Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

There is far more going on behind the scenes of your numbers than just meeting your metrics. The money that flows in and out of the business is the life blood that represents health, trust, activity, and the growth of the whole. Trouble is we either focus on it alone, or we try not to focus on it at all. The best path is the integrated one. 
Today on Shift Break we will be talking about how we can think, talk, and act around the subject of money in the cafe in a healthy way, by embracing the meaning it has and tearing down ours and other's misconceptions about it. 
Related episodes:
160 : The Smart Way to Approach Money w/ Jill Schlesinger
SHIFT BREAK! Why The Best Hospitality Starts With The Transactional!
576: Financial Stability Using Profit First for Coffee Businesses w/ Kim Logsdon of Caffeinate Your Cash
Building Trust-Credit
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

When you have multiple cafes and a distributed staff, getting everyone on the same page in the operations can be very challenging. In fact, it happens to be the number one reason why businesses with 2+ locations start to see a downturn in quality of product, culture, and guest experience. 

Today on the show we will be answering a question from the KTTS listening audience about how to unify teams across multiple cafes. These tips come from a lot or personal experience doing things well and not so well, in addition to the lessons learned from our guests on the show and lessons learned through KTTS consulting. 
Your Standards
Leadership Distribution
Supporting Leadership

Tracking and addressing issues with frequency and intention 

Communication and Accountability 

Meaningful all staff meetings

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 
 
SPONOR
The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! 
www.pacificfoodservice.com
 
Related Episodes: 
SHIFT BREAK! How to Have Healthy Communication Between your Cafe's Departments
SHIFT BREAK! The Urgent Need for Training in Today's Coffee Shop
SHIFT BREAK: Reassessing Growth
Scaling Values
507: How High-Level Systems Help Your Cafe Thrive w/ Preston Lee, The 30% Rule

Quality of the coffee, experience, service, and just about anything else in the cafe will always be something an owner and leader focuses on. These days we tend to concentrate our efforts on the acquiring of quality, instead of the creation of it. All the potential those great beans, your wonderful staff, and even our space have, is just potential until you take action and render, create, and realize that potential in the cup, in the moment, in the real life of the business.
Today on Shift Break we will be talking about some ways that we should be thinking about quality, the need for constant focus, maintaining excellence, and the dangers of the claim that quality is something we have already achieved and can move on.
Related episodes:
533: Principles of Quality Control
SHIFT BREAK: Quality Still Matters
406 : Five Ways to Immediately Improve Your Coffee Quality
 
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

Making your cafe run better, improving service, increasing profitability, and leveling up quality and value for your guests naturally brings to mind a host of new and different services, products, and strategies that we believe we need to employ. But the truth is that we often only need to look deeper into the existing opportunities we have to find the solutions we seek. 

Today on the show we will be discussing a few areas of your shop that deserve a deeper look and more focus. Before you assume you have done all you can with what you currently have, listen to this episode and let it inspire you to maximize your existing opportunities!

We will discuss:
Your Community
Your Current Menu
Your Drink Quality
Service + Hospitality
Local Business Networks
 
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 
 
SPONOR
The world loves plant based beverages and baristas love the Barista Series! 
www.pacificfoodservice.com
 
Related Episodes: 
SHIFT BREAK! The New Classic Cafe: An Era of Understated Excellence
505: Maintaining Excellence in the Everyday Work of Coffee Shops w/ Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood
Defining Excellence and Success

It seems like the conversation we have around what can be done for staff to create more value, longevity, etc never gets around to a place where you can look at what you are doing and have done and say, you know what, that's pretty good, that is enough. Honestly it feels weird even typing it because we do want to be always maintaining and cultivating value.

Today on Shift Break we will be chatting about when it is ok to look at the things you offer to your staff and say it is enough, when to pick back up the search for more value, and how not to let that natural tension drive you and your business into the ground with fear.
Related episodes:
SHIFT BREAK! Engaging in the Right Conversations (or how not to accept undue guilt)
SHIFT BREAK! Why Following Through is the Key to Better Coffee Shops
SHIFT BREAK! Holding Baristas (and Yourself!) Accountable
SHIFT BREAK! Adding Value in the Cafe
SHIFT BREAK: Adjusting Our View of Labor Cost

CONSULTING + 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