For better or worse the coffee industry has been intrinsically linked with hospitality regardless of how much some from the coffee side wants to separate. However with the coming of COVID-19 and some of the possible societal changes we may permanently adopt as a result.
Social distancing may seriously impact the coffee industry long-term. Even beyond whether or not many business survive quarantine, I suspect many of us will continue practicing some form of social distancing and coffee will not be seen the same way after. During the 2008 recession, the coffee industry established itself as a minor luxery, where the simple pleasures of a $4 latte and a visit to your local coffee shop became an indulgence. Whereas now the cafe model is threatened, as we become more conscious of the numerous hazards in everyday life, especially those related to transmittable diseases, viruses or illnesses that many never considered.
While we do live an incredible connected life, there are certain precautions one can take to feel safe or in control to a degree, however unless one has the means to remove themselves from society completely even with social isolation one must consider the various individuals who one interacts with whether or not they are seen or unseen.
Consider all the individuals involved in shipping your mail, for handling your food, for the service workers who maintain the infrastructure that we rely on to live. Are your mailpeople and assorted delivery people sanitizing your door after knocking or ringing the bell (or in my case are they still just throwing your packages over the fence)? Are your grocery workers disinfecting the shelves where your grocery sits for days on end? Are the service people who maintain our infrastructure practicing good handwashing? What about those random people who were here before us? Who was the last one to touch this chair? As a society are we going to start disinfecting everything we come in contact, whether it be the daily Amazon package we receive, the contents of said package, etc?
While I am sure some will, I do not believe all have the patience and dedication to continuously do so. I fear certain practices that may come out of social distancing that are easy to integrate into our daily routine we will continue practice as they make us feel safe. Washing your hands is something simple that we all were taught at a young age, but even now many do not wash their hands often or effectively, however the idea of increased handwashing may make one feel safe. Even though I feel social distancing is more of a bandaid then anything else as it does not address the more serious issues our society and medical industry faces: lack of supplies, not having the infrastructure to effectively address major or minor medical emergencies in times of pandemics, amongst others.
Coffee culture in the US, in particular Cafe culture where great coffee is not always the reason why guest frequent, but the hospitality they receive or community they are part of has been steadily growing. While I do believe that many cafes have stressed the importance of quality, coffee is a business and many cafes intentionally understaff or employ individuals who do not have the experience to continuously serve coffee (food, etc) at a high level throughout the day or have such a broad range of tasks throughout the day they allow quality to lapse. How many times have a guest made a mess that required immediate cleaning or something needed to be restocked during a rush? Or have you observed a difference in guest interactions in the morning versus night when closing is the primary concern for the employee?
In my experience quality has always come second to hospitality. I prefer to frequent mediocre cafes who provide exceptional service to those who reguarly have amazing quality, but lack in hospitality. While I do try to serve the best product I can within my means and limitations, I firmly believe that even before what and how we serve that our guest experience needs to be first and foremost. Striving to connect with those who are willing, while not forcing awkward conversations on those who do not, creating and fostering a positive environment where guest can easily enter and leave should be our goal. Perhaps I have experienced too many times guest praising mediocre latte art, or raving about lackluster coffee has biased me, but I consider myself a hospitalarian first.
Social distancing may seriously impact the coffee industry long-term. Even beyond whether or not many business survive quarantine, I suspect many of us will continue practicing some form of social distancing and coffee will not be seen the same way after. During the 2008 recession, the coffee industry established itself as a minor luxery, where the simple pleasures of a $4 latte and a visit to your local coffee shop became an indulgence. Whereas now the cafe model is threatened, as we become more conscious of the numerous hazards in everyday life, especially those related to transmittable diseases, viruses or illnesses that many never considered.
While we do live an incredible connected life, there are certain precautions one can take to feel safe or in control to a degree, however unless one has the means to remove themselves from society completely even with social isolation one must consider the various individuals who one interacts with whether or not they are seen or unseen.
Consider all the individuals involved in shipping your mail, for handling your food, for the service workers who maintain the infrastructure that we rely on to live. Are your mailpeople and assorted delivery people sanitizing your door after knocking or ringing the bell (or in my case are they still just throwing your packages over the fence)? Are your grocery workers disinfecting the shelves where your grocery sits for days on end? Are the service people who maintain our infrastructure practicing good handwashing? What about those random people who were here before us? Who was the last one to touch this chair? As a society are we going to start disinfecting everything we come in contact, whether it be the daily Amazon package we receive, the contents of said package, etc?
While I am sure some will, I do not believe all have the patience and dedication to continuously do so. I fear certain practices that may come out of social distancing that are easy to integrate into our daily routine we will continue practice as they make us feel safe. Washing your hands is something simple that we all were taught at a young age, but even now many do not wash their hands often or effectively, however the idea of increased handwashing may make one feel safe. Even though I feel social distancing is more of a bandaid then anything else as it does not address the more serious issues our society and medical industry faces: lack of supplies, not having the infrastructure to effectively address major or minor medical emergencies in times of pandemics, amongst others.
Coffee culture in the US, in particular Cafe culture where great coffee is not always the reason why guest frequent, but the hospitality they receive or community they are part of has been steadily growing. While I do believe that many cafes have stressed the importance of quality, coffee is a business and many cafes intentionally understaff or employ individuals who do not have the experience to continuously serve coffee (food, etc) at a high level throughout the day or have such a broad range of tasks throughout the day they allow quality to lapse. How many times have a guest made a mess that required immediate cleaning or something needed to be restocked during a rush? Or have you observed a difference in guest interactions in the morning versus night when closing is the primary concern for the employee?
In my experience quality has always come second to hospitality. I prefer to frequent mediocre cafes who provide exceptional service to those who reguarly have amazing quality, but lack in hospitality. While I do try to serve the best product I can within my means and limitations, I firmly believe that even before what and how we serve that our guest experience needs to be first and foremost. Striving to connect with those who are willing, while not forcing awkward conversations on those who do not, creating and fostering a positive environment where guest can easily enter and leave should be our goal. Perhaps I have experienced too many times guest praising mediocre latte art, or raving about lackluster coffee has biased me, but I consider myself a hospitalarian first.
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