Boredom=Candyland

Well, I got to spend another weekend at the coffee house. It has been really slow lately. I think the economy and it's problems are trickling down and affecting the small businesses out there. People are not spending that extra few dollars a day on a cup of coffee or lunch. It is really boring when the business is slow. I spend a lot of time cleaning and organizing things. Friday, I washed all the blenders and wiped down the stands and walls around the blender area. We also color coded the plates and organized the soup bowls. Sometimes, it is just so boring and we run out of things to do so we play games. We have board games that we play sometimes. Candyland and puzzle races are a favorite of the barista's!

Mmmm...Coffee

I have recently discovered my taste to coffee has been spoiled. Working at a coffee house you drink a lot of that coffee. Then when you try to drink a different brand it does not taste right. The negative side to this is that generally the coffee served in coffee houses is more expensive than the foldges you buy at the grocery store. I have recently discovered that I now suffer fromn this. I can no longer drink my cheap coffee. I find it disgusting. I have spoiled myself on this "fancy" coffee. I wonder if it is possible to retrain my taste buds to like the cheaper brands again or if I should just give into the desire to have my high-class caffiene? Coffee is an addictive thing! I don't really think the caffiene wakes me up. So I don't really know why I drink it, I guess I have started to enjoy the taste of it.

A Real Customer? What?

This weekend I got to go to the coffee house and not work. I got to stop in on my way to somewhere else and be an actual customer. Well, sort of. No employee can ever actually be a customer, we all pitch in with whatever we can when we are there. And when you are behind the counter customers tend to think that you are working. It was nice to be able to go in and just have a cup of coffee and talk to the girls for a minute. I hadn't seen them in so long since cutting back my hours and it was a nice change.

This coming week I get to go back to working two days and I am so excited. It is nice to get excited about a job. I grew up with parents who both disliked their jobs and I always believed that everyone did. But you don't have to hate your job. Working can be enjoyable.

Where Did I Go

Besides working in a coffee house I do have a lot of other responsibilities that have caused me to have to cut back my hours. I also have a second job at the Webster Leads office, take classes, am involved in several clubs and activities, and am an officer for Delta Phi Epsilon.

All this has caused me to have to cut back my hours at the coffee house to two days a week, and recently I have been only able to work one day a week. I don't like this, I like to be able to take on as much as I want. And cutting back has been hard. It also makes it hard because so much changes on a weekly or sometimes daily basis at the coffee house. When I do work I feel like I have missed so much and don't know what is going on anymore. It is very frustrating because I am considered a manager and when I don't have the answers sometimes it make me or the coffee house look bad and that is not a good thing for business. I am hoping that I will be able to pick up mor hours again soon.

What's a Barista Do?

Being a barista is necessarily a hard job, but is a job that takes a lot of memorization and patience. There are so many aspects to what we do. At the coffee house we have to learn how to use the cash register, remember prices of drinks, food, and merchandise, learn how to make espresso, drinks and steam milk, learn how to make frozen drinks and also learn the kitchen and cooking of food. There are also special procedures for cleaning and closing is a time consuming task that isn't alway fun. Working at Solid Rock has showed me how hard it is to run a business and how much work goes into them. One can never fully understand the work and procdures until you work at a place and see every aspect of the operation. I have new respect for small buisness owners and the work that they put into their companies. It is amazing how everything has to work together in harmony in order to get a place up and running.

Home Is Where My Heart Is

Working at the coffee house is the highlight of my week. Over the summer and during breaks from school I work just about everyday, which is only five days a week, we are closed on Sunday's and Monday's. I absolutely love going in. When I am home and work a lot, I get to get close to my co-workers again and really miss them when I leave. It is a family there and now when I come in after having not been able to work for a while I get a very warm welcome. Today I hadn't seen anyone in about a week and as soon as the bells on the door rang I heard Mel scream, "It's my favorite barista!" And then I always get a hug from her. She is like a second mother to me and it is great to know that when I am away I can always go back there.

Recently I have been realizing how I will be leaving soon. It is that time where I am growing up and will soon have a real job. I already know that my hours will probably be less this summer because it is in my plan to have an internship this summer. Hopefully Solid Rock will always be my home and I will be welcome back whenever I can make it!

Everybody Knows Your Name

Now that I have given you an understanding of some of the different drinks coffee houses serve, here's why mine is unique. At solid rock, we also have a full breakfast and lunch/dinner menu. Our food is similar to that of Panera, but I think it's better!! We have soups, sandwiches, and wraps, our best seller, our famous chicken salad!!
Coming to Solid Rock is an enjoyable experience, you get great customer service and products that are top of the line delicious!

We have our regular customers...it's kind of like Cheers where everyone knows your name. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD8ljNobUys

One of my favorite customers is JB and his son Carter. JB has been coming in since before I started. We know exctly what he gets and start his order as soon as we spot him. he knows us too and also picks on us and gives a hard time. His son Carter is three and adorable, he likes to come behind the counter with us and organize our table numbers that we give to customers, we teach him colors and numbers with them. And everyday when he gets ready to leave he comes and gives Mel, Cathy, and myself a hug goodbye. It really just makes my day!!