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Going for an interview in a formal meeting room can come across rather intimidating and many employers are coming to terms with how uneasy it can make an interviewee. Particularly with first stage interviews, the birth of coffee shop interviews have come to light in recent years as an alternative setting for hiring managers. It helps ease the candidate into the process and helps their nerves to be controlled.

Considering the more informal setting, it begs the question of how you should actually approach the interview. What should you wear? How should you act? What’s the next step of the process?

Here are some top tips on how you should approach an informal interview at a coffee shop.

Reasons for having a coffee interview

For many hiring managers, it is suggested that hosting an informal interview in a coffee shop helps the candidate to feel more comfortable to bring out their personality. Instead of an interview, it can be seen more as a discussion about aspirations, interests and why you wish to go for the job. By organising the first stage of the interview in this way, it’s felt that a hiring manager can get a better understanding of whether you would fit the job well. Similarly, it’s an informal way for you to learn more about the company.

Research before your interview

Although this considered an informal interview, you should prepare for it the exact same way you would with a normal interview. Remember, the meeting is still an interview. Even if you’re in a more casual setting, you’re still being judged on your personality, skills and responses. 

Research the company and what it’s purpose is. Do they have any recent achievements? Who are they? What are their specialised services? Now’s your time to show the effort you’ve been putting in to get to the next stage of the interview.

What should you wear?

Considering the nature of the meeting, you might question exactly what to wear for a coffee meeting. It’s not necessary to wear complete business attire, but neither should you turn up in fitness clothing and trainers. 

Casual business wear would be an appropriate outfit but just double check the place that you’re meeting at before going ahead - it could be an extremely posh coffee shop. Be sure that your clothes looking neat and clean before attending.

Should you bring anything with you?

What would you bring to formal interview? Run through that exact same checklist and bring that with you. The typical essentials would be a notepad and pen, a business card (if you have one), a copy of your resume and references if you have them available.

Order a coffee

If you’ve found yourself turning up earlier than your interviewer, it’s up to you whether you prefer to wait or order yourself a coffee. Traditionally, the interviewer will pick up the tab considering they would have suggested the place to have the meeting.

Just stick to coffee though. You’ll be exchanging plenty of dialogue which means food may not necessarily be appropriate. It will be a distraction throughout the interview.

Keep your focus on the interview

There’s likely to be distractions during the interview considering it’s a public coffee shop. There’ll be plenty of conversations being had, potentially music playing in the background and plenty of plates & mugs clattering about. Either way, keep your focus remained on the interview and think about what you need to do to make a good impression.

Next steps

Once you’ve had the interview, remember to exchange contact information with your interviewer. It can help with growing your network and keeping in contact for any potential opportunities if it doesn’t work out.

Thank the recruiter/interviewer for their time and reiterate your interest in the position and looking forward to the next part of the process. Follow up with an email too. It helps you to keep fresh in the mind of the interviewer.

As colder weather is well on its way, coffee-lovers are gearing up to try the best fall has to offer in the way of coffee. With over 350 million pumpkin spice lattes sold each fall, cafes aiming to meet their customers’ seasonal needs should consider getting creative with their fall flavors this year. Read on for four ways coffeeshops can spice up their menus this fall.

Try New Holiday Flavors

The onslaught of fall signals the arrival of the holiday season. With the likes of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Chanukah, and Christmas on the way, now is the perfect time of year for coffeeshops to start their rollout of holiday offerings. Baristas can create these holiday drinks by mixing seasonal classics like pumpkin, cinnamon, and hot chocolate with everyday drinks like drip coffee, cold brew, lattes, and other staples. With these bold new flavors, coffee shops will find that they're able to help get their customers in the holiday spirit and invite them to return for these seasonal drinks.

Order Exotic Coffee Online

With the cold weather starting to arrive, more and more customers will start ordering hot drinks by the mug- and thermos-load. Cafes hoping to diversify their regulars’ palates can order new flavors online. With exotic beans from sources like Nairobi Coffee, coffee shop owners will be able to give their customers the taste of something new.

Introduce Seasonal Creamers

The most popular coffee shops don’t let the coffee have all the fall fun. With the help of some seasonal creamers, customers can get creative with mixing fall flavors into their own cups of coffee. By offering everything from pumpkin spice flavored creamers to peppermint mocha half-and-half, coffeeshops can bring a bit of the fall festivities into their store.

Bring on the Spices

What better time to spice things up than in the fall? In keeping with the tradition of giving customers the option to add fall flavors to their daily cup of joe, coffeeshop owners hoping to celebrate this time of year should set up special spices for the season. Vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, lavender, cardamom, and more are all tasty choices for this time of year. Coffeeshop owners can make this process even more exciting by leaving a list of what spices pair best with each blend of coffee.

With fall and the holidays on their way, it’s coffee’s time to shine. Coffeeshops that are hoping to give their usual crowd some special seasonal varieties should be sure to keep these four fall ideas in mind.

When it comes to opening a new coffee shop, one of the more exciting elements (after funds are secured and everything is settled) is the actual design of the shop. Finding the right style to fit in with your aspirations and create the right ‘vibe’ is extremely important. 

As such, there are a number of ways that you can decorate a coffee shop to match current contemporary tastes. These styles include ideas like: 

Italiana 

Italy is the birthplace of coffee, so it’s not surprising that you might want to make your shop a homage to this sacred land. And, remember, if this is what you choose to do the decor alone isn’t important. You must produce a high-quality espresso as well. Otherwise, can you really call yourself an Italian coffee shop? Probably not. 

If you want an authentic coffee shop, then Italia is the only country for you to aspire to. 

Minimalism 

Of course, you may also want to keep things simple. In which case you may be considering using the style of minimalism, which, at its core, is simplicity itself. All you need is good lighting, comfortable furniture, a few good art pieces and your minimalist look is complete. 

Everything has its place, nothing is without purpose; the core tenet of minimalism. 

Parisian 

Other than Italy, if we think about good coffee then the next place that pops into mind is a little place called Paris. This style benefits from beautiful awnings, a sunny outside seating area and high-quality pastries to munch alongside a cup of coffee. Eclectic art and dim lighting inside are the best way to complete this aesthetic. 

Industrialist 

The Industrial Revolution was a time of innovation and change, so emulating the style that takes its name from what the period birthed can be fitting for your new shop. This means lots of bare metal, designer bar stools, concrete walls and countertops, with sharp lighting. It’s easy to make this kind of setting, but harder to make it feel comfortable. So, remember to add some creature comforts like cushions, etc. 

Rustic 

Rustic styling choices are very in Vogue right now and it can attract city slickers wanting to escape to the country in droves. It starts with exposed wood, old-style lighting (think bare Edison bulbs) and stripped back metal furniture, similar to the industrial style but not quite. 

Coffee shops with a high volume of customers need every square foot of space that is available, especially if you are a local or independent store. The space is especially valuable when you have frequent customer turnover, which is often the case when people order beverages and snacks rather than meals. If you need to open up your coffee shop and free more usable space, the following tips may help.

Stacked Storage

Look for out-of-the-way areas where wall shelving could be installed. Then, fill the shelves with colorful or thematic bins with supplies and products. The bins can also be decorated with signage or other items to make them more interesting and flow with the rest of the room. Also, check floor storage to see if there is space to place smaller containers on top of bigger ones. If you can’t find ahorizontal area to work with, go vertical.

Counter Storage

Use your available counter space for attractive packages and containers that will not only find a place in the shop to be stored but also attract the interest of customers as they step up to the counter for service. While you don’t want to wall-in the sales associates working behind the counter, there may be enough workspace to add some exciting displays that will accent rather than compete with the existing décor. You can also set up cap displays at the end of the counter where items can be readily viewed by customers.

Compact Equipment

Bigger is not always better. Look for smaller versions of your necessary equipment that will use less space in your coffee shop. For example, a touch screen POS system is generally lighter than a full-scale cash register or till. If feasible, consider smaller units for your dishwasher, microwave oven, refrigerator, toaster oven, and coffeemakers to make the shop look less crowded. Choose a style and color of equipment that blends with the decorating scheme. The only reason to have more space for some of these items is to use them to store more food or wash more dishes, but as you will need to be constantly washing and swapping out dishes and food, having more compact but quicker products will be sure to help.

Adjustable Seating

Avoid furnishings that are connected to the wall or floor. Store any unneeded seating like chairs or benches as well as tables in a back room to open up the café for customer comfort. Configure the seating area to meet customer need on a given day or time. Smaller tables and seating options will also provide more open space, along with a narrow counter. Consider adding options for outdoor seating, if possible.

Keeping your coffee shop accessible and convenient for guests is important as it encourages them to come back with a guest or two. Try these space-saving methods to avoid a cramped feeling in your shop and to keep customers happy and relaxed.

Organization is essential for any and all serious businesses in this day and age. If you run a cafe, then you need to make organization one of your biggest daily priorities. Failure to do so can lead to all kinds of disaster scenarios. If you’re interested in keeping all of the deliveries you receive 100 percent organized, then these practices can work out nicely for you.

Recruit a Team Member to Take Care of Delivery Matters

Odds are high that your hands are tied with the ins and outs of heading a cafe. That’s why it may be in your best interests to hire a team member who can manage your deliveries on his or her own. Recruit a professional who has a methodical mind. Recruit someone who knows how to keep track of little details without confusion as well.

Prioritize Routine Maintenance

Receiving docks are vital aspects of the management of cafe deliveries. If you want all of your establishment’s deliveries to go off without a hitch, then you need to keep your receiving dock garage door in fine working order. That means that you should hire a professional technician who can troubleshoot and repair it on a regular basis. Try to manage garage door issues before they’re able to escalate and cause business disruptions.

Write Things Down

Cafe owners always have a lot on their plates, no pun intended. If you want to stay on top of any and all delivery matters, then you need to keep meticulous records at all times. Stay on top of the days of the week that involve deliveries. Stay on top of delivery payment options and related topics, too. If you don’t, you could end up feeling overwhelmed and lost pretty quickly.

Keep Your Cafe Nice and Tidy

A cafe that’s messy and that’s full of clutter can make handling deliveries hard. If you want to safeguard yourself from the stresses of lost deliveries, misplaced packages, and beyond, then you need to go the extra mile to keep your establishment neat and clean no matter what. Try to spruce your cafe up daily. It can help to do a bit of cleaning work before closing time each evening.

Organization is imperative for cafe success. It’s essential to focus on deliveries that are efficient, organized, and streamlined. If you want to save yourself from time wasting, frustration, and similar dilemmas, then these tips can accomplish a lot for you.

Your employees are the most valuable assets within your cafe business. To ensure operational sustainability within your business, it is important to invest in making your workers feel as secure and well-equipped as possible. Providing your workers with the right working conditions and tools necessary for them to perform their daily duties boosts their operational efficiency. Here are four tips on what to focus on when thinking of how to keep your cafe employees efficient.

Maintain the Necessary Environment

The cafe business can be quite challenging, especially since employees spend the entire day walking up and about serving customers. Such employees can easily get tired if their working environment is not optimized for their comfort. You should focus on giving your workers the right kind of working environment by ensuring spacious working spaces. Including the right level of lighting within your cafe by installing an 8ft LED tube also helps add to the workplace’s ambiance.

Implement the Right Workplace Policies

For your employees to work efficiently and meet their targets, it is important to ensure that they operate within a specified framework of recommendable policies. Like any other workplace environment, it is important to have some guidelines which take care of the employees’ welfare, such as limiting the number of hours they can work. Part of the policy should also stipulate a commensurate payment in return for the hard work they put in. This increases their motivation and dedication to your business.

Incorporating the Right Equipment and Technology

Equipment and technology are also important in determining how efficient your employees will be. There are tens of different recommendable cafe technologies that you can put in place within your business to help boost workers’ efficiency. For instance, using a point-of-sale system can greatly increase the workers’ ability to serve more customers with great accuracy. Additional equipment and technology include tools designed to perform different functions within a café, such as preparing and dispensing beverages.

Skill Matching and Employee Advancement

The cafe business is quite specific in terms of the required skillsets and the role they play in ensuring that your workers are efficient in their performance. When hiring your workers, it is advisable to ensure that their skills are correctly matched with the responsibilities they are allotted. A worker who has excellent skills in customer service will do very well in front-of-the-house management as compared to a worker who has good cooking skills, who is best suited for the kitchen.

In conclusion, just like any other business, your cafe business needs much attention to ensure that your employees are efficient. Emphasis should be put on giving your workers an opportunity to leverage their skills with the right tools and technologies.

Deciding to open a restaurant is a big step in your life. You’ve determined that your main draw for customers will be the fact that they can pay-by-weight for the food that they purchase. However, before you jump headfirst into opening your new restaurant, here are a few things that you should know.

Customers Still Like Prepared Meal Options

When it comes to a pay-by-weight type of restaurant, many may think of a buffet-style setup where customers add whatever food they desire to their plate. Although this is a fundamental part of allowing customers to pick their meal, you don’t want to stop at that. Make up a menu with prepared meal options. This way, consumers can get their food faster. Plus, this allows consumers to make fewer decisions than having to go through a buffet line. While more decisions may seem appealing at first, they tend to make us tired. Instead, having fewer options allows the decision making to be much smoother.

Have Your POS System Picked Out

One of the most important components of your day-to-day business is going to be accepting payments from customers. You want to make this process as smooth as possible to ensure that your customers are happy and your employees can be as efficient as possible. There are various point of sale systems out there to choose from. Some allow for quicker customer checkouts while others allow for more streamlined ordering. Take some time to look through the various systems available and pick one that caters to your needs.

Advertising Is a Necessity

You can prepare tons of food and stand at the door waiting for customers, but without advertising, you’re not going to see many of them. There are tons of different restaurants out there for people to choose from. You need to think from the perspective of your potential consumers to see what allows your restaurant to stand out from the rest. In this case, it’s going to be the fact that they pay-by-weight for their food. This is still a fairly new concept that will pique the interest of many consumers. Be sure to get advertising out a lot, especially when you first open to alert consumers of your presence in the market.

You are probably itching to get your doors open and customers rolling in. However, realize that a little bit of planning now will help to ensure that you have a successful pay-by-weight restaurant for a long time. You should include the above three strategies in your restaurant business to get started on the right footing.

Running any kind of dining establishment is something that calls for a significant degree of organization. Customers are put off by chaotic settings, and understandably so. If you head a cafe, then you should make organizing your food storage space well a top priority. Better organization can make getting around your cafe a lot easier and more pleasant for all guests. It can make your cafe look a lot more appealing, too.

Take the Gradual Tidying Approach

Tell yourself that you’re going to do a little bit of tidying up prior to closing each evening. If you take this approach, you won’t burden yourself. Storing food properly can be a relatively quick process for people who don’t neglect things. If you take a slapdash approach to food storage, spoilage may become a huge issue for you. It’s an issue that can waste a lot of money, too.

Invest in Sturdy Stackable Bins

Bins that are stackable can help you safeguard all sorts of food items and supplies for your cafe. They don’t take up a lot of room at all, either. If you don’t want to interfere with foot traffic in your storage space, then the use of stackable bins can go a long way. Try to find bins that are known for resilience and durability. Powerful bins can stand the test of time.

Hire a Professional to Take on Organizational Duties

If you run a cafe, you may be too busy to manage food storage organization tasks on your own. If you are, then it may be wise for you to recruit a designated professional. Ask a member of your staff if he can handle organizational duties for you on a daily basis. Teach this employee about all proper and safe food storage techniques. You should stress the value of sanitation as well.

Emulate Neat and Tidy Establishments Nearby

Take note of “rival” cafes that have big customer bases in your community. If you’re able to get a glimpse of their food storage areas, try to emulate what they’re doing. Emulate establishments that are associated with order and hygiene. A few simple tweaks may make your food storage area a lot easier to navigate.

Your cafe’s food storage area should be streamlined. Locating items in this space should be a cinch. The last thing you want is a food storage space that makes you feel overwhelmed and bewildered. Ample organization can take your establishment far.