Establish standard operating procedures (SOPs) that include equipment operations, cleanliness, maintenance, and repairs. Establish holding times, service standards and quantitative and qualitative measurements to determine when coffee is acceptable and unacceptable. Then train, train, train your staff on the SOP's. Regularly review your operation from the customers perspective and be sure you are exceeding expectations. Test your coffee, taste your coffee, and become your most expert quality controller based on familiarity. Remember your customer drink your coffee everyday and are experts on consistency - your staff needs to be better to be proactive on quality control and consistency.

Consistency in coffee service is maintained through daily calibration and extensive tasting. However, it's equally essential to undergo periodic checks by technicians to guarantee the proper functioning of equipment. This dual approach, blending regular tastings with professional technical assessments, ensures not only the quality of our coffee but also the seamless operation of our equipment.

First-in=first-out is the inventory control mantra. Keep enough coffee on hand so you do not run out, but not so much that it begins to oxidize or stale before is is brewed and served. Actual par stock levels is based on sales and business volume. Pay attention to and respect use by dates. Ground coffee reduces quality within one day if the package is open. Whole bean coffee reduces quality within 2 weeks if the package is open. Don't get lazy - if you grind on demand before brewing DO NOT grind coffee into the filters at the beginning of the shift and stack them together to make brewing faster. Do not open portion pack to fill the filters either. Fast brewing of stale coffee will disappoint your customers.

Take customer comments seriously. Regular customers feedback is critical because they are more familiar with quality and consistency than others, maybe even your own staff. Train your staff to review your coffee program from the customers perspective, both literally and figuratively. Then compare to your competitor. Remember, the best coffee is not the one you like, or the one that scores the highest cupping score from your supplier or the highest rated or highest price at an auction. The best coffee is the one that sells, so take your customer feedback seriously and pay attention to their preferences and buying habits.

Reaching a plateau may provide respite when hiking, but in business will delay your progress and allow you competitors to overtake you. Challenge yourself to be better, faster, stronger, to have fresher coffee, friendlier customer service, and cleaner equipment. Review your operations versus your direct and indirect competitors and find way to constantly impriove, change for the sake if change is counterproductive and creates inconsistency. Change for sake of improvement is welcome. However, because coffee is ritualistic be careful with sudden and sever changes. Ask your staff and your regular customers on ideas to update SOPs, quality standards, or other opportunities for improvement. Don't plateau.

Ignoring your competitors is a strategic mistake. It is best to be friendly competitors because you may share the same customers. When completing your own SWOT analysis of your business (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats), I suggest completing similar research on your competitors and comparing the results. Look at the menu, product prices, and merchandising. Consider the effectiveness of staff and any changes to the atmosphere. Be your own customer and be a customer of your competitors - it is best to judge a business from the customers perspective for both product quality and customer service. We get too comfortable and familiar with our own operations - change your perspective and really see what the customers see.

Its good to ask customers for honest feedback and keep testing the quality and taste of your coffee. Its also important to have people who are in the coffee business to taste and evaluate the service and quality if your product. Its important to understand why someone likes your competitor’s coffee as the best coffee is the one you like. Always innovate and try to collaborate. Working with your competitors can add a lot of value both from a learning and adding value perspective.

This is the area that most people miss. Serving great coffee is all well and good, but almost every restaurant and cafe nowadays serves a quality product. Coffee itself is no longer the key differentiator in a cafe's business. As with any F&B business, it's the team and culture that makes the difference. Want people to come back time and time again? Create the best environment. You can get great quality anywhere, with loyalty programs and speciality menus. But when everything is special, nothing is. Train, develop & coach your team to the top. Create a culture worth celebrating and showcase this to your guests. That's what they'll come back for