typically not well paid, minus tips, but they maybe differ from the other two in that they are tied to a small range of roles, but may lack the 'passion' of the career barista. These are generalisations of course, but in my time owning a coffee shop they're an accurate reflection of the staff I had. The worst member of staff I had kinda mixed all three ... he wanted lots of flexibility on his terms, the student lifestyle in some ways, but lacked the passion and quality of the professional barista and considered himself above a typical 'hospitality' person. Not a good mix.If I consider the team members I employed then two moved to other roles in the coffee industry, front line/barista roles, another one was poached by a rival, the lousy one left for a barista role closer to home (easy life!), another took up his career once his college course ended as a teaching assistant, another left to persue their own career interest separate from coffee.A good barista needs investment to get them to a certain level of quality and productivity. They then become marketable to rival shops, independent or corporate. That is a real bind trying to run a good business, when profits can often be meagre.