This is my favorite subject and a nightmare for many. I hire great people. This is truly my favorite part of the whole business. You can not thrive in the coffee business if you do not like people.Initially, some people find it best to work the business by themselves. I strongly suggest this unless you have a busy location. Most people realize you are new and will be patient if you are slightly slower with service at first, as long as their beverage is exactly how they like it. This is a point I stress with all my staff…
No matter what - make sure the customer leaves with their beverage just as they like it.
First, I think it wise to have your personality be the “face ” of your business, so its essential to be selective about who you pick. People like to know who they are dealing with and who they are supporting. Second, I think it is advisable to have at least one other person trained for each role:
- Just in case there happens to be an emergency at some point.
- Or in the wonderful event your slammed with business.
Working your business will give you a feel for the business and your customer - if you end up with a cog in the wheel employee ~ you will know “from experience” if what they are telling you is accurate. You will know because you have done it, or you have dealt with that customer.
I do not mind hiring people without experience. I look for personality. I ask questions that will indicate to me if they are trainable. I can train anyone who wants to be trained. I can not train anyone who knows it all and is not trainable. Many people do not like students. For my first cafe I hired 22 employees. All of them were students. 2 were collage seniors. One had great experience and came with a friend who had no experience and a great personality. I hired them together. I knew I would loose them in 6-9 months. I hired all other college students except 2 high school aged kids. Both the high school student were very organized and high achievers. When I hired this large number of employees I told them my personal goals and goals for the business. I also told them that I realized they had another life other than my coffee business. I told them what I could offer them ( which by some compensation packages wasn’t much). But I told them one thing I can offer you is flexibility. I told them I could work around their schedules. Our work schedule was set for 4 months at a time and I have never had a shift missed or not covered.
It was a real compliment when I had people say they wanted to volunteer with my coffee business just to be around my business, and the positive environment we fostered and grew. People really wanted to be associated with the business. I treat my employees with dignity. What they give back to the business, to the customers, to my reputation, & to me, is invaluable.
Number of Employees
No matter how slow the business is right away you really need 2 people to operate it. You need breaks, time to get supplies etc. Most part-time employees will work between 10-20 hours. One well trained employee can serve up to 20 customers an hour. Generally the busiest times for business is between 7am-9 am. Although this was not the case for me. My first drive -thru was near an elementary school, in a residential area. My busiest time was 2:30pm -5:00pm and 8pm-900pm. My second location was next to off campus college apartments. My busiest times there are 10am -1:30om and 4 pm - 6 pm. You will have to choose the number of employees based on your business factors and needs.
Other considerations for the number to hire are things like cooking baked goods, soups, sandwiches. Some business will buy these items from a supplier and microwave them when they are ordered. Weather is another consideration when hiring. Here is a rule of thumb. If your business is producing approx $1000.00- $2000.00 per day you will probably have 20 part time people.
Hiring Suggestions
- Hire your customers
- Hire espresso drinkers
- Call previous employers