Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

Focusing on numbers above guest experience may actually prevent you from achieving the numbers you need to sustain your business long term. Yet still people insist on creating environments in the shop that turn customers into marks to be worked for the sake to extracting as much out of them each interaction as possible so we can see average tickets rise and celebrate record days. In this case, the means to the end truly matters. 
On today's episode we will be talking about how to recognize this almost reflexive and default setting cafes fall into, how to foster true service and hospitality, and why we need to focus more on the guest experience with genuine care. 
 
KEY HOLDER COACHING GROUPS 2026!
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 
 
Related episodes: 
SHIFT BREAK! The Difference Between Numbers and Quality Numbers in The Cafe
SHIFT BREAK: When Numbers Lie
SHIFT BREAK! Embracing the Meaning of Money
SHIFT BREAK: Adjusting Our View of Labor Cost

When you build a trust through serving people with sincerity and passion, those same people support and uplift you. In the business of the coffee shop, those kinds of relationships are the life giving force that carries owners through the ups and downs of ownership. Today we get to talk to two of our industry's sweetest people whose cafe is built on this very thing. 
I am so happy to welcome to the show, Patti and Jesse Ventura of Lontra Coffee!
Patti and Jesse Ventura are a husband and wife team and the founders of Lontra Coffee. What began as a shared passion for specialty coffee turned into a journey of building their own company. They have dedicated themselves to creating intentional experiences and spaces that are rooted in quality and hospitality. 
After opening their first location in Downtown Los Angeles, they are now expanding and continuing to learn and grow as owners and operators. Their mission is connecting through coffee and allowing Lontra to be a space that feels like home to everyone. 
 
 
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 
 
Related episodes: 
563: Founder Friday! w/ Jared Linzmeier of Ruby Coffee Roaster
Founder Friday! w/ Rachel Lehman of Crema Coffee Roasters in Nashville, TN
337: Founder Friday w/ Diana Martinez of Cafe Calle, Los Angeles
SPECIAL! | PART 1 Coffee Fest LA! 2024 w/ Shanita Nicholas of Sip and Sonder + Elisa Hoyos and Leo Abularach of Picaresca Barra de Cafe

Feedback is all around us. From the customers, staff, and the business itself, we can only make great decisions for the coffee shop when we practice listening to understand. Trouble is we often avoid listening for fear of what we will hear, or because we falsely think we know what someone thinks or that their opinion cannot be helpful due to who they are or what position they hold.
Today on Shift Break we will be talking about what we stand to lose personally and professionally when we do not pursue listening as a serious part of how our business will grow. 
Please take time to listen to the episodes below to dive deeper into the subject of listening!
 
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®  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 
 
Related Episodes: 
 
415: The Best Lessons On How to Listen w/ Listening Expert, Oscar Trimboli
 
165 : The Art of Deep Listening w/ Oscar Trimboli
282 : How to Listen to your Customers
291 : What to do if Your Baristas Wont Listen to You

Coffee is a connector. I think we all have seen this in our personal lives, our social lives, and in the community we help facilitate through our shops. In the fast paced often stessful world of cafes and the vocation of coffee, we need to take some time, and leave some room for appreciating the real impact a simple cup can have on people. 
On today's episode we will be talking all about the ways coffee does this and how we can use coffee to advance understanding, exploration, and connection with the Director of Room for Cream, Grant Garry!
Grant Garry is an award winning filmmaker, actor, singer, and Certified Grief Educator. He is the director of the documentary Meet Me Where I Am -  Grant has played The Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz at Opera San Luis Obispo as Disney's Beauty and the Beast, NCIS: Los Angeles, Legally Blonde: The Musical, Black Cat, Night of the Living Deb, Sweeney Todd, and Cinderella.
 
He hosts the podcast Where I Am on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music. A long-form discussion based show about love, loss, and finding meaning as we move forward.  
 
His recent release and project is called "Room for Cream", a series dedicated to the exploration of coffee, coffee culture, and the ways coffee facilitates connection.

Related episodes: 
165 : The Art of Deep Listening w/ Oscar Trimboli
415: The Best Lessons On How to Listen w/ Listening Expert, Oscar Trimboli
230 : Making room for Community in your Shop
Founder Friday! Youth, Foster Care, and Human Connections Through Coffee | w/ Miah Sommer of Astute Coffee in Omaha, NE
334 : How to Approach Deescalation w/ Melissa Tucker of Mind Over Matters and Pathways to Peace
 
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

It's a common belief that there are not enough hours in the day to do the work that we need to get done in order to run a good coffee shop. The truth of the matter is that, more than a lack of time, this feeling is a result of poor time management. In particular, not having appropriately set and strategize priorities.

Today on Shift Break, we will be exploring a few ways to think about time management that will help you reduce overwhelm and get control of your schedule and do the right things that will make a difference for you and your business.
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®  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 
 
Related Episodes: 
SHIFT BREAK! Time Management For Managers and Owners
549: The Power of Great Consistent Work Over Time
SHIFT BREAK: Finding Time for Change in the Cafe