Get ready for a whole new….

DUMBO Starbucks!

We are about to change who we are inside and out. There will be a new store look, new faces behind the counter, sampling every day, and, most importantly, better, faster, friendlier service.

Remember about a month ago when I described the new way we brew coffee? Remember my promise to figure out a way to use the new system effectively and efficiently so we never have to announce we’ve run out of coffee again? Well, we did just that. Of course, there is the occasional slip up, but I tell you the truth: I’d be shocked if we’ve had to ask more than five people to wait for coffee to be brewed in the past month. That’s a lot better than the five per day (at least!) we had to disappoint before using the new brewing system. I assure you, we will continue to perfect the technique until we never have to inconvenience someone again.

As I mentioned above, our store will be getting a new look over the next few days. We’ll still be open, as the revamping will be done in the wee hours of the night. New walls, new shelving, new counters…it will all be pristine, appealing and welcoming.

We’re also adding a few new partners. In the past month, we’ve been separated from four partners, some by choice, others by circumstance. This has opened up the door for us to hire some fresh faces who can bring some spirited excitement to DUMBO.

There’s also a rumor that Matt Byrd will be coming back (for those of you who know him, Matt started working at Starbucks the same day as I did, but left last January due to decreased availability). This would be a very welcome addition to our congenial crew.

I would post some before and after pictures during the remodeling, but policy forbids it. Thus, you’ll have to come by and see for yourself! I’d rather have visitors anyway.

Sometimes it’s good to have a little fun…

Espresso art is a pretty fascinating thing. I’m going to look into taking some classes in it when my schedule frees up a little bit. Until then, my textbook is YouTube and my classroom is the bar at work.
Here are just two examples of the fascinating, incredible designs you can make using espresso, milk, and chocolate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8mQpf5Mzk8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUZtbtbglZE&feature=related

Here are a few of my endeavors at advancing my skill:

We failed this morning.

We were the pig in the slaughterhouse, the fish who swallowed the hook, the emperor with no clothes…..and we had to utter the five words that plague all barista’s dreams: We are out of coffee.

You see, Starbucks’ corporate offices recently decided to implement a new brewing strategy that would virtually eliminate all possibility of running out of regular, bold, or decaffeinated coffee. Essentially, the innovation is a bright idea based on a rotation of urns with a new type of coffee being brewed every eight minutes. However, what this new system doesn’t fully take into account are the variations in demand for coffee during the morning rush. Thus, by the time it’s decaf’s turn to be brewed, we’re already out of regular, and any sidestepping of the new strategy throws the rhythm completely out of sync. Apparently, there are still some kinks to be worked out with the new method of brewing, but we’ll get it down soon, I assure you. A side note for all you coffee experts: there will be a subtle freshness added to the flavor of our coffee, as it is now freshly ground before each batch rather than all at once in the morning.

The details above lead me to recount a customer interaction I had this morning while on register around 9 a.m., smack dab in the middle of our busiest time.

A semi-regular customer (let’s name him Phil) walks up to me and asks for a grande Pike Place. Apologizing, I inform him we are clean out of regular coffee and ask if he wouldn’t mind waiting a few minutes for it. Phil begrudgingly mumbles an assent and once again buries his head into his Blackberry. Hating to not have coffee available, I tell Phil that he can have his morning brew for free in exchange for his waiting. However, this seems to vex Phil all the more and, without a word to me, he leaves, complaining to Amanda (a fellow barista) that the story is always the same in DUMBO Starbucks.

Phil, I’m sorry we ran out of coffee this morning. I promise you we’ll amend this new brewing system until your ears never have to hear the words “We are out of coffee” again.

In other news, I redecorated my hat…it was looking a bit grungy.

Rwanda is delicious…I’ll review it sometime very soon.

Spread the word! 🙂

Who can resist?