First of, congratulations to our friends in Mt. Lebanon, Aldo Coffee for being voted "Best Baristas" in Pittsburgh. Way to go!
Today, something frightening happened in the shop. No, it wasn't that the pastry case broke (again, second time in a week) or that some metal was mixed in with our decaf Sumatra beans--stopping the grinder until I could take the whole thing apart and reassemble (should have taken pictures). Instead it was two customers who asked for straight espresso shots. We take a lot of pride here in our espresso and our preparation technique, as does our roaster/blender TJ from the Commonplace Coffeehouse in Indiana, PA. The lady of the sibling pair told me that she has a Francis!Francis! home espresso machine in which she uses Illy beans, considered some of the finest in the world. Understandably, I was nervous--a lot rides on that initial impression, especially in a business so dependent on good word-of-mouth.
She told me it was the "finest espresso I've ever tasted." Her brother agreed. I was both relieved and made even more nervous. I had done well with this gift given to me. I had brought out its full potential (as far as I know--I did taste the leftover ounce of the single and it was sweet and delicious). But, that sort of experience can easily lead to pride--to snobbery, which leads to an inferior product and inferior customer service. Neither of which, honestly, I have any desire to be associated with.
It did bring out a question I've had about marketing for a long time. Who has the authority to say something is "the best"? There was a (now defunct) local shop that touted itself on its website as having "America's best espressos, americanos, etc..." According to whom? The owner? The critics? The customers? I don't know in this case.
The lady that I spoke of before asked for something, though, before she drank her shot. Somewhat sheepishly, she asked for cream. Many in the coffee world would cringe at such a request, because (possibly) it is easy to forget that we aren't doing gallery art that shall forever remain forbidden territory. We are preparing culinary art that is meant, above all, to taste good. Does she want cream? I may not take cream in my espresso, but I don't have the right to pronounce on the "proper" way to taste something, especially since everyone has different tastes. Even with the cream, she said it was darn good. In the end, the only ones who really have the authority to say whether something is the "best" or not is the taster. Critics have their place due to (hopefully) refined palates, but they are not the only ones to consider. Every customer is tasting and will vote with their hard-earned dollars and precious time. I want every one of them to have the best tasting (and dining) experience every time they come in. Even so, we won't be the objective best, but we'll all be getting better together.
2 comments:
Congrats on the espresso artistry! I think that I'm working my way towards having a straight up espresso... it started with Americanos, and now I'm getting Red Eyes. There's only one place left to go, and thats to a straight shot.
But I felt I needed to comment on the cream thing, since I am known for using a good dab of cream in my drinks. Yes, I usually get weird looks of disappoint from baristas, but for some people the cream isn't just because they want to water down the taste, but perhaps its also a stomach thing. Without enough cream, sometimes coffee feels too acidic, and so perhaps the cream can cut down on that, preventing tummy aches or heart burn.
Or maybe I'm just a wuss.
"Best of" in this case was great for our staff since it was specific to "baristas". It means more to them than "best coffee" or "best coffeehouse", things that are out of their control. And that it was an editorial mention instead of an open vote kind of makes it all the more meaningful. So thanks for the mention.
That said, there are a half-dozen or more "best of" competitions/editorials/whatevers in the area. During the AOL CityGuide voting this year, when we didn't win, I asked Victoria up at Affogato (two-time defending champ) what winning the award meant to her. She basically told me "a link". That was it. No new customers. No increase in sales/profits. Just a link.
And that's when you come to the realization that all of these things are simply creations for the sponsoring media to sell more ad space and $200 wall plaques.
In the end, fulfillment really has to come from doing the job the right way - doing right by the coffee, the grower, the roaster and of course, the customer.
It sounds like you've already figured that one out. Nice job.
Post a Comment