Tugging at the apron strings

Well, I officially begin non-coverage paid time training in the Coffee Master program in a week and a half. I'm also doing a pairing dinner for our shift meeting next week, though I'm not sure if that will count as "my" seminar (every coffee master has to present a guided tasting seminar for their final certification) or not. We shall see. Excited? Yes. Especially because I have nothing else going on right now, so I'll be able to put most/all of my time and effort into it.

On a related note, it's a little saddening to see Eliot sort of "giving up" on things at the store. He isn't in charge of orders, music, etc. or anything else "extra". Makes sense, since he's already proven himself more than capable of doing the job of an ASM. t really does suck for him, since there are really zero chances at advancing beyond a Shift Sup. in the moderately near future. He just needs to get into another area where there is higher turnover.

The times, they are a-changing...

Well. A whole lot has happened since the last post....let's take some time to remember. In the spirit of the Battlestar Galactica three-season recap.....

ACT ONE

STARBUCKS
Hey, sorry about being lame and impersonal. But we've gotta make $$ ok?

CONSUMERS
Hmmm. Ok...

STARBUCKS
Hey! Try these sandwiches. They're great "warm".

CONSUMERS
Shouldn't they be "hot"?

STARBUCKS
Yeah but "warming" can be copyrighted.

CONSUMERS
Ummmmmmm....

STARBUCKS STOCK
OUCH!

JIM DONALD
Wait! Here, have some teddy bears! And how about some music...people who like coffee like music, too...ummmm and how about some vacuum-packed rock hard "cookies"? Sweet.

CONSUMERS
Errrr....

SHAREHOLDERS
WTF?

STOCK MARKET
WTF????

-ACT TWO-

HOWARD
OMFG man quit f#@!$ing up my company!!!

JIM DONALD
lol!

STARBUCKS PARTNERS
[grumblegrumblegrumble]

SHAREHOLDERS
Ok bye Jim.

JIM DONALD
STFU! I made this compay what it is today!!

SHAREHOLDERS
Yea exactly. Kbye.

JIM DONALD
Noooooooooooo!!

STARBUCKS
KSDjf;lasjdf;laskdjfa;ej11!!!!!!!11!
[rejoices]

HOWARD
Lemmie at 'em.

STOCK MARKET
Well it's about damn time.

-ACT THREE-

HOWARD
Hey make better coffee ok? Thx.


STARBUCKS
Ok.

HOWARD
Hey R&D quit putting all that SHIT out in the stores ok?

R&D
But then we won't have anything to do.

HOWARD
Ok ur fired kbye.

PARTNERS
asl;dfkjas;lfkjwo;ej;oj;!!!


HOWARD
I am God.

What is a Barista?

"Barista is a craft profession with the artistry of a fine pastry chef, the skill of a short order cook in a busy restaurant, and the pleasantry of a flight attendant. Every drink that you serve is singularly a creation to the finest of your ability. You are the end of the line in the life of the coffee bean. After growing on heirloom plants high in the mountains across the world, the beans are painstakingly harvested by skilled coffee farmers, processed carefully to remove the cherry, transported thousands of miles over treacherous seas, trucked across the country, and roasted in small batches by yours truely. As the last set of hands to touch the beans before they are slurped by your customer, to put forth anything but your best effort is a disservice to all the people that put their heart and soul into the coffee before you."

-Metropolis Coffee, Chicago, IL

from Howard

February 4, 2008

What I Know to be True

Dear partners,

As I sit down to write this note (6:30 a.m. Sunday morning) I am enjoying a spectacular cup of Sumatra, brewed my favorite way – in a French press.

It has been three weeks since I returned to my role as ceo of the company I love. We have made much progress as we begin to transform and innovate and there is much more to come. But this is not a sprint – it is a marathon – it always has been. I assure you that when all is said and done, we will, as we always have, succeed at our highest potential. We will not be deterred from our course – we are and will be a great, enduring company, known for inspiring and nurturing the human spirit.

During this time, I have heard from so many of you; in fact, I have received more than 2,000 emails. I can feel your passion and commitment to the company, to our customers and to one another. I also thank you for all your ideas and suggestions ... keep them coming. No one knows our business and our customers better than you. I have visited with you in many of your stores, as well as stopping by to see what our competitors are doing as well.

It’s been just a few days since my last communications to you, but I wanted to share with you

what I know to be true:

· Since 1971, we have been ethically sourcing and roasting the highest quality Arabica coffee in the world, and today there is not a coffee company on earth providing higher quality coffee to their customers than we are. Period!

· We are in the people business and always have been. What does that mean? It means you make the difference. You are the Starbucks brand. We succeed in the marketplace and distinguish ourselves by each and every partner embracing the values, guiding principles and culture of our company and bringing it to life one customer at a time.

Our stores have become the Third Place in our communities - a destination where human connections happen tens of thousands of times a day. We are not in the coffee business serving people. We are in the people business serving coffee. You are the best people serving the best coffee and I am proud to be your partner. There is no other place I would rather be than with you right here, right now!

· We have a renewed clarity of purpose and we are laser-focused on the customer experience. We have returned to our core to reaffirm our coffee authority and we will have some fun doing it. We are not going to embrace the status quo. Instead, we will be curious, bold and innovative in our actions and, in doing so, we will exceed the expectation of our customers.

· There will be cynics and critics along the way, all of whom will have an opinion and a point of view. This is not about them or our competitors, although we must humbly respect the changing landscape and the many choices facing every consumer. We will be steadfast in our approach and in our commitment to the Starbucks Experience - what we know to be true. However, this is about us and our customers. We are in control of our destiny. Trust the coffee and trust one another.

· I will lead us back to the place where we belong, but I need your help and support every step of the way. My expectations of you are high, but higher of myself.

· I want to hear from you. I want to hear about your ideas, your wins, your concerns, and how we can collectively continue to improve. Please feel free to reach out to me. I have been flooded with emails, but believe me, I am reading and responding to all of them.

As I said, I am proud to be your partner. I know this to be true.

Onward ...

Howard

P.S. Everything that we do, from this point on (from the most simple and basic), matters.

Master the fundamentals. Experience Starbucks

macchiato

mä • khee • YA' • toe (Ital.): "Marked, stained, spotted."

I find myself perplexed by the apparent presumptuous interpretations of the Italian coffee drink.

"I'd like a caffè macchiato please."

Will that be...

American: Usually a double shot (2-4 oz.) of espresso in a "macchiato" cup (larger than a demitasse, usually about 6 oz.). Tight milk foam tops the espresso, and is mounded to above the rim of the cup.

Italian (traditional): One shot of espresso in a demitasse (or smaller) with approximately one teaspoon of steamed milk dropped into the cup. The foam that is incorporated with the milk naturally leaves a "mark, stain, spot" etc. on top of the crema (the volatile, lighter colored part of the espresso shot that contains the most complex, sweet and intense flavors). The mark never fully covers the crema. The milk softens the harshness of the Italian-style espresso (sometimes using lesser-quality robusta beans to boost the caffeine content) and enhances the flavors of a well-crafted blend, which is ideally built to perfectly compliment steamed milk. Cinnamon or nutmeg is often served on the side.

Latte macchiato: Steamed milk, topped with foam, with one third of the volume of the milk's worth of espresso poured into the milk. The milk is then, consequently, "marked, stained" with espresso.

Starbucks "caramel macchiato" is, then, a latte macchiato. And due to the recipe, (vanilla syrup+milk, espresso on top, caramel topping) a vanilla latte macchiato. Scandal!

That's about it, I think.

Side note: A new barista at Racy's. One of about three I've seen.



Two of them are blond.



Just when you think you know someplace...

A tip

Try about a teaspoon of honey in your next cup of Racy Blend. It counter-acts the earthiness and brings out the cocoa. It'll taste like hot chocolate, I promise.

I think a it's time for a little 'splainin'

Chad, the mall store manager, was separated (Buxspeak: fired) from the company on Wednesday.

I'm not sure if he or the rest of are more shocked.

My theory is that if you're gettin' fired, you had better know it's coming, or there is something radically out of whack in your own perception or in your superior's interpersonal skills.

In the long scope of things, it sort of makes sense, though. Considering the recent happenings and announcement considering upper management re-alignment and streamlining, it's understandable that they would want to make any drastic changes as soon as possible.

The only reason I can find for Chad being let go so suddenly and without warning is that he was not leading the store to new performance goals, not making comps, and not making labor. Although to his credit, it is theoretically impossible to "make" labor in that store due to the projected and earned labor hours based on sales per hour per partner. Anyway.

I find myself now struggling to stick with a company that so boldly two-faced...they all are, though, but sometimes an air of monarchical superiority and infallibility creeps under that surface of compassion and responsibility. How am I supposed to remain enthusiastic and passionate all the while doing it for a DM who seems to have little consideration....

I know, I need to wait and find out the whole story before I get maniacal. I just hope I actally get to find out the whole story.

Oh god, who am I kidding...I work in a coffee shop.