About this episode
What is the "Best" coffee shop? As long as coffee and coffee shops have been around, us humans have been rather preoccupied with what the best coffee of coffee shop is. We have our own personal scale of judgment, then there are local popularity contests put on by city papers. Most famously over the past decade or two we have developed barista, brewing, coffee shop, and cupping competitions to determine quality. All of this is to my mind, not just to try to figure out "the best", but to extol virtues we desire to see continued in that category assuming that if they do then it will be a net gain for everyone seeking consistent enjoyment. Today on the show we get to talk about nature of this construct, why it is a bad thing to base your business on, how we can put the idea of being "the best" into its proper place in our minds so it does not become a distraction from the ways we can truly find fulfillment and meaningfulness in our work serving coffee. Related episodes: 454: Creating a Vibrant Coffee Bar w/ Charles Babinski of Cafe 143 in Sydney, AUS 433: Winning Staff and Customer Loyalty 390 : 7 Ways to be Consciously Competitive 485: Your Shop vs The Industry - How to Free Yourself From Dependency SHIFT BREAK: Minding Our Business 447: Understanding the Business of Coffee w/ Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood Key Holder Coaching Group Applications are Open! APPLY TODAY! Get the best brewer and tool for batch espresso, iced lattes, and 8 minute cold brew! www.groundcontrol.coffee The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com