From shift to shift, and from barista to barista, your regular’s expectations deserve to be met.

Quality control monitoring programs provide an excellent way to maintain the high service standards necessary to keep your patrons coming back.

While some staff may claim bragging rights as your top baristas, and that may very well be true, the formulation and execution of all your shop’s drinks must match, as product and service inconsistencies are sighted as the two prime reasons customers switch their allegiance from one shop to another.

Too often we find lax standards and either insufficient training, or recycled training, leading to seemingly random recipes. For restaurateurs unfamiliar with the term recycled training my suspicion is that you may be unknowingly encouraging it. When outgoing staff train incoming staff, and when this takes place time and time again, it doesn’t take long before brew ratios and beverage recipes become little more than lost memories.

Regardless of staff’s knowledge and experience, having your baristas trained properly, provided with standard recipes, and monitored for performance, is the best approach.

In fine dining restaurants, where fully trained baristas are less common than in cafes, weekly monitoring is invaluable. Having your espresso equipment given a thorough weekly inspection will reduce your annual maintenance costs and alert you to any operator errors or developing equipment issues. Of greatest value to your FOH staff is access to online and telephone support at negligible cost.

Quality control monitoring programs also offer outstanding return on investment as clients subscribing to weekly or monthly visits typically qualify for prime rates.

If you have any questions regarding quality control monitoring please feel welcome to contact me directly at Fraser.Jamieson@Gmail.Com