Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

The experience of the customer day-in and day-out is often treated as a given. Something that is expected, but not something that is earned. We work to The real focus of our efforts should be on training and resourcing our staff to deliver a consistently excellent product, space, and hospitality experience every time. Are we truly doing that?

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how training not only needs to be harder than the work we are training for, but that training, coaching, and continued support needs to emerge as the calling card of specialty coffee or else we will continue to be known as people who talk a big game in our marketing, but miss the mark in the real world.
 
Sign up for the February 11th Webinar all about
PRINCIPLES FOR CAFE SUCCESS! 
https://keystotheshop.com/principles-for-cafe-success/
 
 
APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN! 
KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS 
Are you a coffee shop owner looking to join a community of other owners to help bring perspective, insight, encouragement, and accountability in a well curated setting? 
Then you need to apply to join Key holder Coaching Groups! 
Applications are now open for Spring 2026 Cohort:
Click below to learn more: 
APPLY TO KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS
 
 
KEYS TO THE SHOP ALSO OFFERS 1:1 CONSULTING AND COACHING!
If you are a cafe owner and want to work one on one with me to bring your shop to its next level and help bring you joy and freedom in the process then email 
[email protected]
of book a free call now: 
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min 
 
Related Episodes: 
SHIFT BREAK! The Urgent Need for Training in Today's Coffee Shop
SHIFT BREAK! You Need to Avoid This HUGE Training Mistake!
527: Thoughts on How to Approach Training and Onboarding
You Need to Prioritize In-House Training!

When we think about dialing-in, we automatically think about coffee. Changing the grind, the recipe, and other inputs and variables all to obtain an ideal outcome. Your coffee shop is not just about coffee though, and that means that other areas of the cafe need to be dialed in in order for the product of the cafe experience to be great. 
On today's episode, we will be talking about the three areas of product, people, and place and how you can think about and take action to dial in each one effectively. Now is the time in our history as an industry to start truly finessing the details of what we offer in our shops so we can slowly start rebuilding the coffee bar's reputation as a great good place, a spot for consistently excellent coffee, a spot that you love serving in and love to be served in. It all starts with dialing-in. 
Related episodes: 
 
Taste the Rainbow! : Menu knowledge, tasting, flavor, coffee cupping approach to your offerings
SHIFT BREAK! How Well Do You Know Your Business?
406 : Five Ways to Immediately Improve Your Coffee Quality
498: 10 Small Things to Fix in Your Coffee Shop This Week
SHIFT BREAK! Is That Character or Neglect?
453 : The Craft of Operations
Sign up for the February 11th Webinar all about
PRINCIPLES FOR CAFE SUCCESS! 
https://keystotheshop.com/principles-for-cafe-success/
 
APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN! 
KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS 
Are you a coffee shop owner looking to join a community of other owners to help bring perspective, insight, encouragement, and accountability in a well curated setting? 
Then you need to apply to join Key holder Coaching Groups! 
Applications are now open for Spring 2026 Cohort:
Click below to learn more: 
APPLY TO KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS
 
 
KEYS TO THE SHOP ALSO OFFERS 1:1 CONSULTING AND COACHING!
If you are a cafe owner and want to work one on one with me to bring your shop to its next level and help bring you joy and freedom in the process then email 
[email protected]
of book a free call now: 
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min

This Founder Friday we feature a couple who has been focused on giving their community excellence and warm hospitality for 13 years! Scaling deeper not wider, Tara and Martyn Knight have steadfastly cultivated something truly beautiful in Southsea Coffee 
Tara and Martyn Knight are the co-founders of Southsea Coffee in Portsmouth, UK. A community-rooted coffee shop known for speciality coffee, chef-led brunch and warm, inclusive hospitality. Over 13 years, they've focused on building a business that scales deeper, not wider with strong standards, strong people, and a place where locals genuinely feel at home.
Tara and Martyn sit down with me to recount their history from day one, to present day and all the growth, lessons, principles, and philosophy that have guided their operation of Southsea for over a decade. 
It's very refreshing to find gems like Southsea Coffee and even more life giving to know that those behind it shine just as brightly as the business itself. 
Related episodes: 
542: Founder Friday! w/ Nori and Tin Burmudez of Corridor Flow, Lomita, CA
535: Founder Friday! 30 Years of Coffee! w/ Ana Burgos and Amanda Jones of Hyperion Espresso, Fredricksburg, VA
380 : Founder Friday! w/ Cary and Cindy Arsaga of Arsaga's Coffee Roasters
 
 
Sign up for the February 11th Webinar all about
PRINCIPLES FOR CAFE SUCCESS! 
https://keystotheshop.com/principles-for-cafe-success/
 
APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN! 
KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS 
Are you a coffee shop owner looking to join a community of other owners to help bring perspective, insight, encouragement, and accountability in a well curated setting? 
Then you need to apply to join Key holder Coaching Groups! 
Applications are now open for Spring 2026 Cohort:
Click below to learn more: 
APPLY TO KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS
 
 
KEYS TO THE SHOP ALSO OFFERS 1:1 CONSULTING AND COACHING!
If you are a cafe owner and want to work one on one with me to bring your shop to its next level and help bring you joy and freedom in the process then email 
[email protected]
of book a free call now: 
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min

Changing things in the cafe tends to focus on image and expression. Maybe we upgrade branding, focus our menu, change lighting, furniture etc. But what is even more important in the quest to make positive changes as your grow, it to pay attention to the heart of the operation that supports everything else. 
Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how to make sure you are growing both the heart and the outward aesthetics of your shop over the years. This is a great framework for those of you who feel it is time to level up or expand but want to also maintain and even improve the integrity of the cafe. 
Related episodes:
SHIFT BREAK: Reassessing Growth
492: How to be The Best Coffee Shop
SHIFT BREAK: Are You Growing With Your Business?
 
Sign up for the February 11th Webinar all about
PRINCIPLES FOR CAFE SUCCESS! 
https://keystotheshop.com/principles-for-cafe-success/
 
 
APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN! 
KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS 
Are you a coffee shop owner looking to join a community of other owners to help bring perspective, insight, encouragement, and accountability in a well curated setting? 
Then you need to apply to join Key holder Coaching Groups! 
Applications are now open for Spring 2026 Cohort:
Click below to learn more: 
APPLY TO KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS
 
 
KEYS TO THE SHOP ALSO OFFERS 1:1 CONSULTING AND COACHING!
If you are a cafe owner and want to work one on one with me to bring your shop to its next level and help bring you joy and freedom in the process then email 
[email protected]
of book a free call now: 
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min

In coffee shops, we don't just sell coffee. We sell a variety of retail items that are related to, support, and go with coffee and with our brand. But are we doing as good with our retail as we can be? Are leaving money on the shelf or losing opportunities to serve our guests more with truly well considered, sourced, displayed, and sold retail? 

Today on the show we have retail coach Wendy Batten!
Wendy Batten is a retail coach and business strategist for independent small business owners and the host of the Creative Shop Talk podcast. With nearly 30 years of hands-on experience, she helps retailers grow profitably while designing a life they actually want. Known for grounded strategy, honest leadership, and a belief that success doesn't have to come at the cost of joy, Wendy coaches clients around the world from her tiny crooked cottage by the sea in Nova Scotia. 
We discuss: 
Wendy's Coffee Shop Genesis
Lessons from the Coffee Shop
The Emotional Toll of Entrepreneurship
Designing a Business for Life
Intentional Retail Strategies
Understanding Customer Needs
The Importance of Presentation
Customer Psychology in Retail
Training for Effective Retail
Setting Boundaries While Being Kind
Wendy's website: 
https://wendybatten.com/
 
CAFE OWNERS!
KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS ARE BACK! 
Spring 2026 Applications are now open! Become a part of a small focused group of experienced coffee shop owners in this powerful mastermind cohort hosted by Keys to the Shop!
APPLY HERE! 
Learn more at this link: 
https://keystotheshop.com/key-holder-coaching-groups/
 
 
KEYS TO THE SHOP ALSO OFFERS
1:1 CONSULTING AND COACHING!


If you are a cafe owner and want to work one on one with me to bring your shop to its next level and help bring you joy and freedom in the process then email 
[email protected]
or book a free call now: 
https://calendly.com/chrisdeferio/30min 
Related episodes: 
432 : How to Win in Specialty Retail Coffee
Soul Searching in the New Landscape of Retail
211 : Straight Talk from the Retail Doctor, Bob Phibbs
173 : 5 Areas of Focus for Retailers
The Hospitality Paradox : Preparing for the most critical & perplexing time in retail
 
SPONOR
The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! 
www.pacificfoodservice.com