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!!

I'll have a tall, non-fat, double....

A lot of people go into a coffee house and have no idea what anything is. You stand there and stare up at the menu with a look of utter confusion on your face. As you read espresso, latte, breve, americano, mocha, cappuccino, etc...what are these? I love it when a customer comes in and says, "I want something low fat" well that is pretty much just a black cup of hous coffee. There "specialty drinks" are delicious, but do contain milk and sometimes a sugary flavor. A mocha, is very popular, it consists of chocolate, espresso, and milk. The simple, Latte is very popular and a staple in any espresso addicts' diet. It is espresso and steamed milk, if you add a flavor then the drink becomes a little sweeter. So what's the deal with these fancy drinks that cost the same as a full meal at McDonalds? Well, it is a way of life. People are addicted to coffee and brewing just a black coffe at home gets old. These drinks taste different and a lot of times you are paying for the atmosphere.

Check out the drink menu I designed and posted on my website for a different class!

http://www.lpyatt.com/Images/brochure2.pdf

"If you're not wiping...!"

During my three years at Solid Rock I have been through two sets of owners. First were the Lee's. The Lee's were sometimes difficult to work for, but I did have a lot of fun working for them. Mike Lee would always say, "If you're not wiping, you're not working" or, "If you could be leaning then you should be cleaning."It was always like walking on egg shells with the Lee's, everthing had to be spotless and perfect all the time. There was no excuse for anyting but perfection.

After about a year and a half with the Lee's, our current owner Mel bought the coffee house and completely turned it around. Mel redecorated and really put her heart into the coffee house and making it somewhere that people could come in and relax. She focuses on customer service and runs the coffee house with a very laid back atmosphere. Mel has taught me a lot and she is like a mother to me. She is simply amazing and has been a tremendous blessing for the coffee house.

Where It All Began

For close to three years now I have been working at a small, privately owned coffee house, Solid Rock Kaffee Haus and Bistro. I absolutely love working here and often joke that if I could make a living off making coffee I would do it for the rest of my life.

There are several different groups of employees here that all play a different role in the running of the "haus." First, the "day ladies." This group consists of our owner, Mel, then Cathy, Pam, Shelia, and Sharon. Next we have the college girls, Heather, Allison, Kristen P., and myself. And finally our high school girls, Mallory, Kristen D., Alex, and Madison. I bounce back and forth between the college girls and our day ladies, I am in college, but I work during the day a lot with the day ladies and am one of the two "managers" other than our owner. Cathy and myself help Mel out with the running of the coffee house.

There are so many aspect of my story of three years here that there is a lot to come. This post is just simply setting the background.

You can check out our facebook page at the posted link. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=52630659735&ref=ts