You know when you’re young and invincible? Perhaps you are at that stage now, or perhaps you remember when you were, or perhaps you think you still are. I’m at the ‘think you still are stage’. That is until I get home and sit down. I remember when I was at the ‘I know I […]
The Importance of Shoes – An Explanation Read More »
In case you were not aware, Tamper Tantrum is probably best described as a forum for selected coffee professionals to be able to put across a viewpoint in front of an audience, which is then allowed to go live on the internet via iTunes and the Tamper Tantrum podcast. What makes this even more amazing
Tamper Tantrum Birmingham – Peter Dore-Smith Live Speech Read More »
Last week was pretty busy, not just in the shop itself but all over the place. On Monday on my day off I caught up with Kaffeine legend Karolina Malinowska for lunch and we went to Workshop in Clerkenwell, then on Tuesday I had minor surgery to my elbow to remove a cyst, leaving me
It’s been a proud week Read More »
We don’t mind a bit of competition. It’s healthy and good for you, in fact it’s good for everyone, the staff, the business and especially the customer. It could be competing to beat our own sales or coffee records, or other cafes opening nearby who copy most of the things that we do, or just
Competition Time – Or ‘Bring it On’ Read More »
My wife used to work on the corner of Great Titchfield and Mortimer, from about 2007 to 2009. That is how we found our location. We knew that the demographic of fashion, media, design, advertising was suitable towards our business concept, and also that we would enjoy opening and running a business with that demographic.
West Fitzrovia – It’s all happening in 2014 Read More »
You probably cannot get more of an informed point of view than Jason Atherton at the moment, and in an interview in the Caterer magazine last week, they asked him about how he manages to maintain his standards with all the openings of restaurants he has had recently. One of the answers was about the
‘When systems fail, chaos reins’ – Jason Atherton Read More »
A very good manager I worked with a long time ago taught me this. If something is wrong or broken, fix it immediately. If something needs to happen to make the work of your staff all that easier, do it as soon as possible. If you need a new piece of equipment that will improve
Get it Fixed – Why getting things sorted quickly is so important Read More »
As we finished for the Christmas break, two of our ‘legend status’ staff members finished up at Kaffeine, Julia and Blazej. Julia: Julia has been working at Kaffeine since August 2011, primarily on service. Julia’s hair styles were one of the most noticeable aspects about her, but was also even more important was the rapport
Kaffeine Legends – Julia Cornish and Blazej ‘Blaze’ Stempin Read More »
Karolina left us this week. Does that sound dramatic? It’s meant to, as Karolina ‘Special K’ has joined a select group of staff who are qualified Kaffeine legends. Those who have worked here, made their mark, made their impression and given their time, passion and energy to the business. Those who will always be remembered.
Kaffeine Legend – Karolina ‘Special K’ Malinowska Read More »
What is one of the most important aspects of operating a food business? To be very blunt, it is most probably making sure you do not make your customers very ill (or worse) with your food. It’s quite a responsibility. It’s also to ensure that for your staff and for your customers you are operating
Food Safety – The responsibility of not making people really ill (or worse) Read More »
