Hi, hello and howdy, and welcome back to Tiny Sidecar. I'm Kate, your host and Sidecar Sidekick, and today we are talking about hospitality. Now it's one of those words that we toss around a lot in the coffee world, but what does it actually mean? Well, Webster says it's about treating guests warmly, but in our world it's so much bigger than that. Hospitality is anything from the barista that remembers your weirdly specific latte order to that smile that greets you just when you're picking up a to-go order. And here's the fun part. What people expect from hospitality has changed. From generation to generation, people are expecting different things. So today we're going to fine-tune some of those hospitality things that can set you above and apart other coffee brands around you. And if you're not in a coffee brand, what to expect from cafes and what you should expect. So let's talk about different generations, let's talk about micro dressers that make a huge difference, and why excellent hospitality is that thing that is gonna set your brand apart in this sea of good coffee. So go ahead, grab your favorite cup of coffee, let's get right into it. Now I'm not a girl to say I told you so, but I get to say I told you so. So last week after I was done recording an episode, I went and talked to my husband. We love my husband, he's great. But I told him how excited I was to talk about hospitality. It's something that's been coming up in my work life, my life life, my tiny sidecar life, and I just think it needs to be talked about. And the other thing that we've been talking a lot about is tipping and how different generations look at tipping completely different. And maybe I'm getting older, maybe it's the millennial in me, but I'm noticing that people don't really know how to get a tip anymore. And you can fight me if you disagree. And I will also say that I live in a bubble. If you don't know this about me, I live in a very tourist-heavy town, and there's a lot of service industry workers here. A lot of us are working for our tourist and working in hospitality. So I think it's also something that's very much on top of my mind in the place that I live in, and seeing that in August, after we've had a very busy summer, it can be quite lacking. So, a little bit of background, but let's get back to why I get to say I told you so. So here's what happened. I go into the living room and I say, Hey, I have this great idea for next week. I'm gonna talk about hospitality. And he didn't say it, but he kind of said it like, uh, really? Do you think that that's worth it? Like, is that gonna be original? What what do you think? So anyway, we start to have a back and forth about tipping how people don't know how to get tips anymore. I'm becoming a hundred and five by this second in this conversation with my husband. He's like, I just don't think that's true. I think people are doing great with hospitality. I don't think anyone needs to have this conversation with you. And I was like, okay, well, let me think on it a little bit more. But in the back of my head, I knew I was like, I'm doing an episode on hospitality. So anyway, fast forward to the next morning. He goes on a run with a friend and he's right next to a different cafe. And since he doesn't have time to go across town to my cafe, he goes into that one, which he hasn't been in in a little bit. And long story short, he asked the cashier, Do you prefer the nitro cold brew or the regular cold brew? The cashier says, I haven't had the nitro, but I think people like it. And knowing that the customer before him had gotten the nitro, and it was as simple as pressing a little button behind her, he goes, Oh, well, can I just try like a little sample and see if I like it? And she said, No, you can't have a sample. And so he just orders the nitro cold brew and ends up giving her a dollar tip, which is on the lower spectrum of tipping. Now he said that he meant to give her something else and like customize it, whatever, but ultimately he thought about the conversation from the previous night, and he was like, if she would have given me a small sample of the nitro when I asked, or even taken the sample with me, like we can both try it, I haven't tried it yet, so that would be good for me to know as a cashier, then I probably would have given her a higher sample. But since she didn't, I gave her the dollar that was deserved. What's interesting about what happens next is that he then went to lunch somewhere. And when he went into that restaurant, the cashier goes, Oh my gosh, it's so good to see you. Haven't seen you in a while, man. How was your race? How are you doing? And ends up having this whole conversation with my husband, who, granted, is pretty recognizable with a giant beard, but still recognized him, asked him about a race that he did like a month ago, and welcomed him back very friendly. He then told me that he gave this person a 25% tip. So you can kind of see where I'm going with I told you so. He was like, it is really true that we're programmed to give people high tips no matter what now, and also that hospitality isn't something that's just alive and well. So there we go, guys. I'm a genius. I'm just kidding. But it is something that I want to talk about because it's something that I think culture is starting to shift, at least in the tiny bubble that I live in, because this is something that we've been talking about for weeks and that just seems to be compounding. One is that we're talking about tipping culture in the US. And if you're not familiar with tipping culture in the US, I think personally it's gotten a little wild where you can tip for like literally anything. And you shouldn't be surprised if you're asked to tip on things that typically you wouldn't be tipping someone for that. And so not only are you asked to tip for pretty much any any service across any world, but you're also being asked to tip like outrageous amounts for something that like you might not have even talked to someone, but they're asking for 20% more. So all of this and then has sparked a lot of conversation during the work day about what's appropriate to be tipping people and when does that culture need to be shifting? But also what expectations do you have for someone if you're gonna give them a 20% tip? And do we think that everyone really knows that to get a tip you should be giving great service? So there's so many layers here, and there's so many things to talk about. Like, if we did away with tipping and just charged the appropriate amount for the drink to give workers a living wage. I don't know. It's just an idea. Which is also interesting because I just saw that on my Instagram. But I digress back to hospitality and tipping. This conversation really is a deeper than just like treating people warmly when they approach you in your day-to-day life, whether that's at the cafe, the roasting company, through emails, through Instagram, through social. Hospitality is across the line and it is a sign of what kind of brand you are. Now, if you don't believe me on this, then just think about it. The brand that consistently has expectations for servers to be very attentive to their customers, to not have phones out, to be greeting in a certain fashion, to be answering questions a certain way. Like that is a cultural thing that a brand has created and management has created with their staff. It's creating expectations that are above and beyond. And typically, when you go into cafes like that, you remember that experience. Now, I can remember going to Boise, Idaho, and going to a cafe that honestly I don't remember anything about the coffee. I'm sure it was fine because it wasn't bad, because I would definitely remember if I had bad coffee. But I wouldn't say it was like remarkable, but it was fine coffee. But I did go there before Christmas, and I remember walking into this cafe, first time in my life I'd ever been there, ever been to Boise, and the two people working behind the counter were like, oh my gosh, hey, a Merry Christmas. Like to the point that I genuinely thought they were mistaking me for someone else. That is how much they welcomed me into the cafe, which was busy, but they still took the time to make me feel special. And that was years ago. And it was so rare to feel like that that I can almost remember their faces. And I can remember the experience, and I would go back because it was so nice to be welcomed in a like strange place, never been to Boise before, and have that warm reaction during a holiday season. So I think that's why hospitality is important, is because I can tell you what that cafe's name is, I can tell you what those cashiers look like. I can tell you how they made me feel in a space. And that genuinely is what hospitality is. Hospitality is welcoming someone back, is complimenting someone, is slipping water on someone's table when you know they've been working there for a little bit. It's making them feel welcome and wanting them to stay. It's building loyalty, it's making them feel like they're at home. Now, a great exercise that I think is worth practicing is if you haven't hosted someone in your house, like truly hosted someone in your house recently, host someone and do it very intentionally. How would you want them to feel when they entered your space? What would you want the breakfast or lunch or dinner to feel like? Is there something that you can do that's above and beyond to make this person remember this particular time with you? Can you make an invitation? Like how big can you go with this? And then see how you feel hosting that person, but also see what your efforts were able to do for that other person and making them feel taken care of and welcome and how special that is. We're lucky because holidays, believe it or not, are right around the corner. So there's lots of opportunity to show hospitality and practice hospitality in your day-to-day. Now, something that I absolutely love doing for myself, and don't get me wrong, you can hospitalityze yourself any day of the week. Now, the thing that I love to do for myself is on Saturdays, I will wake up, I will make a slow coffee for myself, and I will make a delicious brunch. I'm talking fresh fruit, I'm talking eggs, I'm talking bagel, mini pancakes, whatever I want. And I put it all on this cute board. And actually, if you go on Instagram and you look at a post that I just posted, it has like this delicious toast with like brie and jam and sliced apples with like a delicious coffee. That's one of the breakfasts that I make for myself because it is something that shows me how much I care for myself and it's special for me, and it's supposed to like you know, you're loving on yourself, you're giving to yourself, and that's what those breakfasts are to me. And I truly make them special because it makes me remember like I'm worth taking this extra time to do something special. Now take that energy and apply that to how you want your customers to feel. Someone very, very wise named Crystaline was on the podcast a few episodes back, and I remember asking her, what do you want people to take away, or what do you want them to know from you making their coffee? And she said something along the lines of like, I just hope it makes their day better, and knowing that like I want that for them. And it's really it was something that I will remember because she pointed out, like, people don't go to get coffee for no reason, like they're going to get coffee to make their day better. And if I can be a hand in that, then that's worth it. And so when someone comes to the coffee shop, they're hoping for an experience, right? Like these little treats that we all talk about. It's something to make someone else's day better. That's why they're showing up in front of you. And so, how can you make that even better? How can you go above what they're expecting from you? How can you welcome them in a way that's unforgettable? Make them think that you're recognizing someone else when they when you see them. You know, it's all these little moments that create such a lasting effect and make people feel a brand. Now, the particular brand that I work for, both in Tiny Sidecar and in my day-to-day life, is all about relationships, all about community. And so hospitality is really important because I always want you to feel seen. And like if you have a question or if you want to talk to me about something and you bring it to me, that is super special because you're taking your time and effort to connect. And so I want you to know that it's valid that you did that. And that truly is all hospitality. You're taking care of someone else in your life and you're putting in extra effort to take care of them. Now, there also is the reality that we can't treat everyone like our favorite relative, but we can do a lot of micro gestures that still have a huge and lasting impact. And in fact, I used our good friend ChatGPT and asked him for a hundred micro gestures for a cafe to use with customers, and I will not read them all, but could you imagine if the next 40 minutes were just me reading these to you? Uh, that's too much. You don't want you don't want that. I don't want that. So, some of like the key takeaways, and honestly, the ones that chat came up with are very similar to things that are some of my favorites. I love when people welcome me back or say it's so good to see you. I love when people like guess what coffee drink I'm getting or like that's your favorite. Um, I love when people make those little connections with me. I really love. If you didn't know two minutes ago, then you definitely know now. I love when people offer a sample of something that you can give a sample to, but I also really love like little tiny compliments or like, how have you been? But genuinely, how have you been? But one that chat did bring up that I think is definitely something that I would encourage people to try. We all know that people bring laptops and work in cafes, and our particular cafe has watercrafts. Um bringing a watercraft and a glass over to someone's table when they've been working for a while, I think that is such a sweet gesture of like, yeah, you've been working hard, feel free to stay. These ways of making someone feel at home, feel welcomed. Um, I think, especially when you have a lot of traffic, that they are new people, making people not feel like a stranger to you is something that is such a skill and making them feel like they are someone that you know you were just here last week, like that kind of feeling, it's something so special and really honing in your own skills to do that because you don't want to come off as someone else or like faking it, but it really is going from person to person and staying who you are, but also like meeting them where they need you to meet them. Which drumroll, please. We haven't even talked about the difference between generations. Now, this is something that like inherently I think we all know, right? If I take my grandpa to a coffee shop, what he's wanting versus what my mom wants versus what I want versus what my nephew one day will want are going to be different. The way that we grew up with coffee is different. There's something called the third wave of coffee, and before the third wave, there was the second and the first. This is specifically talking about the US and the different types of coffee that really hit our generations. Now, the reason why this is important is because how I grew up with coffee is different than my parents and my grandparents and other parents before them. And so understanding what the culture was like then also does help shape what people expect now. Now, I'm not saying that everyone is in the same boat just because they're from a certain generation, but I am saying that there probably are some standards that people are expecting. So, like my grandpa's generation, he's probably more of a free refills kind of guy. You know, he's used to going to a diner and someone having a pot of coffee, bring it around, fill it up when the mug is half full, and really truly not knowing how much coffee he had that morning. Where my parents' generation might be more along the lines of efficiency, accuracy, get me my coffee and let me get out of here. My generation, the millennials, are more about storytelling. So we're really have grown up with a third wave of coffee, which is more of that specialty coffee. We're the real drivers of specialty coffee, we're the ones that want that like very rare, expensive, really cool backstory to their very rare, expensive coffee. And I love that that's who we are. And then these newbies, these youngins, they're more about a vibe check, you know, like they want that cool storytelling, but they also want authenticity, and you know, they also want it to be TikTokable, which I love a TikTok moment, I'll be honest with you. So knowing that a general gauge on what the different generations are wanting in their morning brew will also help you from a hospitality standpoint. Like, unless he's asking me, that older gentleman probably does not want to know exactly where this coffee came from. He's more so wanting that, hey, how are you doing? Can I get you anything? Kind of moment, just like clear, accurate moment, versus like a younger guy might want to know more about why this coffee is so special to me. And honestly, the more you get to know your customers, the more you're gonna understand the ins and outs of all of them, and that's really how you become an incredible service person, is starting to find the unique things about your different regular customers and what's worked and what hasn't worked. So try out new things. Know that everyone's gonna be a little bit different, but that's what makes it fun, and ultimately making sure that you're taking care of the people that are taking their days to come see you because ultimately they're just wanting a little piece of sunshine in their day, otherwise, they wouldn't be stopping at your coffee shop. It's so much more than the caffeine at this point. So that's just a taste into hospitality, and hopefully this will jog you into thinking more about hospitality, both in your day job and maybe even at home. So here's what I want from you. Practice that little exercise, go ahead, invite your best friend over, make them the dinner of your life. Do something extra, buy flowers, get some candles going, I don't know, give it date vibes, but maybe not. Anyway, have some fun with it and think about how you want that person to feel. And then, second up, why don't you head on over to Instagram and start sharing some of your favorite micro hospitality moments that either have made your day at a cafe or you know make your customers' days. I think we could all be sharing a little bit, you know what I mean? So, thanks so much for being in the sidecar. As always, such a pleasure to have you. And next week, I think I'm finally going to put that second episode of that interview together from Wisconsin. It's a good in. And it's just sitting on the shelf right now, so we're gonna get her out. But always love talking about how to make the coffee world a little bit brighter, a little bit sunnier. So I'll see you next week, my friends. I hope you have a wonderful one. Thanks so much. Bye.