The act of creating a space is the core existence of the coffee shop operator. The way we set our minds to the task of serving through selecting colors, textures, material, ingredients, and of course our words and actions. This all creates a singular experience we call a cafe. Today's guest has a deep appreciation for and experience helping people build these spaces, quite literally one brick at a time.

I am so pleased to welcome to the show, Armen Alajian of Arto Brick! 

Armen Alajian is a self-described dreamer and maker with a passion for making and merchandising products that help others create spaces of hospitality and warmth.

He co-owns and operates Arto, a handcrafted tile business based in Gardena, California, part of the greater Los Angeles area, alongside his brother, Varoujan (Vod). Through his work, Armen aims to inspire and support the creation of beautiful, welcoming environments that bring people together.

An Armenian-American with roots in Egypt, Armen draws on his rich cultural heritage and lifelong dedication to faith, family, and craftsmanship. Together with his wife, Sally, he is raising eight children, attempting to instill in them a sense of responsibility, creativity, and an ownership mindset. Sally is Armen’s steadfast partner in both life and purpose, supporting his vision of building meaningful connections through his work.

Guided by the principle to “Set and surpass expectations”, Armen combines his love for making with an unwavering focus on service. His goal is not just to build products but to build connections—creating tools for others to design spaces where people can gather, share, and thrive.

In this conversation we learn about:

• Arto Brick's history of craftsmanship.
• Why we should look to create unique spaces
• Why commerce is an integral part of culture and community building.
• How intentional design can create peaceful and inviting spaces.
• Material choices significantly impact the overall experience of a space.
• The idea that he people involved in a space contribute to its atmosphere.
• The importance of every element in a space working together harmoniously.
• How understanding customer intentions leads to better design outcomes.
• Unique manufacturing processes can create a sense of magic in products.
• Company culture and employee satisfaction / retention.
• Why we need gratitude in our hospitality 
• Creating spaces of peace enhances customer experiences.
• Why community and connection are vital in the workplace.
• Striving for high aspirations and key learnings for leaders

Links:

www.arto.com

Instagram @artobrick 

Related and recommended episodes: 

• 430 : Embracing “Unreasonable Hospitality” w/ Will Guidara | Thank You NYC + The Welcome Conference
• 511: The Art of Designing Unique Coffee Bars w/ Scott Magic of Magic Architecture
• SHIFT BREAK: Embrace Your Space
• SHIFT BREAK : 2 Tips for Bar Design
• 275 : The Changing Landscape of Cafe Spaces w/ Dr. Jennifer Ferreira
• 206 : The Emotional and Social Impact of the Cafe Space w/ Noa Berger
• 367 : Designing Your Coffee Shop for Community w/ Dr. Lisa Waxman
• 375 : Founder Friday! w/ Roland Horne of WatchHouse
• 205 : Inside Caffe Florian, the World’s Oldest Coffee Shop ! | Venice, Italy

INTERESTED IN 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 

Want a beautiful coffee shop? All your hard surface, stone, Tile and brick needs! 

www.arto.com

Visit @artobrick

The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com

Delegation is a difficult, but necessary part of growing your coffee business. It is critical in helping you grow as well. Delegation of responsibility and authority is a response to the growth of the business that, while promising to expand your organizations capacity to steward that growth, tests your resolve. That is because of what we will call the "delegation dip".

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how you can (and must!) navigate the initial dip in performance associated with delegation in order to push through to the other side where it creates higher performance, capacity, and stability in the cafe.  

 Related episodes:

• 267 : The Power of Delegation

• SHIFT BREAK: Don't Just Do It

• 475: Essential Tools for Cafe Management

• Messy Can Be Beautiful

• 362: How to Handle Growth in Your Coffee Shop

INTERESTED IN 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 

Thank you to out sponsors!

Everything you need for back of the house operations https://rattleware.qualitybystainless.com/

The best and most revered espresso machines on the planet: www.lamarzoccousa.com

How do you brew great coffee at home? That question is probably one of the most searched and asked questions that has unleashed what seems like a never ending stream of educational platforms, curated lists, videos, and blogs. It is honestly both exciting and overwhelming. The new question might actually be, "how do I make sense of all my options to make great coffee at home?" That is where today's guest, Justin Piercy of Daddy Got Coffee steps in to help. 

Justin Piercy is the former sound engineer, family man, coffee enthusiast, and now full time home coffee education professional behind the popular, fun, and approachable platform, Daddy Got Coffee. His work has a lot to do with creating clarity for viewers to find what works for them to enjoy the coffee they buy at our roasteries and, in turn, this helps those home enthusiast become more discerning customers of the cafe.

In this interview we explore not only Justin's own story of how he came to champion home coffee education, but also how home coffee as a category has influenced cafe culture and why it has been a force for good.

We discuss: 

• The Spark of the Coffee Enthusiast
• Navigating the Learning Curve
• The Intersection of Creativity and Logic
• Understanding the Coffee Enthusiast's Mindset
• The Impact of Home Brewing on Cafes
• Understanding Your Audience's Needs
• Defining Success in Coffee Business
• Intentionality in Coffee Choices

Links:

• 360: Encore Episode! Hosting Consumer Coffee Classes: 7 Tips for Success

• 035 : The Consumer Revolution w/ Kevin Sinnott

• 333: Bridging the Professional and Home Barista Gap w/ Lance Hedrick of Onyx Coffee Lab

• 322 : A Conversation w/ LaNisa Williams of Barista Life L.A.

Want a beautiful coffee shop? All your hard surface, stone, Tile and brick needs! 

www.arto.com

Visit @artobrick

The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com

Follow on Instagram! @Artobrick ....

and tell them Chris sent you!

Let's face it, the look, feel, and functionality of the physical coffee shop will always be an important part of showing hospitality to our guests. The issues we are faced with is one as old as time. We meticulously set up our spaces when we first open, get busy, and then slowly allow them to fall apart. We don't notice it so much because we are busy with other things, but the customers notices, and taken together, it has a dramatic impact on everything we put our hands to.

Today on Shift Break we will be discussing the importance of taking very good care of your coffee shop. The space itself is a sacred one. The first place we encounter the truth of marketing claims about quality, community, specialty, excellence etc.

In this new year lets determine to focus on keeping our shop as a way of keeping our promises and the first basic step in showing the hospitality we say we want to offer. 

 Related episodes:

• 307 : 10 Simple ways to Level Up your Coffee Shop
• SHIFT BREAK: Focusing on the Whole, Not the Part
• The Impact of Absence
• 2nd First Impression : Tips for Welcoming Customers Back
• Working Clean : Tips for keeping the bar looking and working well while you work
• The Currency of Urgency
• 498: 10 Small Things to Fix in Your Coffee Shop This Week

INTERESTED IN 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 

Thank you to out sponsors!

Everything you need for back of the house operations https://rattleware.qualitybystainless.com/

The best and most revered espresso machines on the planet: www.lamarzoccousa.com

It's that time of year where we are collectively setting our sights on both the past and the future. What will this next year of 2025 hold for you and your coffee shop? The answer to that question is that your tends to be made up of the things you focus on most. So if we want to increase our chances of experiencing good things, we need to increase our focus on what good things we would like to see.

 Today you and I are spending some time together to focus on 7 words / areas that I believe are worthy of your focus in the New Year. Take these words and think on them, ponder and meditate on how to bring them into your personal practice, your communication and training of staff, and your cafes operations. 

If you can meaningfully integrate these things into the fabric of your organization in 2025, you will definitely have a good year. 

We discuss and explore: 

1. Presence
2. Iteration
3. Resource
4. Discovery
5. Joy
6. Communication
7. Quality

Links:

• 224 : Essentialism: Focusing on what truly Matters w/ Greg McKeown
• 173 : 5 Areas of Focus for Retailers
• 489: Tips for Creating a Resilient Cafe
• 181 : Organizational Self-Knowledge
• 453 : The Craft of Operations

Want a beautiful coffee shop? All your hard surface, stone, Tile and brick needs! 

www.arto.com

Visit @artobrick

The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com

Follow on Instagram! @Artobrick ....

and tell them Chris sent you!

Every Coffee Fest we get to sit down with some very cool presenters to chat about their businesses, area, of expertise, and insights that will help you run a better cafe. The last show of the year took place in Minneapolis, MN and was a wonderful time of sharing, community, and value. Even though my equipment decided (after 8 years of service) to die on the spot of my first interview, we got to catch up with two presenters over Zoom and have some very helpful conversations. 

Today we are presenting to you my interview with Jaime Becker-Finn of Makwa Coffee and Frederick Dubose of Sun Bean Coffee!

We start with Jaime Becker-Finn

Jamie Becker-Finn is the founder and owner of Makwa Coffee, a community centered craft coffee shop that opened in Roseville, MN in 2022. Jamie is a descendant of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and named the shop after her clan - "makwa" is the Ojibwe word for black bear (pronounced "muck-wuh"). In a sea of suburban chain stores, Makwa Coffee is proud to be a unique and values-driven space where queer folks, Native folks, and the entire community is welcomed.

In addition to running the shop, Jamie is an attorney and is also wrapping up eight years of service in the Minnesota House of Representatives, where she chaired the House Judiciary Committee. Jamie grew up on the rez near Cass Lake and goes home often. She loves her people, her dogs, live music, books and soccer.

Links

Instagram: @makwacoffee

https://www.makwacoffee.com/

Next up we have Fredrick Dubose

After dedicating over 20 years to mentoring and supporting young people, Fredrick recognized that creating a physical space where the community could gather and engage was the next step in his mission to foster connection and growth. This vision became a reality when he opened SunBean Coffee Shop.

His experience in youth work taught him the value of creating safe, inclusive environments where people can thrive. SunBean became that space for not only young people but for the entire neighborhood. Fredrick saw an opportunity to continue his mentorship by hiring local youth, offering them not just employment but life skills, a sense of responsibility, and a platform to contribute to their community.

SunBean is a local institution known for its welcoming atmosphere and positive impact.

His coffee shop has become a space for conversation, creativity, and collaboration, hosting community events and offering a venue where people from all walks of life can connect.

Fredrick’s transition from youth work to business ownership is a testament to his belief that community service and entrepreneurship can go hand in hand, each reinforcing the other to create lasting change."

Links

https://sunbeancoffeemn.com/

Instagram: @sunbeancoffeemn 

INTERESTED IN 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 

For this last Founder Friday of 2024 we are featuring a story that I believe really embodies the spirit of entrepreneurship that fuels so many coffee shops. From a cart in the pandemic, to a thriving cafe and catering business, Thrd Coffee, Lead by Raoul Adwan, has shown what is possible when you build with passion and focus. 

Raoul Adwan is a Chicago native of Mexican and Bolivian descent who turned a passion for coffee into a thriving business.

Raoul launched his venture during the pandemic with the help of a stimulus check, starting off with a single coffee cart offering street-side brews.

What began as a humble pop-up operation quickly gained traction, and within four years, Raoul’s business expanded to a brick-and-mortar location (currently in the works for his second shop) , complemented by multiple carts equipped with top-tier coffee gear.

Today, Raoul leads one of Chicago’s top coffee catering operations, serving corporate spaces and buildings across downtown with full-service coffee bars.

His innovative approach and commitment to quality have positioned his business for rapid growth, with projected 2024 sales of over $600K and total gross revenue (starting from 2020 to now) hitting $1.15M. Raoul’s journey is a testament to entrepreneurial spirit and community-driven success.

Links:

https://www.thrdcoffee.com/

@THRDCOFFEECO

Related episodes: 

• 453 : The Craft of Operations

• 432 : How to Win in Specialty Retail Coffee

• Creative Avoidance : Thoughts on Long-game Management

• 169 : Designing the Guest Experience w/ Dr. Lisa Waxman

• 115 : Finding Success in Mobile Coffee w/ Tim Cox / Communion Coffee

• 422: Coffee Truck Success w/ Vincent LaVolpa of Green Joe Coffee School

• 384 : How to Run a Successful Coffee Cart w/ Sarah Naylor of Daybreak Coffee Cart

• 385 : Founder Friday! w/ Arick Davis and Sarah Laman of Last Mile Cafe, Grand Rapids, MI

• 187 : A Conversation with Nikki Outlaw of Anecho Coffee

Want a beautiful coffee shop? All your hard surface, stone, Tile and brick needs! 

www.arto.com

Visit @artobrick

The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com

Follow on Instagram! @Artobrick ....

and tell them Chris sent you!

Labor cost is probably the number one most worried over metric in the cafe. Of course, like any other metric that signifies the health of the business, your labor cost needs to be something you pay attention to and control. But the way many cafes approach labor cost can be akin to sawing off the branch they sit on. Short term gain, long term detriment. In a time where the need for talent acquisition and wages are on the rise, it is time we take a fresh look at ways to grow and maintain profitability.

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about ways to view your labor cost in light of the whole business, how to prioritize your focus and energy, and why your investment into labor may not need to be as tightly controlled as you have been led to believe. 

 Related episodes:

• 341: How to Think About Success

• 009 : How to Approach Data and Metrics w/ Simon Ouderkirk : Simon shows us how we should be thinking of numbers and their relation to our shops, baristas, and businesses

• 302 : Data’s Roll in the Success of your Shop w/ Mark Calhoun and Jim Strarcev of Perfect Cube

• 244 : Top 10 Ways to Lose Employees

INTERESTED IN 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 

Thank you to out sponsors!

Everything you need for back of the house operations https://rattleware.qualitybystainless.com/

The best and most revered espresso machines on the planet: www.lamarzoccousa.com

Music and coffee seem to just go together. If you are into one, the other is not far behind. Both coffee and music inspire and create community that fuel's our lives.

 Today's guest began his coffee journey as a full time touring musician and was immediately hooked. His journey took him from e-commerce and pop-ups, to now his own brick and mortar store. Today we are chatting with Acey Slade of the weird and wonderful, Cat Fight Coffee!

Catfight Coffee was formed in 2020 by career musician Acey Slade (Dope, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Til Lindemann of Rammstein) and his wife Meiling (a Taiwanese native) when both saw their respective careers put on hold due to Covid Lockdown. Acey, having had a previous background in the coffee industry and Meiling having a successful career in beauty industry.

They put their experience to work and Catfight Coffee was born as e-commerce business.

Today Catfight Coffee is available in over 80 retail outlets across North America. Roasting and distribution in the UK will begin in early 2023 as will the first retail outlet in Asia.

We cover:

• From Music to Coffee: The Birth of Catfight Coffee
• Pop-Ups and Community Engagement
• Balancing Personal Taste with Customer Preferences
• Branding and Marketing Strategies
• Creating a Welcoming Coffee Shop Environment
• Building the Brick and Mortar: Challenges and Insights
• The Importance of Customer Experience
• Learning from the First Week of Operations
• Hiring for Success in the Coffee Business
• Personal Growth as a Business Owner
• Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Links:

https://www.catfightcoffee.com/

IG : @catfightcoffee

Want a beautiful coffee shop? All your hard surface, stone, Tile and brick needs! 

www.arto.com

Visit @artobrick

The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! www.pacificfoodservice.com

Follow on Instagram! @Artobrick ....

and tell them Chris sent you!

There is no doubt about it, having a training lab is a wonderful asset to have for elevating the quality of your training...until it isn't. Truthfully, much like any tool, it depends on how it is used and whether it is part of a bigger picture.

Today on Shift Break we will be talking about the good and the bad of training labs. You don't necessarily need one, but if you do have a lab or are wanting to create one, then this episode will help you create it and use it in a way that produces more than just classroom knowledge, but real world skill. 

 Related episodes:

505: Maintaining Excellence in the Everyday Work of Coffee Shops w/ Maxwell Dashwood

SHIFT BREAK: Minding Our Business

SHIFT BREAK: Detail Oriented Staff Starts With You

You Need to Prioritize In-House Training!

INTERESTED IN 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 

Thank you to out sponsors!

Everything you need for back of the house operations https://rattleware.qualitybystainless.com/

The best and most revered espresso machines on the planet: www.lamarzoccousa.com