Once the physical space exists, it’s time to staff it up. And a quintessential component of any good business is having good people operating it.
Though there is the possibility of high turnover, Jashinski is very specific in who he hires to work in his coffee shops. He hires based on passion and intelligence over experience.
“Anyone can make coffee. It’s about passion and being taught [correctly],” Jashinski said. “It’s hard to know how someone will react to customers, or waking up at 5 a.m., or being flustered.”
Once the staff is in place, it’s time to focus on what the actual shop experience will be like. This means first doing trial runs with employees pretending to be customers and quizzing the staff on what common questions or requests could be. Staffers have the opportunity to rotate through roles to get practice, time how long it takes to make drinks, get used to greeting customers, and prepare for any questions that could be asked.
“It’s pretty much like a dress rehearsal,” Jashinski said.
And in the process, coffee shops can expect to waste a lot of product, though it’s a necessity of the training. Jashinski sets high standards for nailing the product preparation every time, acutely aware that he only has one chance to make a first impression for every new customer. If the coffee is prepared to be the best it can be every single time, then that’s an opportunity for every single visitor to be wow’ed.
Even after multiple runs to iron out the kinks, there will inevitably be things that nobody has thought of. Enter: soft openings. Well before any official grand opening, Jashinski recommends a series of soft openings with family and friends — or even letting unknown customers wander in for a few hours — to get feedback on their experience and the staff’s readiness. This includes incorporating anonymous surveys into the experience for guests immediately when their visit comes to a close in order to get raw, honest feedback. Friends’ and family’s positive encouragement is nice, but anonymous feedback is from where real growth stems.
And while a grand opening date is useful for a big marketing push, Jashinski offers this pro tip: actually open your doors a few days before that date. It affords the chance for the business to operate when things (most likely) won’t be busy, and everyone can get comfortable in the space.
“There’s always stuff that comes up. There’s always stuff you didn’t think about,” Jashinski said. Having that extra time is another buffer for sorting through incidents like when water isn’t getting through the pipes correctly or the printer stops working.