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  • #16
    Re: Barista course...

    Bluey, speaking from some experience here with people who dont drink coffee, as you have mentioned you have a few on your staff...

    My boss has made it her policy to not teach those who dont drink coffee to use the machine. Which I think is great as those who dont drink it were the ones who were letting down the standards in the first place. They never had any intention of making fantastic coffee, rather they were only interested in pressing the button and getting out from behind the machine. To them, its a long involved process, that requires a lot of attention to detail and then clean up. Hence, we had a messy work space, milk caked onto steam wands, half heated milk in jugs, you get the picture...

    Sure, this now puts a bit more pressure on myself, my boss and one or two others but in order to keep up the standard we have now set for our selves, we think that this is a small sacrifice.

    I understand it might not be so easy for you to make this decision either. But I do know that there is no way a non coffee drinker is ever going to be up to par alongside a passionate and dedicated barista. Dedicated doesnt mean that they are only assigned to the one job either...dedicated also means that theyre totally committed to perfecting their skills and making it an art form, rather than just doing it as part of a process...

    I guess its also telling that the staff who do know how to use the machine, still ask me to make them their coffee!  ;D ;D

    So, I totally understand when you say how hard it is to get a good team together in this industry and then keep them. Even in my brief stint so far of four years, I have seen many come and go. Actually, Id be the longest running full time employee after the bakers at the moment. It is a great frustration that staff who work in our industry are not always passionate people about food and drink and are only doing it as a job to earn money. But thats what we have to deal with and there isnt a lot we can do about it...except do our best to try and educate them. Enthusiasm for the job sometimes helps to rub off too...

    Anyway, hope you get to lift your coffee standards to where youd like to see them and where your customers give you good feedback...

    You should go read the "Barista Venting" thread to see what some do to those who want their coffees with the s**t burnt out of their milk.. ;D

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    • #17
      Re: Barista course...

      Interesting reading there, scoota gal - you know it never crossed my mind to banish the heathen non-coffee drinking staff from the machine... :-[

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      • #18
        Re: Barista course...

        Will back up scooter 100% on the non coffee drinkers, I do a little training on the side and am amazed at how many people in the industry say "well I dont like coffee anyway" and refuse to drink what they are making. Kinda like a chef who wont eat his own food, there is no way it can be good as they dont know when it is good and when it is swill. Anyway good luck with the program Bluey and remember rome wasnt built in a day I always find it is best to try and make small improvements over time so people dont feel overwhelmed.

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        • #19
          Re: Barista course...

          Originally posted by 46687161627661656F040 link=1252125847/9#9 date=1252142178
          we get A LOT of requests for super hot coffee, one bloke even said "steam the s--t out of it"
          Yup. And Id advise you to say "no". The same thing the chef would say if someone asked for their salmon steak to be cooked stiff and dry.

          "Im sorry sir, we dont do that, would you like a cup of tea?."

          Greg

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          • #20
            Re: Barista course...


            Oh, I dont know Greg. While it may be the chefs prerogative to serve a dish the way they want to, I think the customer also has a right to have it the way they like.

            I think making a statement like the one you suggest is pretty patronising. Why apologise if the chefs way is right and then cap it off with a snide remark? (rhetorical).

            Cheers

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            • #21
              Re: Barista course...

              Our regulars always want their milk boiled.
              I was happy to do this until one (elderly, slippery fingered) lady spilt her scalding hot coffee and managed to splash the girl who made it for her in the eye and nearly got the customer standing near her. Thankfully there was no serious injury, but hot liquids are always a danger.
              After that I raised the issue as a safety one with the head chef and food services manager and for a while we were able to get away with saying "sorry, but since that incident weve made safety for all our customers a priority and now coffee will not be served above a certain temp" but thats all gone out the door with the renovations. A united front and a firm stance, that is well supported from a safety point of view, and we were winning them over slowly to a hot but not boiled coffee.

              Hopefully once we are back in our regular situation (not crazy refurbishment times) we can return to a consistency of service but until then we are giving them what they want because otherwise they are getting variation.

              My point is this: Yeah they want it hot - you dont have to do that for them, but it might be more time and effort than you are willing to spend in talking them round to having their coffee any other way. But it is possible to convert some people, who after all are probably only asking because theyve been disappointed with the temperature before. And that doesnt necessarily mean at your cafe, or even lately... they can carry that habit for years as the result of one bad experience.

              Same as for many of us snobs. I know I would rather jam a stick in my eye than take a punt on some random mall-based cafe getting my piccolo latte right, all because many years ago I would enthusiastically ask for a strong latte and get boiled, bitter, foul, frothy swill in cafe after cafe. So much so that for a long while I wouldnt even bother getting a coffee unless it was a place Id been to before and knew the barista was good.

              Oh and yes, you can probably guess, its the staff who dont drink coffee, who are being pulled in last minute to fill in shifts, who are causing the major disruptions: So I would totally support a workplace policy of only coffee drinkers can be coffee makers. I dont eat liver and I sure as heck wouldnt attempt to cook one for a liver-lover cause I know Id get it wrong - its pretty obvious to me that I would lack the knowledge to bring out (whatever it is :-? ) thats good about liver. So why is coffee any different? Why let coffee haters make or break your establishments reputation on that front? I think it sounds like a fine idea!

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              • #22
                Re: Barista course...

                Originally posted by 1F3E353532285B0 link=1252125847/19#19 date=1252202803
                Oh, I dont know Greg.  While it may be the chefs prerogative to serve a dish the way they want to, I think the customer also has a right to have it the way they like.

                I think making a statement like the one you suggest is pretty patronising.  Why apologise if the chefs way is right and then cap it off with a snide remark? (rhetorical).

                Cheers
                Dennis,

                I was apologising for not fulfilling the patrons request, and I didnt mean the counter-offer to sound snide, I guess its the lack of non-verbals in written communication.

                As far as the customers rights go, that (IMO) is a choice for the restaurant. Some places will undoubtedly choose to uphold their standards and others will choose to serve bad food cause thats the way their patrons want it. (And I use "bad food" deliberately, as I see coffee that has the "sh-t steamed out of it" as being much more than just a "choice" about style.)

                While I have only limited experience in running restaurants and with others in the hospitality business, I would have to say that the places with standards they will not violate, are where Id prefer to eat or work.

                I know that as a cook (I was never a chef) I wouldnt take requests to ruin the taste of my hard-worked-for dishes very kindly.

                Greg

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