school (6)

Adapting to different cafe settings

We have just opened a new cafe inside an International School campus. This cafe is designed to provide quality coffee and cakes (and light foods) to parents, staff and senior students. After the first week I am coming to the conclusion that I kind of underestimated the volume of business as well as the dynamics and menu mix of what customers want.We knew that compared to our other cafes ticket average would be far lower, volume of drinks a lot higher. What I did not expect was just how much volume of coffee we would be doing. The differential between drinks and food is large. I have 3 barista working flat out on a 2 group machine over the busy periods (before school, morning break, lunch break and after school). to cope with coffee demand Even with this manpower we are struggling. Problem is compounded by the fact that we are only managing the cafe and had no imput in the design. It is a lesson for me on several fronts.Week one was what they call here a "soft" launch... so we have not yet got around to adding the full menu options of sandwiches, salads, soups and Panini! As we traditionally have done our own foods it now looks like this might be difficult. Prepping on site is problematic due to space restrictions. Bringing the food items mentioned in from an external food supplier is not a fit for our ethos of business management... and the GP on the prices expected are not going to fit together and work.Secondly I think we(I) should have gone for a 3 group machine, instead of a two group. We have a 3 group lever in another cafe doing less volume on the coffee side of the business. Would think, looking at the kg we are putting through, that this new cafe might be putting out the equivalent volume as a 500 room hotel does (here in Jakarta... not in Europe or NZ which would be far higher I am sure). I have in the past over estimated coffee production... first time I have under estimated it.Anyway, lessons learnt going into week 2 will require some big revisions as well as some smaller, tidier tweaks of existing systems.
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graph_0.jpgFor all the coffee bar owners out there! I wanted to tell you all about a newer class that we are offering at the ABC school called Coffee CFO. This two-day workshop is lead by Chris Legler, whose vast experience and knowledge of finance specifically tailored to the coffee industry, brings an unrivaled expertise to your business. Chris’ expertise includes financial management, roasting coffee, business ownership and a great understanding of business operations. Chris has held executive positions in finance and administration, marketing, retail operations and strategic planning. He was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Barnie’s Coffee and Tea Company and has held positions of increasing responsibility with Starbucks Coffee Company, Sony, British Petroleum, Blockbuster Entertainment and Eddie Bauer. Read Chris' complete bio and read about Chris and the Coffee CFO class in Bruce Milletto's Blog. Money back guarantee! If you feel you have not received information worth at least double the cost of the class, we will write you a full tuition refund check — no questions asked. Class includes a Financial Workbook to help you assess the financial health of your business and increase profits. Optimize the overall profitability of your coffee business legler_1_2.jpgIndividual entrepreneurs and small chains often don't have the financial resources to hire a Chief Financial Officer, even though financial management is one of the most important components of running a successful business. Our Coffee CFO course will give you the tools you need to manage the financial side of your business and the confidence and skills to take it to the next level. This two-day course will take a comprehensive look at how to optimize the overall profitability of your coffee business. Creating a successful business involves understanding how to increase long-term profitability through sales growth while managing your costs at an optimal level. Also knowing how to manage your available cash is crucial to managing the growth of your business. This course will start by learning how to analyze current sales. This can be key to developing marketing initiatives as well as product offerings that will grow your revenue. You will also gain a better understanding of the costs of your beverages and other products. This will help you determine pricing structures as well as where to focus your energies. Managing labor to an optimal level will help drive your sales while maintaining an affordable cost structure. The class will spend time looking at the complexities of labor. Understanding the capacities and current asset utilizations can help your company free up cash flow that can be used to expand your business. This workshop will examine ways to increase your cash flow by examining inventory returns, equipment investments, systems investments and human capital. This includes how to evaluate a new site from a financial prospective including sales and cost projections as well as common items to look for in negotiating with landlords. The course will wrap up with an all important view of prioritization of your financial needs. Planning the course through simple budgeting will allow you to better achieve the goals that you have set. A well thought out plan will also point out where improvements are needed. Next class date is May 10-11! For more inf go to the American Barista & Coffee School website, or call us 800-655-3955.
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We are proud to announce the next Barista Exchange Meet Up will take place Friday, April 11th in conjunction with the NERBC. The party is sponsored by the American Barista & Coffee School Here are the details: Friday, April 11th, 2008 8pm - 1am Ithaca, NY The Chanticleer Loft (corner of Cayuga St. and State St.) Barista Exchange members will receive their official Barista Exchange Member buttons, if you don't already have one. Come rock out with baristas and coffee fanatics. For more info you can message Erin McCarthy.
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Just a reminder to everyone in the Portland area that tonight is the Celbration of Dr. Illy's life at the American Barista & Coffee School. The party will start at 6pm with wine and Italian appetizers. Also, espresso will be flowing for sure! 7pm we will be watching the full Dr. Illy Milan interviews. Feel free to invite anyone who is interested in learning more from a true luminary and mentor to us all. See you tonight! 6pm - 9pm ABC School 1028 SE Water Ave. Suite 150 Portland, OR 97214
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At Bellissimo’s January 2008 staff retreat, we discussed if it was possible to re-release the complete Dr. Illy Milan Interview, which we originally released on video a few years ago. We all agreed that the time was right for the latest generation of coffee people to see this 75-minute interview and be exposed to the insight and amazing perspective offered by Dr. Illy. Last week as we got the sad news of Dr. Illy's passing, and at the end of the week the DVDs arrived in our office. Re-releasing this interview is not about making money — the thousands of people in the coffee industry who should watch it, will probably never find it on our site. This release is only about making it available, and those who purchase it will not be sorry. I just watched the interview again, after not having seen it for a number of years, and I was blown away at the information that it contains. 25% of the proceeds will be donated to Coffee Kids. We will be having a Celebration of the Life of Dr. Illy at the American Barista & Coffee School on February 22nd, 2008. The night will include wine, Illy espresso, a time for people to tell stories about meeting Dr. Illy and how he had a profound influence on so many of us in the coffee industry. We will be watching the Dr. Illy Milan Interviews in their entirety as well. We really hope that many of you can make it to the event, and join us in paying respect to such a passionate and unique person, who dedicated his life to the advancement of espresso and specialty coffee. If you cannot make it but would still like to watch the DVD we do have them available on the Bellissimo website. 6:00 p.m - 9:00 p.m. Friday, February 22 at the American Barista & Coffee School, 1028 SE Water Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97214. This event will be a celebration of the life of the good doctor. We hope you can attend. For directions or to RSVP please email or call us at 800-655-3955
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i have the flu|grad school news

i have a wicked fever right now. bleccccch. i want swirl sherbet. my cousins used to call it "squirrel sherbet" because they were little and funny.also, i got into grad school! i am going to be going to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for a Masters' in Library Science. yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
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