COFFEE & CAFE

SERVICE & TRAINING

MANUAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION
2. THE BASICS
3. DRESS CODE
4. GREAT SERVICE
5. FOOD SAFETY
6. SERVING ALCOHOL
7. SCHEDULING
8. ADDITIONAL POLICIES
9. HISTORY OF THE BUSINESS & PROPERTY
10. EMPLOYEE DISCOUNT
 INTRODUCTION

Welcome to ZOI Cafe. Over the past decade in the coffee and service industry we have learned that
working together to provide great service to our guests does not happen by accident. This manual will provide a
basic introduction to some of our best practices for providing each guest a great experience in a comfortable
and sustainable way.

As a ZOI Cafe employee we are promising to you to treat you each and every day with kindness and
respect in a professional manner.
As a ZOI employee we are asking that you work for us as an adult and as a professional.
Specifically, this means coming to work mentally and physically able, on time in the appropriate dress code. We
also ask that you communicate in a professional manner.
Our promise to our guests is to happily serve them great food and great coffee in a great environment.

We have little doubt that we are expecting a lot of all of our employees. However by holding a high
standard we feel this is most respectful of everybody's time and well being. By having a high standard up front, we
feel we can work much more easily together in the long run.
Running and working at a coffee shop is fairly simple but it is not easy. This manual is by no means a
complete or thorough explanation of what to do or what not to do in each and every circumstance you will run
into in your day to day work. You will continue to need to use your judgement and intuition daily in this job. That
said, most of the time there is an issue it will come back to one of the topics covered in this manual which is why
this manual has come to exist in the first place. The following topics cover the recurring issues and difficulties in
working in a high energy job with lots of human interaction and team work. A common misconception about this
industry is that cafe work is somehow low key or trivial. Almost anyone with experience in the industry will
quickly clarify that this is not the case. Most coffee shops do not stay in business for over a decade, and we want to
last many decades. For us to succeed we must work together and work smart.
 THE BASICS OF RUNNING A COFFEE SHOP
FROM THE BOOK, WHAT I KNOW ABOUT RUNNING COFFEE SHOPS
BY COLIN HARMON
EDITED AND AMENDED FOR SMITH

• SWEEP THE STREET OUTSIDE.

• KEEP THE WINDOWS CLEAN.
• CHECK THE TOILETS ALL THE TIME.
• AT LEAST ONE PERSON BEHIND THE COUNTER FACING CUSTOMERS WITH EYE
CONTACT 100% OF THE TIME
• SAY 'HELLO'.
• SAY 'GOODBYE'.
• CLEAR THE TABLES AS FAST AS YOU CAN.
• KEEP A COMFORTABLE TEMPERATURE.
• PLAY APPROPRIATE MUSIC, NOT JUST 'GOOD' MUSIC.
• ALWAYS HAVE MUSIC PLAYING, ALWAYS.
• CLEAN YOUR COFFEE MACHINE.
• DRESS NEATLY.
• FINISH YOUR CONVERSATIONS STRAIGHT AWAY WHEN A CUSTOMER APPEARS.
• KEEP THE SHELVES STOCKED.
• DEEP CLEAN THE CAFE ONCE A MONTH.
• USE WARM CUPS, NOT HOT, NOT COLD.
• DON'T SERVE CUPS WITH SPILLS DOWN THE SIDE.
• SET DRINKS UP THE SAME WAY ALL THE TIME.
• MAKE SURE ALL THE LIGHTBULBS WORK.
• REPAINT THE ROOM OFTEN.
• DRY TABLES AFTER YOU WIPE THEM.
• TAKE CARE OF YOUR ESPRESSO MACHINE.
• SAY HELLO TO YOUR CO-WORKERS.
• IF YOU THINK SOMEONE'S NOT HAPPY ASK.
• SMILE. Smilie is a part of the uniform.
 DRESS CODE
Dress professionally for the job.

APRONS
We require an apron to be worn for each position. We will supply you with one and we will have some
available at the store as well. Please wear the apron fully up and not tied ½ way. Please wash you r apron before it
gets dirty.

PERMITTED
Tops: White shirt
Bottoms: Jeans, pants,
Shoes: Must be closed toed and non slip

Please wear clothes that are professional and that you can move around in.

NOT PERMITTED

– No hooded sweat shirts or jackets

– No pajama or exercise clothes or clothes with holes in it.
– No hats
– No logos for other brands or other businesses
– No loose fitting or draped clothes that could make it hard to work of contaminate food or drinks
– Do not wear anything that can get in the way of doing you work.
 GREAT SERVICE
We all want to work at a place that does great work. While it can be appealing to work at a slow, poorly
organized place in the short term, it is always better to work somewhere you are proud of. Our industry is service,
so a great service business gives great service, so I want us all to give great service.

I feel tension on how much to speak on these sorts of topics. I could elaborate on each endlessly and while
I might be more nuanced and clear, I am more likely to overwhelm you. If I only include bullet points, I may miss all
of the detail of what I am trying to convey. Second, I do not mean to come across as some sort of expert in this
field. I am just trying my best to keep learning and passing that learning on to each employee in hopes of making
things simpler, easier and better. Please feel free to ask for clarification and elaboration on any of these topics.

GOOD SERVICE IS FREE

Many cultures are known for great service (Japan for example). Other places are known for terrible service (dive
bars). What sets them apart? Think of a time you had great service....
How was the person dressed? Was the store clean and organized? Were they stressed? Did they do anything in
particular? What specifically did they say? Did what they did seem exhausting or unrealistic?

Some people say that you can have things fast, good or cheap, but only two. But I feel like service is a bit of an
exception. Service that is good and fast does not really cost a whole lot extra than giving okay service because
any up front effort is made up on the back end. Doing service well is actually less exhausting than trying to
function in some sort of compromise because you don't have to clean up mistakes and problems later.

WE ARE HERE SOLELY TO GIVE EXCELLENT SERVICE

Once a guest arrives we should be here and present to serve them. The two reasons that may have to wait
are 1) there is a line and 2) we are preparing someone else's order. Once they are at the front of the line there is
no point to rush or cut corners. Getting them taken care is the only objective. Once they order please take extra
special care to get them their silverware and all the pieces of the order. Tell them where to wait for drinks and
where to wait for their food. Rushing or forgetting something really makes no sense if the objective is to serve
this guest. Forgetting silverware or their pastry or getting the for here/ to go wrong just makes no sense if we are
trying to help this person have a great experience.

Assume we will be busy

– The business model is based on each person working to have a queue basically all the time. If you just
assume that there should be some people in line, some drinks to make and some food tickets up always,
the whole idea of it isn't as stressful.
– The business functions best when this is the case. Someone is ready to take the order, ready to make
the drink, ready to make their food. It is actually when we are slow that someone becomes
preoccupied with another task and we can't function as well.
– If 2000 people came at once all ready to order, this is no problem. We help each guest get exactly
what they order, make their food and drink and serve it to them.

Work with a sense of perceived urgency

– If there is only one customer in the store, they should get the same experience as when the line is
100 people long. We should be prompt and efficient with only one guest and cut no
 corners when the line is long.
– The urgency is only perceived. Moving quickly is not the same as frantic. It should never be hectic or
frantic. When there is one guest in line we are completely ready to help them and get them on their
way, when the line is 100 people long, we are as calm as with one person.
– Keep calm because there is no benefit to panic or haste. The sudden burst of customers is no surprise.
We saw it coming. We hoped for it. We need it. It makes the job more fun. Coming to work only to
help no one is not what we are here to do. A latte can not be made any faster than a latte can be
made. We have already thought through the best way to do this and that is what we are in the process
of doing. With no queue of tickets we would behave the same. With 100 tickets we would behave
the same.

ASSUME THINGS WILL GO WRONG

If no problems were expected, robots could literally do the job. 9 times out of 10, that is probably true.
It is these odds cases, difficult customers, unique situations that make human service what it is. If we expect to
accommodate the problems as they arise, they don't seem like problems as much as part of what is to be
expected.

BE AN ADVOCATE FOR THE BRAND

Whether you agree with it or not in real life, you are the face of the Smith Brand. There are
times when things are not running in the ideal fashion, but I still have to defend them as ours. Things are in a
constant state of flux and hopefully improvement. For the improvement to take place things have to change and
sometimes that can negatively affect customers or employees while things grow. We need to know that for better
or worse we are speaking not for ourselves but from the identity of Smith.

WHY WE SELL WHAT WE SELL

I want to explain how we settle on our menus and why they change and how to explain the changes to our
customers.

1. We have limited space.

1. All restaurants face this problem. We can not serve everything so we have to make decisions about
what to keep. If we want to add a seasonal item it means we will likely have to cut another to have the
storage and prep space. We do not have the means and space to have all of our existing products, make
cold brew, and soup as an example.
2. We want to change our menu seasonally.
1. Seasonal drinks like pumpkin lattes and peppermint mochas are fun. It does not make sense to offer
these year round.
3. We want to serve high quality products
1. Ingredients that perform well year round are just not as good as seasonally fresh items. When our
tomatoes stop tasting as good, we feel we need to reconsider our BLT.
4. We want to find new hit items and get new customers
1. We like our regulars more than anybody, but we need to find new ways to engage and excite new
customers. One way to do this is to create new menu items. For our business to stay in business we
feel a constant need to change and adapt.

WHAT WE NEED FROM OUR STAFF

1. We need you to expect change.
1. Our menu, processes, and policies will change. Without near constant tweaks and
improvements, the business will die. I would come to work assuming something has
changed
 2. We need your support
1. Sometimes the decisions to change a menu is a hard one and sometimes it takes a lot of hard
work to create something we are proud of. Please know that we are trying our best to
create the menu we think everyone will love.
3. We need you to get our customers excited
1. How news is delivered can make all the difference. When people ask why we changed something,
it was because we are excited about these new menu options, not because we are out of touch
or trying to ruin their day.
2. If someone comes in for something we don't have whether it is an old product or a product
we don't serve, always suggest an alternative and explain why we changed the menu if
possible.
4. Give us feedback
1. We want to know what customers want and what isn't working. Sometimes a solution is
not possible, but if we are missing an opportunity we want to know about it.

POLICIES ON FOOD, BEVERAGES & TAKING BREAKS

1. You can have a maximum of one drink per person including water out.
2. Personal items should not be visible to customers.
3. Only one person can take a break to eat at a time.
4. The line should be clear, the store should be well kept and the dishes should be caught up before anyone
takes a break.
5. Food needs to be eaten at a table, not in the kitchen and not behind the counter. The health
department does not allow it.

HOW TO MAKE THIS WORK FOR EVERYBODY

1. Plan ahead. Assume it will be busy from around 9-12 each and every day. Please take care of some
personal stuff before that time or after.
2. Come to work expecting to be busy.
3. We want you to feel taken care of. Please help communicate what you need so we can help you get what
you need.
4. When taking a break, please plan in making sure the store is caught up beforehand. By making sure the
store is in top condition. The store can more easily function while you are away.
5. The fact is that there is enough people here and enough downtime to easily give all of us time for our
personal needs, but it does need to make sure the needs of the business are met and it will take some
planning to function well. By planning and working together we can function better.

Examples
You want to eat: Get the store caught up, make sure the line is gone, arrange to eat and sit down and eat.

You have to go to the bathroom: Make sure the store is caught up, tell someone where you are going, and go to the
bathroom.

Personal emergency: You are hurt, sick, family emergency, so on. Tell someone where you are going and get
yourself taken care of
 WEEKEND SERVICE
While weekend service should not be a ton different than weekday service, we should expect it to be
busy. If weekdays are rehearsal, the weekend is the performance. We should all come and plan on doing the task at
hand and getting on with our day. We know that we will be busy and potentially stressful, but it is really the same
each week. By setting up systems we can do the work more easily, see problems more early, and then correct
problems over the next week for revision.
Imagine you are having surgery and on the operating table and something goes wrong: Do you want
everyone to inexplicably switch roles? Do you want someone to say, 'hey I have an idea?' Probably not. You want
them to have a plan for every contingency

POSITIONS
Register – rings up the customers

Barista- Makes the drinks

Kitchen- Makes the food. They should not run the food if there is support positions scheduled Kitchen

support- Runs food, gets customers additional things, puts out fires

Barista Support- Help keep drinks caught up, helps get coffees, pastries and breads for register, clears tables if
necessary

If someone falls out of their position, they must be put back. We can not switch positions and switch back. If
there is a problem, it is only with the structure and staffing. If something is wrong with the structure, we can
easily fix it for next week.
 Why do Great Service?

1. Great service is all that sets us apart.

It is my honest belief that we are serving a superior product to our competition, but whether or not I am
right, there are hundreds of places within 20 miles that have coffee, pastry, food, place to meet, free wifi or
whatever the guest may be after. Many places are cheaper, closer, more convenient and we just can't
compete. Great service sets us apart.

2. Great service is great marketing.

People talk about great service. If we market via a newspaper, word of mouth, instagram or facebook doesn't
it only make sense to give great service once they arrive? The more we impress our guests the less we
need to invest in marketing.

3. It makes for a better place to work, attracts better coworkers, and is easier.
Working for a place that is great is simply better than a place that isn't. The better we treat guest
collectively the less we will have to settle unruly customers or be in a difficult situation. When it comes
times to hire someone, people who want to be like us will want to work for us. Doing great service
means less messes to clean up and problems to handle

4. It is simply the right thing to do.

On a more moral or spiritual note, great service is just the right thing to do. Advocating for mediocracy or
anything less than great is foolish so we might as well embrace what great service may be.

Why Great Service is Hard

1. It is unfamiliar.
Service is not taught in schools or anywhere really. Many times great service is given or received more so
by fortunate coincidence than by intention. There are few places to 'learn' great service and it is even
hard to know it when you see it.

2. It requires more work in the moment.

Great service is definitely a case where you are doing more up front work for less problems on the back
end and this can be unintuitive. If your brain is nagging at you, “should I ask a follow up question?”
“Should I clarify that?” “Is there something wrong here?”, while it is easier to ignore these thoughts, it is
usually better service and smarter to ask the question and resolve the issue in the moment.

3. It is not revered.
Something in American society treats service as something that people should graduate beyond. This is
confusing because great service applies to working with coworkers, and most future careers. There is this
idea that someday you get to stop working with people and this just isn't true. Since great service is so
rare, we might as well get good at it and be exceptional. Further, being a service expert should be revered
because everyone wants to receive it when they are out regardless of class and career.

4. It isn't fair.
People like things to be fair, and service is simply an asymmetrical transaction and this makes it
 difficult for both the server and the served. Simply acknowledging this unevenness makes it easier to see
that, yes the server should be doing more work. Customers will say not to bother or it may feel like they
are not being fair but that is just the nature of the beast.

How to help customers

1. Find out what the customer wants
2. Get it for them accurately, politely and enthusiastically.
3. Go an extra mile

1.Find out what the customer wants

• When this is simple it is just being present to take their order. As complexities arise it involves
explaining the menu to them, where to find stuff and educating them about our products.
Sometimes people don't actually know what they want and you have to work with them to find
out that what they are asking for is different than what they want.
2.Get it for them
• Accurately: Checking and reading back what they ordered will save many headaches down the line.
If there is something unclear, please ask a clarifying question.
• Politely: Use please and thank, eye contact and a smile. Anything abrasive or unkind
defeats the point of great service
• Enthusiastically: A tiny bit of enthusiasm goes a long way. Acting excited is important. It should
be noted that this is in fact acting. You are not actually excited. People are here for a little bit of a
show at that is okay. If we are completely honest, we may not want to be here at all, but the
customer doesn't get to see that.
3.Go the extra mile
• This is where good becomes great. Do whatever you think to go the extra mile. Offer to deliver
a drink, sample the coffee, explain something about our business or ask about the customer's day.
Can you do this with every interaction? Probably not. Can you do one more than yesterday?
Probably. Also, you don't need to go 100 extra miles, just a little something more will go a long
way.
• A quick note on sampling: Everyone loves sampling, but it needs to be economic and not abused.
Some things like bakery are just too limited and too expensive to sample. Here are 2 rules of
thumb:
1. We can sample things that are infinite. Coffee of the day, iced tea and so on. We can not
sample things that are finite. Croissants, bakery, sandwiches
2.Give samples to loyal customers where it may turn into a new favorite. Do not give samples to
people looking for a 'free snack.' Samples should be offered and not asked for. Example: Regular
customer comes in who usually gets a latte.. “Hey, have you tried our new seasonal beverage, if
you don't like it I will make you something else!”

10-4 Rule
This is a good policy for knowing approximately when to greet and engage with people.
10 Make eye contact with anyone that comes within 10 feet of you. In our store this is basically anyone who
comes through the door. When you walk the store you can make eye contact with people too see that
they are okay.
4 Verbally greet anyone who comes within 4 feet of you. In our store this would be anyone who
 approaches the counter. You probably don't need to say hi to everyone as you deliver a food, but if you
are face to face with someone it never hurts to say “hi!”

How to Handle Complaints

I want to empower each and every single staff member to be able to engage with a customer complaint
and try to resolve it in the moment. Sometimes needing to get a manager can make the matter worse. On the other
hand, sometimes guests do better with a fresh face. If you ever get in the weeds asking the guest to hold on while
you get someone else to do this exact process can make all the difference.
Here is the process with elaboration below:
1. Acknowledge the complaint.
2. Sincerely apologize
3. Make things right
4. Thank the customer
5. Write it down.

1. Acknowledge the complaint.

◦ Start by simply letting the guest know you understand the issue. Usually this involves saying
okay or I understand.
◦ It is usually not a good idea to explain why unless they start asking why. The reason
for this is that you may end up frustrating them more than needed.
2. Sincerely apologize
◦ Quickly jump to saying that you are sorry. It is important that they know that you
prefer that they not be disappointed.
3. Make things right
◦ Find out what it may take to make things right. You will usually find out that it isn't as much
as you thought necessary. In our business, offering to remake a drink or replace an item is all it
takes. As a policy, I prefer not to give cash refunds, but sometimes this is the only logical way
forward. A gift card is also an option is someone has been treated wrong in some way.
◦ You may find out that you need to keep repeating steps 1 & 2 before they are ready to make
things right. This is a good time to point out this is not a robotic checklist but more of a
blueprint or road map. Maybe the customer goes straight to asking for what they want and
you need to jump straight on to step 3.
4. Thank the customer
◦ When the customer knows that we appreciate the feedback it can make all the
difference. Simply thank them for taking to time to work this out.
5. Write it down.
◦ Do not do this in the moment. Within 24 hours of an incident, please let us know in
writing what transpired and what the resolution was. This is important for 2 reasons:
1. If we have a consistent issue that needs to be addressed at a bigger level.
Example: The chai has been returned 5 times today.

2. We have an employee who needs more resources for handling issues when
the arise.
Example: Tony has handed out gift cards to someone each shift he works!
 HOSPITALITY PRINCIPLES
• Principle 1: We need at least 1 person facing towards the customer ready to help
100% of the time.
◦ It is super essential that our customers feel hosted 100% of the time. This does not mean
that they do not have to wait to be helped, but it does mean that someone has to be present
helping the guest at the front of the line all of the time.
◦ It is very common for one worker to leave to handle some sort of side task and then for another
co worker to also leave and handle some other side task and therefore have no one to help a guest
that shows up. Often guests will not approach the counter if there is no one to approach so they
just walk on by and do not get helped. The key to success is communication. Tell your coworker
where you are going or how long you will be gone. If a customer is waiting and they can't figure
out what they are waiting for, explain that you have to slice a couple loaves or whatever and will
be right back. It is not waiting that is the issue. It is waiting without knowing.
◦ If your coworker is behind the counter, but busy making drinks, this does not count as present to help
guests and therefore it is not a good time to run and do something else. If you need to do
something, get them caught up on whatever they are working on before taking on the next task.
This is why there should only be one side task going on at a time. There is plenty of time if we
are well organized to get the house cleaned and stocked and so on.
◦ If you are working on a side task or chatting or doing whatever and a guest approaches the
counter, we must stop what we are doing immediately and help them. When a guest approaches,
we should greet them and say hi before they say hi to us.

• Principle 2: Closing must wait until after we close

◦ The time we 'close' is actually only the time we start our closing procedure. We can still get a
customer squared away with a to go item or some beans or whatever. We can serve guests at
least 10 mins after close and even longer if it is reasonable. Guests can order a glass of wine at
close and stay up to 1 hour later. Then we can politely ask them to leave. We are also open
before the stated opening time. As soon as coffee can be served, we can take guests. We are
usually ready to go 10-15mins before the actual opening time.
◦ We need to present ourselves as fully open until we close. Sweeping and mopping or rolling up
the mats makes us look focused more so on the close than on the customer. If you have nothing
to do, you can do extra side work or extra deep cleaning while one person manages the guests
so we still appear to be fully operational.

• Principle 3: Keep the tables clean and chairs neatly tucked in

◦ When our guests leave the counter, they do not leave our business. When they go sit down, we
should try to maintain a neat and tidy customer space. We should try to check the space at least 2
times an hour and after any large amount of people leave.
◦ To remain in accordance with principle 1, we must make sure there is no line and that at least 1
worker remains present to help guests.

• Principle 4: Play appropriate music at an appropriate volume

◦ Since we have a record player, we are presenting ourselves a bit as Djs and therefore should have
good and fun music playing. This means that when the record ends we should
 flip it over or put on the iPad.
◦ Good music is subjective, but we should be playing for the customer, not for ourselves. What
sounds good at 5pm may not be so appropriate at 7:30am. ACDC is one of my favorite bands
but they really don't have much of a place in a coffee shop. Look around and try to meet the
guests personal expectations.
◦ Please take care of the record needle and the related equipment. It is fragile and
expensive.

• Principle 5: Always get the customer satisfied

◦ Some people say the customer is always right, and some people think customers are jerks who don't
know anything. Our version of this is “Always get the customer satisfied.” This means that whether
they got the drink order wrong or that we did, we should just fix it. If we see someone who
seems unsatisfied, we should ask and make sure we got everything that they wanted. Who cares
whose fault it is. Lets just get it right and get on with our lives. After years of dwelling on hard
customers, the easiest way to handle them is to take them head on, get them satisfied and not worry
about it too much.
◦ If we got it wrong, just make it right! If someone orders something iced, but gets it hot, just remake it.
Or if they wanted a large instead of a small, just make it happen. We want to get these people
happy!
◦ Over explain everything. Tell each customer where to wait and what the next step is. By over
explaining, we can avoid a lot of sticky situations down the line. If they order a pourover, tell them
it will be 4-5 minutes. Tell them drinks will be served at the counter and food will be
delivered to their table.
◦ Take an extra second to make sure they have been charged accurately and that they got their
number, silverware etc... Rather than have to correct something down the line, it only makes sense
to get the details right the first time.
◦ There are a very few 'exceptions' to this rule.
▪ 1. People do have to pay for what they get. If someone wants coffee for cheaper or wants to
add bacon for no extra cost, we can not change the prices for them.
▪ 2. People who are abusing you or harassing you. This does not mean you have to be
mean to them, just that you do not have to agree to their requests. If you feel like the tension is
rising, get someone else to help you right away.
▪ 3. If someone wants something we don't have (Soy milk, baguettes, cheesecake, gluten free, etc)
please suggest alternatives that we do have or explain how we can get these things rather than
just say no.

• Principle 6: Keep the counters clean and organized

◦ It is a sure sign of a professional business when the counter area is neat, organized and clean.
Our counter has a very big tendency to get dirty, messy and disorganized.
◦ When you spill liquid, wipe it up. When you spill coffee grounds, sweep them up. The
counter should remain clean and dry.
◦ Rags need to stay folded and out of sight. There should never be a balled up rag on the
counter.
◦ Keep everything in its right place. The is no need for scales and syrup bottles to drift
across the counter.
◦ Tickets are to help you serve guests and make sure the guest gets the correct drink, they should
not be tucked under scales and syrup bottles. Just set the ticket or two that you are working on
in front of the espresso machine
• Principle 7: Win guests into regulars
◦ This is really about being in-store marketers. We want to market ourselves in our best light to all
our guests each time they come in. Instagram and facebook show us in our best light but those
viewers are just hopes of real customers. If we use Facebook and Instragram to get guests in our
door, we want the real thing to be as inspiring. It is silly to invest in advertising if we do not
intend to please the guests when they show up for real.
◦ We want people to feel welcome and at home and well taken care for. The two main
critiques of coffee shop service is that the baristas appear either uninterested or pretentious.
We do not want to appear this way.

• Principle 8: Work Well with your Co-workers

◦ Say hello when you arrive.
◦ Treat all your coworkers politely, and respectfully. If you have a basic critique, just let them know
in a way that you would want to hear it rather than get frustrated with them. If there is a hard
to resolve matter, please notify a manager at an appropriate time. Email works well for these types
of issues.
◦ Over communicate what you need or want. If you need to go somewhere or get help with
something, ask clearly and politely.
◦ The hand-off: When your shift ends, pass on the following info to next employee. When
you come in to work, please ask the following questions.
▪ 1. What we are out of
▪ 2. What is new
▪ 3. Any open tabs or unresolved matters
◦ Cross training, Playing your position and Playing Zone
▪ If you are only trained in one position, stay there and own it.
▪ Once you have learned multiple positions, your scheduled position is your main responsibility,
but you can swing into other positions to assist and speed up a coworker particularly when
they are backed up. This will allow us to be more efficient by “double teaming” a position to
knock out a line or a bottle neck. Just like in sports, it is important to make sure you're not
abandoning your main position.
▪ When you are being assisted it is important to communicate how your coworker can best
help you to prevent them from guessing and guessing wrong.
◦ Can you get that tea for me?
◦ Will you run this for me?
◦ I need more vanilla syrup

• PRINCIPLE 9: DON'T SAY NO

◦ Customers are going to ask for things we don't sell or we can't do all the time. When this
happens, try to turn the experience or issue into a positive one! when someone orders a white
mocha or breakfast burrito, do not say, "we don't have that." Instead suggest an alternative! "these are
our housemade syrups, you can add any to a latte!" "a lot of customers really like the caramel!" "we
have really good breakfast sandwiches!" This may not work 100% of the time, but I know we can
turn people on to what we do well, what we think tastes good or something they may like even
better than what they wanted! Please avoid saying, “I have never tried that”“i don't know if it is
good” or “i don't drink tea”
• PRINCIPLE 10: HANDLING CUPS
◦ When handling glassware, please avoid touching the rim area. For coffee mugs, it is best to hold
drinks by the handle or by the saucer. Please do not stick your hand inside of any cups. If it is a
glass or to go cup, please only hold the drink by the bottom ½ of the cup.
 FOOD SAFETY
In addition to great service, we absolutely must provide all food and beverages in a manner that is clean,
safe and healthful to all our guests. The food industry is regulated just the same and medicine and pharmaceuticals by
the FDA. The Hennepin County Department of Health inspects our cafe annually unannounced. We must take care to
operate in a healthy and safe manner to avoid being shut down but more importantly to give each and every guest a
clean safe and healthy experience. This guide will teach you the basics of working with food and beverage in
a healthful way.

DRESS CODE
In addition to our cafe dress code policy, the health department requires all employees follow these
policies for attire.
– Your hair must either be short or pull back into a pony tail.
– Your hands and wrists should be free of excessive jewelry.
– You finger nails should not have chipped nail polish.
– You must wear closed toes shoes. No sandals or flip flops.

WASHING HANDS
When you arrive, you should wash your hands with warm soapy water for more than 15 seconds and dry
them with a paper towel. You should wash your hands each time you handle something soiled such as changing
after changing garbages.

RAGS
Rags are only allowed in a bucket completely covered by fresh sanitizing solution. Rags should never be
out on the counter. Making coffee and the health department do not align super well, so when the health dept is
present, there can only be 2 rags present and both must be fully covered in sanitizer. The health department does not
allow us to dry out the portafilter between uses, so when they are here, this rag must disappear.

ON THE COUNTERS
There should not be any personal items on the counters. Chipotle had a serious negative media issues a few
years ago and one issues included cell phones being on the counters. Please keep your personal items in you pockets.
If you bring food, you should store it on the employee food shelf in the kitchen fridge. If you have a drink, you
should only have one and store it out of customers sight. Please limit personal items that are out on the shelves to
one item. If you have more personal items, please store them in the office.

TEMPS AND DATES

Each product we serve should have a label with the products name and the date it was made or opened. As
a rule, these products are good for 7 days. Everything perishable should stored in fridges and kept below 42 degrees.
Please do not leave milk or other products on the counter.

FIFO (first in – first out)

When using products such as milk, make sure to serve the oldest product first. When stocking inventory, please
stock the new product behind the older product so it is natural for the oldest product to be grabbed first.
 PUTTING AWAY ORDERS
Since product can not be left out at room temp, we must all work together to put away orders ASAP.
Please check off each product to make sure we got the correct quantity, and help put away the orders right as they
come in.

DEEP CLEANING
We have yet to have a health inspection without some aspect of the store found to be unclean. The store
can not be too clean. Keeping your area neat and tidy is part of your job. However that is not enough to keep the
store adequately clean. Deep cleaning all parts of the store in also part of the job for all positions. Wiping out
coolers, cleaning under counters and cleaning the entire house as well as patio and yard all need to be revisited
daily. A little work each day will go a long way.
 SERVING ALCOHOL
Serving alcohol is regulated by the government under the ATF department. The city of Eden Prairie issued
us a permit to sell on-sale beer and wine. This means that we can sell non hard liquor to guests to consume while
they are customers at our store. We are not allowed to sell wine or beer to go with one notable exception
covered later.

IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE OUR CUSTOMERS ARE OVER 21

When a guest orders beer or wine they must be over 21 years old. The police will annually perform an
undercover operation where they send in someone who is not 21 to try and buy alcohol. If you serve them, there
will be a fine for the business, but it is also a real criminal offense for yourself. You will be charged and arrested. In
short, you must make sure that each guest is over 21. This is relatively easy.You must ask for their ID and
check their age!

THE SERVER IS RESPONSIBLE

If your coworker rings up a guest, but you serve it, you are responsible. For this reason, you may also ask
for their ID if you have any uncertainty.

YOU MUST BE 18 TO SERVE ALCOHOL

If you are under 18, you can not ring up guests, pour beer or wine or serve it. You can clear empty glassware from
tables and wash the dishes.

OPEN WINE BOTTLES

If a guest orders a bottle of wine and they do not finish it, they can cork the bottle and take the rest home in a
paper bag. This concept is so rare as to nearly not be worth mentioning but for some reason people like to know
if and how they can and can't do certain things. This is the one way they can leave with alcohol.
 SCHEDULING POLICIES
One of the perks of the coffee shop industry is the ability to have a flexible schedule that allows
for another job, hobby or education. Since we are open long hours we can find shifts for almost any part
time situation. With a small close knit team we can work together to allow each person their hobbies, trips,
etc. The inverse is that a small team has to come to work each week to fill the shifts particularly during
more heavily staffed weekends. Weekday shifts that only have 2 people working are important as well
since if one person is gone there is only one person to work. Each shift of each day is critical to the
business, so we need each worker to work all their scheduled shifts.

AVAILABILITY
Your availability is your commitment to when and how much you can work each week. If your
availability sheet says you are available we are going to assume you can work. If your weekly availability
needs to change you must fill out a revised form and we must discuss how it will fit in with the rest of the
team to make sure the business and other staff can be accommodated.

Example: Joe was hired on the basis of being able to open Saturdays and close Tuesdays. He is changing his
school schedule and can no longer close Tuesdays and now wants to open on Tuesdays. Tony and Heather have
been opening on Tuesdays and want to continue to do so. Joe may not be able to switch to Tuesday opens.

ASKING OFF
You need to ask off if you are not available during your usual availability. This is for trips and
special events. We need to receive requests for time off 1 month in advance. They need to be submitted in
writing in email format. As a general rule we can accommodate about 5 days off per quarter or 1-2 days
per month. We can also only reasonably allow 1-2 people to ask off for the same day.
We want each person to go on trips, concerts, parties, school finals etc... but there just isn't a
bottomless bench to pull in from when people are out of town. If you have more than average requests
we need to discuss whether it is a possibility. If you have a longer trip in one month, you may have to
limit your vacation time in the next few months.

Example: It is late June and Joe wants to go to Houston to see his new born nephew. He is also planning on going
to his wife's cabin over the July 4 th weekend. Each trip is 5 days long. Joe needs to give a month notice for the
Houston trip and can not take 10 days off in a short period without putting excessive stress on the business. If 12
employees were to all take off 10 days that would result in 120 days off. Since Joe in unavailable over july 4 th
weekend, other employees did not get to go out of town that weekend.

Potential solutions include skipping or changing the timing of one trip, working extra before and after and
avoiding other trips the rest of the year or shortening both trips.

FINDING A SUB
If the schedule is posted and you want to not work during your scheduled shift, you must find your
own substitution. Asking for a sub can put your coworkers in a stressful situation if they feel excessive
pressure to cover for you. For this reason you must ask a manager first who you allowed to reach out to. If you
can not find a sub, you must come to work. Your sub must fit the
following criteria:
– They must be able to do the job.
– They can not be working more than 8 hours or more than 6 days that week.
– The sub must be approved by a manager.

Example: Joe got tickets to the Viking's game against the Packers at 12:00 on Sunday. He is scheduled until
2:00PM. He is the opening barista for a busy shift. He must ask the manager who he can ask to work as a sub.
The manager may note that this is the 3 rd time this month that Joe has begged for a sub this month.

CALLING IN SICK
Calling in sick is reserved for flu related symptoms(Vomiting, diarrhea, high fever). If you have a
cold or sinus infection, you are still expected to come in. Hangovers do not count as being sick. If you can
find a sub that is okay.You must notify a manager as soon as possible once the flu like conditions set in so we
can work together to find a sub. Once your have recovered for 24 hours you can work again.

Example: Joe wakes up in the middle of the night with the flu. He texts the manager who receives the text and
5:45AM and works on finding a sub with Joe. Joe also texts a coworker who he thinks can work for him which
the manager approves. That coworker ends up working Joe's shift.

NO CALL NO SHOW
Each employee's attendance is critical. A no call / no show shift is when you do not come to a
shift without a sub or prior explanation. We have zero tolerance for this behavior. If you are running late,
please notify the manager so we know there is no need to start looking for you.

Example: Joe didn't know he was opening. We call and track him down and he is 1 hour late. If this happens
again, he may lose his employment. If he didn't know he was opening because of a sub, then the originally
scheduled person will be held liable.
 ADDITIONAL POLICIES
HOW TO EXPLAIN THE NAME CHANGES
We have changed our name a few times over the years, and some people will want a more thorough explanation. We will
have confused customers about the name changes, some still think they are at a Dunn Bros. The best way to handle
these questions is to stick to the positive. Rather than dwell on what didn't work, focus on what works well. We have
been in business and stayed in business for 12 years. We have in house roasted coffee, Rustica and Sunrise pastries
delivered daily as well as breakfast and lunch menus and wine, beer and ice cream. If you had to sum it up in one
sentence, it would be “On May 1 st we rebranded as Smith to best serve our customers.” It is a little corny just like
that so feel free to find your own words.

RUSTICA GIFT CARDS

Since our customers may have purchased a Rustica gift card in our store, we want to honor them, but our
technology doesn't accept them. I have a printed list of each gift card balance. If a customer comes in with a
Rustica gift card, please offer to transfer it to a Smith gift card, look up the balance and transfer it over. Please put
the old gift card in the till so we can track what % are transferred over.

MEETING ROOMS
We have 5 spaces that can be reserved by filling out a form on our website at
www.smith1877.com/meetings.There is usually no fee to reserve the space for 2 hours and each additional hour
costs $20. Larger groups can reserve the whole store after hours our during the week. For larger events, there is
also an online form guests can fill out for details relating to that.

If someone wants to reserve a room for the same day, simply check the schedule and make sure we are not 'kicking
anyone out' ad try to get them squared away.

COMMUNICATIONS
We will have numerous updates, additional training and other information that we will need to communicate to you
for everyone to work here harmoniously. Please understand that any emails that we send through our staff
newsletter are required to be read and understood. We will text or write notes as needed as well. We will have
staff meetings on occasion as well. Checking email, texts etc is a required part of your job here.

WEEKEND AVAILABILITY
We require weekend availability for each employee who works here. There are 14 weekend shifts to fill
and at any given time 10-15 employees. This means that each person needs to work ~1 weekend shift each week
assuming we have 14+ on staff and no one is out of town (rarely the case). With about 30 week day shifts,
employees who can not work on a weekend may not be able to get scheduled for week day shifts. It may not be fair
to expect one employee to work Saturday and Sunday while another gets to only work Monday-Friday.

BREAKS
State law states: State law requires employers to provide employees with restroom time and sufficient time
to eat a meal. If the break is less than 20 minutes in duration, it must be counted as hours worked. Time to use the
nearest restroom must be provided within each four consecutive hours of work. Meal time must be provided to
employees who work eight or more consecutive hours. The employer can set the hours an employee works,
including when a meal or rest break can be taken. For the time to
be unpaid, the employee has to be completely relieved of duties for at least 20 minutes
Shifts range in length from 3 – 8 hours. If you have to use the bathroom, please wait for there to be no line
and for all orders to be complete and simply let a coworker know where you are going. If you need a break to eat,
please wait for a slow time, and sit at a table and eat your meal. If we ever schedule you 8+ hours we will allow
you time for a 20 minute break.

PAY CHECKS
Our payroll is processed through Square. When you are hired, you will get an online account to add your
name, address, social security number etc.You can also fill in your federal and state tax withholdings. There are 2 pay
periods each month(1st - 15th and 16th - month end). Pay checks will be ready for pickup within 5 days of the pay
period (by the 20th and 5th of each month). Checks are in envelopes in a drawer behind the counter.

TIPS
Cash and credit card tips are collected and totaled throughout the pay period and distributed to all
service positions on an hourly basis. They are added to your total pay and included in your check.

HARRASMENT
We have entered an era where we have all become responsible to handle complex issues of harassment
and discrimination in an ethical, thoughtful and fair way. Again and again, coffee shop employees, managers and
restaurant workers are sprung into national and international coverage over a misstep regarding sex, race, religion
and other matters relating to harassment or discrimination. It is important for us to know that you are supported
and this behavior need not be tolerated from customers, coworkers, vendors or others.
It seems that most of the publicized issues relate to someone in over their head reacting in a way that is
later deemed by the public to be wrong. Our advice is if you find yourself in an unsafe situation to please calmly
and quickly excuse yourself from the situation and have someone else help the guest and quickly report the issue to a
manager or owner. If you find the situation too unsafe for this approach do not hesitate to call 911 for police to
intervene.
Some examples of phrases that may be helpful are: “I am sorry but I can not help you. I am going to find
someone else to help you” or “I have to excuse myself, someone will be with you shortly.”This will allow us to
have someone professionally talk to the person and either stop their inappropriate behavior or remove them
from the property in a fair way.
We need each employee to feel safe and respected with each other each and every day. Our company and
our employees do not discriminate against anyone regardless of race, religion, gender, gender preference.

HISTORY OF THE PROPERTY AND BUSINESS

Smith opened on May 1 2018, but we have been in business serving coffee since 2006. Our business goal
is to welcome the community and serve them the best tasting cafe food and coffee drinks in the world. By
operating fully independently as Smith we feel we can best serve our community and customer base.

This house was built by Sheldon and Mary Smith in 1877. They had a daughter name Amie who got
married and took the last name Douglas. She had a child named Sheldon Douglas. They lived here until the 1950's
when they sold the house to Earl More. He and his wife lived here until 1992. The
More's donated the house to the City of Eden Prairie. The house was empty for 10 years. In 2002, Dunn Brothers
made a deal with the city to turn the property into a coffee shop which they ran until 2006.
Ann Schuster bought the business and ran it as a Dunn Brothers until 2016. In 2016, we had the opportunity to
partner with Rustica and become the 2nd Rustica location. After 18 months of successful business, we found we
could serve the community better with our own independent name.

EMPLOYEE DISCOUNT

Category While you are working While you are not working / To go
Beverages You can have one small drink for here for 30% off
free at a time during your shift
Food, Pastries, Beans 30% off 30% off
Retail Full Price Full Price
 TOP - DOWN SIDEWORK CHECKLIST COMPLETE
THIS LIST IN SEQUENTIAL ORDER EACH DAY
CROSS OFF THE LIST AS YOU GO
RESET DAILY
DO NOT GO BACK ONCE DONE FOR THE DAY DO
NOT START NEXT TASK UNTIL LAST ONE FINISHED
SHOULB BE STARTED AFTER MORNING RUSH ~11:00AM

STOCK TO GO PASTRY BOXES LUNCH BOXES LUNCH BAGS TO GO BAGS

BOXES & BAGS
WEIGH COFFEE FILL HOUSE FILL DARK ROAST FILL POUROVER
DOSES COFFEE CUPS CUPS CUPS
STOCK ICED COFFEE ICED TEA WINE BEER / SODA
BEVERAGES
STOCK PAPER PAPER TOWELS BEVERAGE &
PRODUCTS & TOILET PAPER PASTRY NEEDS
EMPTY ALL BATHROOMS OUTSIDE CUSTOMER AREA BACK OF HOUSE
GARBAGES
ROLL 2 FULL BINS
SILVERWARE
CLEAN
BATHROOMS

EVERGREEN LIST
THESE TASKS CAN BE DONE REPEATEDLY THROUGHOUT THE DAY
WIPE DOWN TUCK IN CHAIRS WIPE DOWN WIPE DOWN PUT AWAY
TABLES COUNTERS FRIDGES CLEAN DISHES
WASH DISHES FIND
SOMETHING TO
CLEAN & CLEAN
IT

ALL THIS IS DONE AND YOU NEED SOMETHING ELSE TO DO?

FIND SOMETHING DIRTY AND DEEP CLEAN IT!
MAKE IT LOOK LIKE NEW!
 BLACK OUT SIDE WORK LIST
This is an additional list of side work and deep cleaning items that needs to be done every so often.

Here are the rules of the game:

– Please complete one task per day or multiple on slow shifts, early in the AM or later in the evening.
These are less essential than the daily checklist, but there should be time to do one each week day
shift.
– Once you complete an item cross it off with the dry erase marker.
– Once the last one is crossed off, start the sheet again.
– If you don't know how to do a task, ask to be taught!

Sweep Sweep Fireplace Sweep Stained Sweep Stairs and Sweep upstairs
basement Room Glass Window Halls conference
Rooms rooms
Wipe base Wipe base Wipe base Wipe base Wipe base
boards main boards boards boards boards
customer area fireplace room stained glass stairs and hall upstairs
window rooms room conference
rooms
Dust window Dust window Dust window Dust window Dust window
sills and ceilings sills and ceilings sills and ceilings sills and ceilings sills and ceilings
main customer fireplace room stained glass stairs and hall upstairs
area window rooms room conference
room list
Wipe table legs Wipe table legs Wipe table legs Wipe table legs Purocaff
and chairs main and chairs and chairs and chairs stained pitchers
customer area fireplace room stained glass upstairs
window room conference
room
Wipe glass wine Vacuum fridge Wash tile back Vacuum fridge Wipe down each
shelf coils in kitchen splash coils under stair with a damp
counter rag or mop

Windex Windex front Windex sneeze Clean bathroom Wipe coffee and
bathroom doors door guards floor corners espresso
brewers
 Closing Checklist
Revised November 2018

Please note:
You Can still accept payments after the till is closed.
You can still take orders after coffee equipment is cleaned.
Use your best judgment whether to make a quick latte for to go, let
someone use the bathroom or to keep the door locked.

Time Person 1 Person 2

T + 00:00 Bakery Complete Bakery Closing Dishes 1.Clear and wipe all tables
(10 Minutes) procedure (see attached page). (15 minutes) 2.Collect all dishes
3. Wash all dishes
T + 00:10 Coffee 1.Clear all service dishes to Put away 1.Print sales report
(15 minutes) sink drawer 2.Compile tips
2.Purocaff urns (5 minutes) 3. Take drawer upstairs ad
3.Clean espresso machine put in safe
T + 00:25 Counter 1.Empty Ice Clean tables 1.Notify remaining customers
(5 minutes)2.Put syrups in fridge (5 minutes) 2. Wipe down and
3.Charge Scales clear remaining tables
4. Turn off Record player 3. Wash remaining dishes,
5. Wipe down counters drain sinks, turn off faucets
6. Turn soft machine to stand
by
7. Turn off dipping well
T + 00:30 Floors 1.Fill Mop Bucket Floors 1.Move all mats to a safe place
(15 minutes) 2.Mope customer area (15 minutes) 2.Sweep Customer area
3.Mop Bar 3.Sweep Bar
4.Mop Kitchen 4.Sweep Kitchen
T + 00:45 Deep Clean 1. Tackle an area that may Deep Clean 1. Tackle an area that may
(10 Minutes) need special attention (10minutes) need special attention
2. Complete daily deep clean 2. Complete daily deep clean
item (See attached). item (See attached).
T+00:55 Lights & 1. All doors locked Lights & 1. All doors locked
Doors 2. All windows latched Doors 2. All windows latched
(5 minutes) 3. All Lights off (5 minutes) 3. All Lights off
4. All Sinks shut off 4. All Sinks shut off
T + 1:00+ Complete 1. Wrap up whatever is
the keeping you
essentials 2.If necessary leave a note
and Get on explaining anything openers
your way should know
3.Discuss w/ manager if task
seems impossible
• As a general rule: Do not leave one employee alone
 OPENING CHECKLIST

DRAWER Bring down starting

drawer
UNLOCK DOORS Turn on all lights Unlock all doors
ICE Fill ice bucket
RAGS Get starting set of
rags and sanitizer
CONDIMENT BAR Set out fresh cream Make sure condiment
bar is stocked
BREW COFFEE Pre heat urns Brew coffees
TUN ON MUSIC Turn on both amps Adjust volume
appropriately
BAKERY Set out bakery Display bakery tags
Mise en place Make sure you have
paper products and
stock for 24 hours of
service
PREPARE FOR CUSTOMERS Expect customers up to
15 minutes before
opening
ESPRESSO Make sure espresso is
dialed in and serving to
spec
CUSTOMER AREA Make sure all tables and
chairs are neat and
clean
SIDEWORK Take on side work
until customer begin
to arrive