I’ll Take a Fresh Plate of Crappy Service Please.

I’d like to give you a short restaurant review. Before you read on, know that I’m not a professional reviewer, food critic, or whatever, and possess no special talent or skill in this area whatsoever. I’m speaking from the point-of-view of a normal guy with a great smattering of common sense. If you’d like to read a professional review of more places in my area, check out my friend Becky Billingsley‘s work.

My mom and I took the opportunity to visit one of our fave lunch spots in Socastee SC the other day and may not go back again. Here’s a basic rundown of our experience at this upscale oriental eatery. People always say not to complain without offering solutions, so I’ll also throw in my two bits about the problem, even if it does end up being a little Gordon Ramsey style on the meanness scale.

• The tables were dirty and sticky. Maybe try wiping them down after people leave?
• There was a hand-written sign on the door stating that they will not accept credit cards. This is a problem I’d fix quickly, as the acceptance of credit cards is not only considered standard but also leads to increased sales volume.
• There was also a hand-written sign on the door stating that they no longer accept restaurant.com coupons. I’d fix this immediately by taking the entry off of their website.
• The place was all but empty on a Monday between 12:00 to 1:30. Only one other table sat down and one take-out order came in during the busiest time of the day.
• Our waitress volunteered that the old owner brought in a new partial owner and then took off for a while. Makes the whole place sound really professional. I’d tell the staff to keep some information to themselves.
• The waitresses were channel surfing on the bar television. Bad form. I’ve seen Ramsey go off on people for this.
• There were three waitresses sitting around the bar although only one could be bothered to attend to us. Even at peak occupancy, the place only needs one waitress and one bartender. Send someone home and save some money.
• The waitress told us that our food order was slow because they were training the new chef on our order. Even if that’s true, please don’t tell me.
• After my mom made a complaint about her meal, the waitress brought the chef out to apologize to us. Awkward! She was ready to cry and made us feel like crap that we complained. The chef was also wearing an apron with a politically charged logo on it. I don’t care what your political persuasion is, don’t parade it around at work.
• The extra waitresses had drinks from other restaurants (Taco Bell and Dunkin Donuts) sitting at the bar where they were hanging out. Oh, so the food and drink in this place isn’t good enough for the folks that work here?
• My mom ordered a ginger ale and she just pulled a 2 liter bottle of generic ginger ale from under the bar and popped it open right there in front of us. If you’re feeding us the cheap stuff, do it in private so we don’t see it. Poor form.
• There was no music whatsoever. The place sounded like a library and having a normal conversation at our own table felt uncomfortable.
• When the waitresses finally stopped the television on a showing of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, they then turned up the volume and started a discourse about Johnny Depp, at the expense of our timely food order.
• There’s no cell service in the whole joint. What? Aren’t we in the twentieth century? I know. Not their fault because of the metal building, but I’m in a complaining mood now.

For a place that I considered myself to be a regular of, I have to say that the staff was off, the food was off, and probably the only way I’ll go back is if someone is paying for the meal and I’m really hungry. For this place to succeed, I’d suggest a new location away from the redneck strip joint, an entire new staff, and more interaction with the owner. At his previous location, the owner was always visible. Now he’s invisible. If operations continue like this, the place has a very short shelf life remaining.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 in the Caffeine Rush

I was at a Dr. Seuss birthday party last week with my kids at the local Barnes and Noble bookstore and spotted a couple of Things in line for some coffee. It’s Starbucks, but at least it’s coffee.

 

Dave Ramsey Bashes Gourmet Coffee

I’m a huge Dave Ramsey fan. My wife and I went through his Financial Peace program shortly after we got married and it changed our lives. I recently went through it again, this time as a teacher. I noticed this little graphic in the workbook where it would appear that Dave is bashing my fave beverage of choice, but let me explain.

First off, most gourmet coffee that you’ll pay $5 for is swill, brown coffee-flavored juice, black tar, the offal of bad beans. You get the idea. You can easily pay $5 for this stuff at your local neighborhood chain coffee shop that has a few million locations all over. You know who I’m talking about. Don’t buy that stuff.

The other premise at play that Dave is really talking about is that if you don’t have the money, don’t buy any of it. Coffee isn’t important enough that you’re using a credit card to pay for it. Coffee isn’t important enough that you should be buying it if you’re in debt. That’s what Dave’s talking about…debt versus luxury items.

If you’re not in debt, but money doesn’t flow freely, there are better ways to enjoy a quality gourmet brew. Buy some really great beans from a quality roaster and brew your quality juice at home. You’ll have a much better coffee experience and you’ll save money.

Boomshakalock…there you go.

 

 

Blu Coffee Company’s Jamaican Blue Mountain Brew Review

This article was originally published in print in Parent News magazine…

I’ve probably talked about my association with Dan Miller, the author of 48 Days to the Work You Love, so much that you might be getting sick of it. I’m sure I’ll talk about it even more. My association with Miller, his family, and his friends have shaped my professional and personal life more than anyone I know. This month’s coffee review of Blu Coffee Company (BCC) came about because of that association.

A couple of years ago I attended a coaching class at the Sanctuary, Dan Miller’s ranch in Franklin, TN. I was there to discover ways to expand my coaching business and also to make new friends. Every time I attend a class at one of their events I meet at least one or two people who quickly become great friends. One of my new friends met BCC owner Denise Mills at another event and sent me a message about her and the company. She and her husband Tim Mills own the company.

The coffee industry seems to be on the forefront of the social enterprise movement and BCC is built around that premise. I’ll tell you about the company in their own words from the website…

What is BLU? BLU Coffee Company was organized and established in 2010 as a socially responsible, totally transparent company based in the heartland of Oklahoma. Residing in Edmond, OK, this company was developed as a lifeline and a means of financial support for a not-for-profit, 501(c)3 organization called Whisper of Hope, also based out of Edmond.

                What are BLU’s values and purpose? BLU is all about making each day count for the kingdom of God. It was born to not only bring others the world’s best coffee, but to help Build Lives Up (BLU) in the process. “The Aroma of Giving,” is not just the tagline for BLU, but it is the action that BLU hopes to perpetuate, and the heart and soul of the company’s founder’s Tim and Denise Mills.

                Why was BLU established? After making the decision to dedicate their lives to serving God and helping others, Tim and Denise formed the not-for-profit organization Whisper of Hope with the vision of using creative arts as a means to bring hope, healing, and the love of Christ to those in need. While serving for three years locally and abroad, they began praying for a way to truly invest in communities or, “Build Lives Up,” and make a lasting difference economically. They needed an avenue that would provide the resources and the opportunities to do so, and while serving in Jamaica, they found the perfect blend!

                Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee quickly became the means Whisper of Hope was looking for, and the doorway to establishing incredible bonds with the Jamaican people. It was out of this development that BLU was born, and the merge with Whisper of Hope created. Importing and selling this one of a kind Jamaican coffee not only provides sustenance for Whisper of Hope to do great works through Christ, but it gives back earnings to the Jamaican people so they can strengthen their communities and improve their quality of life. Tim and Denise are expanding their vision to impact people’s lives more significantly than ever before, hoping to change the lives of individuals and communities both locally and abroad.

                How am I helping the cause? With every purchase from BLU Coffee Company, proceeds are donated to Whisper of Hope to help fund projects such as mission trips to third-world countries, giving Hope Totes to the needy, providing art supplies and other resources to communities in need, and many, many other ventures which give back to those less fortunate. Because the needs are endless, the possibilities are endless, and BLU Coffee Company in conjunction with Whisper of Hope remain open and obedient to wherever the will of God leads them.

I’ve had Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee many times before, and it holds a special place in my heart, as it was the first “authentic” coffee I ever tried.  Mills sent me a small package of coffee to taste for the review, which I was delighted with. I brewed a batch in my brand new Chemex pot and it was absolutely wonderful. The Chemex pot and mugs bring out more flavor than any device I’ve ever used. We brewed it very dark and it carried the low acidity and bitterness that it is known for along with the inherent natural sweetness that creates what I think of as the king of coffees.

If you’ve never quaffed Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee before or are already a fan, I would suggest you give Blu Coffee Company a try. You can get the world’s best coffee and help out a worthy cause at the same time. Tell the Mills’ that Dr. Dave sent you.

Good Eats at Leopard Forest Coffee Company in Travelers Rest SC

While on my 2 week speaking tour last month I spent some time with my wife’s family near Greenville SC. We drove into town one day (partly so I could hit the local comic book store Borderlands) and stopped in at Leopard Forest Cafe for lunch. They have a really nice cafe right on the main drag in Travelers Rest (TR). TR used to be a pretty trashy area that you just drove through to go from city to hiking. Now they’ve revitalized the entire town with a sweet bike trail, lots of new shops, and, most of all, energy!

We had a great time at the cafe. It has a nice coffee shop atmosphere with small town vibe. The Leopard Forest brand coffee is roasted down the street so if you walk by at the right time, the smell is intoxicating. Aside from their home-roasted coffee, the food is also excellent. If you’re ever in the TR area or making the trek northward on 276 toward Table Rock, Caesar’s Head, or Lake Jocassee, I’d recommend you stop in for a bite and a cup of brew.

Diseased Cantaloupe (Food Critics Can’t Take the Heat)

I just read this on an e-mail post from a local food critic in the area where I live. I thought I’d throw it out to the netverse and see what everyone else thought about it…

For some time readers have been asking for comments sections after…articles, and this week we delivered. Comment away! If you’re not already signed up for the Disqus comment program, you’ll need to register. It’s free.  Note: A couple of commenters have already established themselves as mean-spirited, and I won’t tolerate that. Critical comments are fine – we all have opinions – but
blatantly cruel posts are out of line. To those who say I’m inhibiting free speech, I say go get your own Web site and make all the snarky comments you want.

With the capability and ease for customers to instantly complain these days via Twitter, Yelp, and the innumerable sites that are available to us, how should you deal with comments that you don’t particularly like?

Should you ignore them like an ostrich with his head in the sand?

Should you answer them and try to help or explain?

Should you go on the offensive and attack? 

Should you exercise the god-like power of the webmaster or mistress and simply delete anything you don’t like?

I’m reminded of a story that my friend and tech guru Justin Lukasavige told in his class yesterday on social media about a recent complaint he made via Twitter to Thrifty Car Rental. They didn’t respond well and, from what he said, it seemed like they pulled the ostrich head in the sand method while trying to sound like they were responding in a proper manner. The end result…he said he’d find another car rental company.

I guess it depends on the situation and the particular comment, but, for some reason, this food critic’s words just didn’t seem like responsible customer service to me. It almost sounded like an uppity way of doing her best to alientate readers. It kind of makes me want to see a restaurant owner use her own tactic and let her know…”if you don’t like my food, go get your own restaurant.” Most food critics are like the worst teachers. If you can’t do, just critique.

UPDATE…11/3/11… Just read a cool article in Inc. and thought I’d post a section relevant to this blog…

Fill It to the Rim with Brim Agin’

Nice little snippet of an article in this month’s Fast Company about the revival of the Brim brand. It had a great tagline that brought coffee to the masses, even if it was crappy instant crappiness. The revival has Brim coming back in an evolved form, as a value-added coffee product with healthiness and nutrients added in. I love these products and coffee deserves it. We already have the sweet nectar of caffeine in there, so why not the other goodies?

Here’s the article for you…

 

Fast Company The Rules of Business: 55 Essential Ideas to Help Smart People (and Organizations) Perform At Their Best.

Cooking Coffee with Mt. Hood Roasters

I wrote about the great folks at Mt. Hood Roasters back in July when I was in Portland. You can read all about them HERE on the previous blog. This time I thought I’d bring you a couple of videos of the batch that we roasted while I was there. The third video is awesome because you can really hear the rolling crackle of the coffee popping as it roasts. I hope you enjoy!

 

The Best Way to Screw Your Employees

I visited a new lunch spot in Garden City SC that I shall leave unnamed the other day to check it out. It was a non-chain restaurant, and I was looking for an alternative hangout near my office. I had a great meal there and a wonderful interaction with the staff. As soon as I returned to the office I promptly sang out its praises on Facebook and declared it as one of my new fave lunch spots. After all, if I had a wonderful meal, why not let my network of friends in on it. I also went on the company’s Facebook page and thanked them and their lovely “cupcake maestro”. What followed after my compliments gave me a great lesson on how not to treat a team.

                In short order I received the following message back from the owner. The message has been edited only to remove the names and correct the writer’s punctuation, which was atrocious….

                Hi David this is *** owner and founder of ***. I always appreciate positive feedback about my company from clients, but more so when it benefits the company in its entirety. I love *** to death. She is my right hand here, but, just so you know, I myself do a lot of the baking here at *** and many of the flavors we sell are my recipes. True that *** spends most of the time in the back baking from 8:30 to 3:00. Our business hours are from 10:00 to 6:00 so a lot more goes on after she has departed. That should not go unappreciated. I have plans to take *** to a franchisable level, so it is important to always maintain comments within the brand as a whole. So, anyhow, I look forward to seeing more comments from you on Facebook , but I would appreciate it if they supported *** business in general.

                I couldn’t post my initial thoughts on Facebook as they were of the more crude and angry manner, but I did post this on my wall…Yikes! Complimented a new restaurant in a post yesterday and mentioned one of their star bakers by name and got scolded by the owner for singling out somebody and not just the store as a whole. Way to go on the employee support, man!

                These were some of the comments I got back…

Mike wrote: “Small minded man who refuses to be part of his own team. Sounds like he’s more concerned with PROFITS than people. Nice call.”

Honey wrote: “That figures… If the whole team can’t get a trophy no one can. “

Teresa wrote: “That is pretty lousy.”

Amanda wrote: “Oh! Wonder if he’s hiring!!?? LOL!”

Nick wrote: “dislike.”

Johnny wrote: “I guess I wouldn’t recommend his restaurant anymore. I’d hate to get it wrong.”

                After taking some time to gather my thoughts on what a fool the owner seemed to be, I answered him back in order to give him a chance to get it right. He didn’t. As you’ll see from the following interaction, he kept digging his hole. From the wording, you might be able to guess which place it is. I mean, how many lunch spots on the south end are famous for cupcakes? If you really want to know where it is, e-mail me.

                From me…Thanks for writing me back. I have to admit that I’m just a little bit taken aback by your response though. I’ve been involved in culinary writing for a while and never been scolded for making a positive post or article about a business or individual in the business. As a matter of fact, I always try to focus on the individuals because no matter how good the food, the decor, and the prices are, people keep coming back if they feel a sense of community and a sense of kinship with the people involved behind the counter. When I find a business I like, I do everything I can to help and bring in customers. That’s what I consider to be my true goal with my restaurant reviews and interview articles. I even sent my wife in there today to check it out and she brought back cupcakes to our neighbor to give them a small taste of what you offer. You’ll seldom catch me writing a bad review of a food or place unless they really deserve it. I don’t like writing negative items. If a place doesn’t impress me, I’ll simply ignore them and find a good place to talk about instead.
                I’d planned to write an article about the shop and you for my column next month, and I’d planned on including a lot of what I heard you talking about with the gentleman at the counter, from your experiences in Spain that helped shape you, about your wife and her influence, how you choose your roast beef, Anita and her cupcakes, and whatever else we talked about when I interviewed you. I’m not sure you would’ve liked what I had planned though, because the article wouldn’t have been a marketing fluff piece about ***. It would’ve been about the people, the stories, and the history involved.
I can completely understand your concerns about branding, future franchising, and support for the business. I’ve been a small business owner myself for a very long time and come from a family of successful entrepreneurs. I do, however, feel that you’re going in the wrong direction with your concerns. I think of companies like Zappos.com, where the individual personalities are given a chance to shine and the end result is that people separated by miles and miles who communicate only by e-mail become friends over a pair of shoes and a financial transaction. I’ve become friends with several people on their social network team simply because I posted positive comments on their company Facebook page over my most recent shoe acquisition last week.
                I feel like you’ve done a disservice to *** and the other employees by making it seem like it’s a team effort with an anonymous team. My comment was nice, fair, positive, and certainly not in error. What I wrote was like complimenting the chef after a great meal. How would you feel if you complimented a chef and the owner came out to let you know that it was not proper form to do so because of marketing issues, branding efforts, future franchise opportunities, and the team effort involved? I’m not sure how you’d feel. I know how I’d feel. I’d probably give the chef my condolences, wish him luck finding a better owner to work for, and likely never enter the restaurant again.
                I don’t subscribe to the tenet that any publicity is good publicity. I do believe that good publicity is always good publicity. That’s all I offered, just a little good publicity. I enjoyed my meal, my experience with your staff, the decor, and the cupcakes and wanted to interest my network of friends and foodies in a new lunch spot. I apologize if I did something you felt was wrong. I intended no harm.

                His response…You make many good points in your response, one importantly about complimenting the chef. Can you actually tell me if the cupcakes you ate or your wife for that matter were actually baked by ***?

                Can you believe he actually tried to tell me that the cupcakes I handpicked with the baker right there telling me all about them might’ve been his and not hers. Seriously, does it really matter if I loved them and was planning on coming back for more? 

                Another response from him… By the way not that you said anything wrong , but you posted on the wall of *** and that is a company , a company that with or without the actual staff remains a company , I invested everything I have in this , and all of my time , away from my family at nights I leave they asleep in the morning . So as I said before , *** has been a great find for the existence of *** and to me personally as a friend, but as proprietor I market and sell my company. When I speak with my clients I let them know that all of our recipes are personalized and prepared by me and the well trained *** staff. Can you not understand that making a post like yours apart from truly being incorrect makes me personally look like a liar? If it were posted on your personal Facebook page or somewhat…then
no harm done… but this is *** official Facebook page. All staff take credit for what goes on there. There is more than one Maestro here.  All ingredients, food items that enter on my premises are strictly
researched and hand-picked by me and *** elaborates on the baking products provided , as do I. Believe me when I say , I am not at all frustrated about this , but before more comments on the same term arise , I would only hope that the facts be carefully taken before hand.

                And yet another e-mail from him…As I said,  no harm done.  I hope you enjoyed your meal, and I am now even more sorry that I didn’t get the chance to sit down and chat with you ,as you probably noticed I do talk a lot . Maybe in the near we will have that opportunity, and so far as the articles that you write , I think that’s marvelous. It wouldn’t be upsetting to me at all . Correct me if I’m wrong,
but writing an article focusing on the staff is awesome becaus6e it gives everyone a chance to shine, but truly my major concern right now with a major crisis on hand is consolidating this business so that people like ***, ***, ***, and myself have a place to call our job. That and pleasing my clients. I am a servicial person.  I’ll do anything for anybody at anytime. I love people, and I love what I do ,so I
look forward to having you by for lunch again soon.

                 

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little interaction with a local restaurant owner. The moral of this story is that if you wish to compliment someone at a restaurant and have to ask the owner’s permission first, then find a new place to eat. This guy turned me from a stark raving fan into a hater in less time than it took me to pay for a cupcake.

References…

Growing Great Employees: Turning Ordinary People into Extraordinary Performers.

48 Days to the Work You Love: Preparing for the New Normal.

Hello, Cupcake!: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make.

My First Time Roasting Coffee

While travelling here around Portland OR I decided to spend a few days in the Mt. hood area and hopefully try to summit the mountain. Today was pretty much rest and explore time so I drove down the mountain to nearby Rhododendron and check out Mt. Hood Roasters. I spent some time with the owners Rick and Jiyeon Applegate.

The Applegate’s were super friendly and accommodating. I just stopped in for a cup of coffee, but they both kind of took me in and took me on a tour of the company. They embody all the principles espoused in the book Free by Chris Anderson. They don’t hide anything and aren’t worried about people seeing how they operate. They run a fantastic business based on sound practices and quality product and don’t need the secrecy that most other businesses seem to require.

When I first arrived Rick wasn’t there so Jiyeon offered me a cup of coffee and told me all about the business while she packaged small bags of coffee for area gift shops. Rick didn’t show up for a bit so she called him and explained that he’s apt to start talking to people and just hang out a while at the post office or wherever. She told me a little bit about the actual roaster, but made it clear that Rick loves to talk about it and that she’d leave that part for him to do. She and I talked a little about coffee habits in Korea, where she is from.

Rick pulled up, and it was like meeting an old friend. Rick is an Army retiree and met Jiyeon while stationed in Korea. They settled in the Mt. Hood area because he has family nearby. Their first venture was a full-fledged restaurant, but they settled into the coffee business because the restaurant demanded too much time. Now they’ve set up Mt. Hood Roasters in what Rick envisioned as a winery-style operation. Their house is right behind the roastery. They roast, package, and sell from the same building. They even have a small cottage onsite that is offered free of charge to any of their vendors that would like to stay near the mountain for some ski time or just a getaway. It really is similar to how many wineries operate to great success, and it obviously works for them as well.

Rick took me back to the supply shack where he stores his green coffee beans. After he explained all the reasoning behind his bean selections we picked a blend of green beans to roast. Then he took me back to the roasting room and we cooked up a ten pound batch in his Sivetz air roaster. Although I’ve been a coffee nut for a long time, this was my first experience with roasting it, and what an enjoyable time it was. At each step of the process Rick explained what was happening. We watched the chaff float away, smelled the beans at each point, listened for the crack of water followed by the crack of oil. Then we moved the beans over to a cooling kettle.

There are a lot of roasters out there, but every one I’ve run across acted like what they were doing was a corporate secret that only they knew about. The Applegate’s at Mt. Hood Roasters were just the opposite. They invited me in and revealed everything. They’re very proud of their operation and rightly so. If you are ever in the Mt. Hood area, you should consider this as one of your main tourist stops. It’s right on Hwy 26 before you get into Government Camp. Even if you don’t drink coffee it’s worth a stop. Maybe they’ll make a coffee drinker out of you.

If you’ve ever thought about starting a coffee business, I’d call the Applegate’s and offer to do an unpaid internship or just pay them to show you the ropes. It would be a great way to learn the business.

Be sure to check out my Facebook page for more photos! Look for my handle DrDavidPowers or click the button below.

If you’ve ever thought about roasting your own coffee at home…

The Art and Craft of Coffee: An Enthusiast’s Guide to Selecting, Roasting, and Brewing Exquisite Coffee.

How to Open a Financially Successful Coffee, Espresso & Tea Shop: With Companion CD-ROM.

Home Coffee Roasting, Revised, Updated Edition: Romance and Revival.

And be sure to check out…

Free: The Future of a Radical Price.