A business such as this one (particularly this one) involves wearing many hats depending on the day or who the customer is or who's working on a particular day. Some days I've manned the bar while sending a customer out on a test ride and placing an order - almost forgot - and fixing a flat tire. Actually I can remember only one day exactly like this and that was many months ago. Thankfully.
We've got a great team together now and the system is humming for the time being so I haven't been a barista (or a mechanic, for that matter) in many months. But throw in a blizzard that makes it physically impossible for people to leave their homes today (driving ban was still in effect until 4pm) and I had the now rare chance to be a Saturday barista.
I highly respect our baristas and never take their work for granted. But doing the job reminds me even more of what they do daily and it's not trivial. Few people can be a great barista. Today had to be the best day ever for me to go from rusty to fully functional again considering that no one was in a hurry to go anywhere. Everything was closed, no one was allowed to drive. It made people relax. In a place like this where everyone and everything is constant go-go-go, it was an obvious step change from the norm. People were calm, unhurried, and exceptionally friendly.
My bike ride here was long because it was slow with the icy, snow-packed road but fortunately uneventful. Hauling the bike through the waist-deep snow to reach the road was the most challenging part of any of it. I have video footage of the process which I hope to get out at some point. My back tire slipped out a few times, but it corrected itself thanks to the studs catching. Now I see what people are talking about where it comes to the usefulness of studded tires.
I chose my current living situation for days like today: I never want to be too far from work, where weather could impact my ability to make it in. Today it paid off in so many ways. No other businesses were open at 8am like we were. No, there weren't customers at 8, but I needed the extra time. I had to shovel a path from our front door to the street as 3 1/2 feet of snow stood between the two. It didn't take too long.
The first customers to come in were bike customers on snowshoes, probably around 8:35. They both ordered quad lattes, a fine selection of drinks for the necessary caffeination to get through shoveling out cars/driveways.
The next set of customers are regulars - typically people we see right when we open. They walked over from their home. With these early morning customers, they ordered drinks, we chatted awhile, I got to move at a pretty leisurely pace. Then there was a lull where no one was outside, no one was inside. I was questioning the decision to open. Only 7 sets of customers came in before 12:30. After that, the sun came out, the snow and wind died down and in the next 5 hours, everyone within walking, biking, snowshoeing or skiing distance from home who needed coffee, needed to get out of their home or needed a place to be with their families *all* came in since they didn't have any other option.
Most of our regulars couldn't make it here today. Despite the jokes, for the first time this winter, our Saturday morning group ride didn't run. Quite a few people rode here today. Quite a few meaning probably around 10 people on some sort of winter-ready bike.
We were full of new customers. People I don't know. People who are used to ordering drinks of different sizes, off of menus that are distinctly different from ours. I was glad to get the opportunity to meet people here who would never, ever be our customers as their habits and comfort zones have been formed around frequenting other coffee establishments.
I am so used to being around people I know or at least recognize here that I actually felt a little unease with all of the new faces. Everyone was so friendly and nice, there was certainly nothing to be uneasy about except that they were new.
One part of the unease may have to do with expectations and not knowing if I will meet them of someone who has yet to be a return customer. Again, people were nice today and everyone was deeply, truly thankful that we were open. So I feel that bought me a bit of leeway.
One example that stood out today: A couple sat down and ordered a chemex, something they didn't know how to pronounce prior to coming in (it's kem-ex). It takes a little time to brew coffee using this method (even longer when I'm juggling many other people), but they waited patiently for it. I could tell they didn't expect the process that ensued. They looked a little afraid of it. They, like with most people who came in today, asked for the dark roast. We do light and medium, almost never dark. So we're entering into a transaction with people who believe they won't get what they're asking for...it's a risky start.
Once the couple drank their coffee, and it took awhile, I cautiously asked them what they thought. They weren't the happy-go-lucky types that had bounded in today so I was worried at the answer. The gentleman responded with a tone of thoughtful seriousness in his voice when he said, "I believe that was the best cup of coffee I've ever had."
Yay, secretly thrilled, leaping inside with the satisfaction of making good coffee, I thanked them for coming in and wished them a good day.
Another customer parked his snowplow on the road and came in for a macchiato and americano. He'd been up all night plowing. Another customer was in at the same time and the three of us had a nice conversation. The snow plow guy who, as it turns out, was in Afghanistan last year at this time in snow, admitted he was bummed that Dunkin Doughnuts wasn't open as that's where he always goes. He was happy with his coffee and was happy to come in, but his routine was changed and that was uncomfortable to him. Fact. I appreciated him sharing his thoughts. I think that he felt comfortable enough to say this was good. It certainly doesn't bother me at all, we're very different businesses and I don't begrudge anyone for having their coffee anywhere else.
Later into the afternoon, our regular customers who had come in the morning, returned for their afternoon lattes. They saw a couple they'd known years before and struck up a good, long conversation. The couple they ran into were here for the first time ever. They only discovered us today, upon seeing the orange coffee bike perched high atop a snow pile (an excellent customer idea to put it up there early this morning). After they'd gotten done catching up, our dear regulars saw what was happening: there wasn't a break in traffic - I couldn't get half of a second to wash dishes and they were piling up. Most customers were lingering over their drinks, so they hadn't gotten to-go cups. The woman, Mrs H, I'll call her, had mentioned that if I needed help with dishes, she'd jump in. She stopped asking me and went to the sink and asked for directions. Literally seconds later, she was flying with washing the dishes properly, then learning the locations for all of the dry ones to put them on the shelves. It was awesome to see her go to town on those dishes! She saved me and it was a fun process of working with her in her calmness and confidence.
Short cutting to the end of the story, so many customers came in at the end of the day, I wasn't able to break away to lock the door. The last customers strolled in 1/2 hr after closing time. Other customers offered to lock the door and take down the enormous OPEN sign we'd printed up to be more than obvious of our status.
It was a day of community, neighbors connecting, people taking time away from work and simply enjoying the special day. As thankful as everyone was to have a place to come and be, I gained as much as they by being able to be part of such circumstance.
