Here's is the first article and I hope you enjoy.
The Beginners Guide to Coffee Shop Culture
By Kyle Hedlund
If you have never or just began to drink coffee, you hear about the rumors about how the coffee shop is just a place to grab a cup of Joe and go. However, there is a world just when you sit down and take that first sip of that mocha and you start to see that it is a palace of knowledge and social gathering. Here are a few tips of how you can enjoy the coffee shop with class and sincerity.
Tip #1: Keep a look at the time. Some people don’t know it but people often forget that some parking places have a certain time limit and be often get towed. So to keep your car or other vehicle from being evicted, try to look for signs or parking meters to see how long you can park your car. Then calculate the time from that time limit to when you reach the maximum time. Finally keep the time in your head and check the clock often to make sure you don’t exceed the time limit. If you want to make sure you get back to your car or vehicle in time, try also to park closer to the coffee shop for easier access.
Tip #2: Order fast. There are people who do have to get coffee to go and get to a certain place. Unfortunately, there are some people who do take too much time to order what they want and it really frustrates people who just wants there coffee. To avoid this disaster, the best thing to do is to think ahead to know what you want so you can also order right away without thought. You must also speak quickly but clearly. Sometimes the Baristas don’t understand and get the order wrong, so make sure you say it as clearly as possible. Also the coffee shop might have a system of ordering such as, what type of drink, temperature and extras. So make sure you know the system and memorize how you order.
Tip #3: Find the right spot. Some people have that certain spot in the coffee shop, whether it’s a sturdy table, a soft couch or that one chair, that spot can benefit you in the coffee experience. So when choosing a spot, make sure it’s a spot that you think might be the best. If it’s already taken, try another spot you think it’s a good back up. You can also ask for a seat, but be polite and don’t disturb them, who knows, he or she could be your new best friend. You also need to ask if the seat is taken so there wouldn’t be in an awkward situation.
Tip #4: Ask about house specials. Baristas love it when ask them what’s good and it could be your new favorite drink.
Tip #5: Remember your order. Too many people nowadays keep forgetting what they order and they get upset that they didn’t get the coffee they wanted. That is why it’s important to remember what you order. Because you would know which drink is your drink and can help you stick to a certain diet or avoid an allergy disaster.
Tip #6: Try listening to the music in the coffee shop. The music in the coffee shop is more than just jazz artists to support local art. Who knows, you can say you saw (insert future super star here) when he/she was starting out.
Tip #7: Have fun! Being in a coffee shop doesn’t mean you have to be uptight all the time. Try to relax and enjoy your coffee experience and have a drink with the ones you like to hang out with and be marry.
Here is piece of when I went to Aspen and discovered some good eats along in the town. ( In other words, it is review of my trip to Aspen, Colorado.)
Seeing the Real Aspen
By Kyle Hedlund
When people think of Aspen, People tend to think that it’s a super modern, winter time Hollywood. True, there is such a place like that but there is another side of Aspen that seem that outsiders from other states forgot about. The true Aspen is more than just a ski town, it is a vast metropolis of history, art, and the icon of mountain living.
One of those great examples about the history of Aspen or how Aspen did get its start is at the Hotel Jerome. The reason for the hotel was the one of the landmarks of Colorado’s past. It was one of the first hotels in Colorado to have exclusive service for the wealthy and powerful. The hotel theme was more based on the old Victorian era luxury hotel with a small town concept. To put it into simple terms, think of one of the best hotels in Chicago in the middle of a very small town and it’s not just the theme, it’s also the other places around the hotel, where there is a bar and restaurant that serve whole pig on spit and an old pharmacy that looks like something from a 1940s old western film. Somehow this hotel not only made its self a success but also help preserve the history and business for the entire block.
Another “local Landmark” that truly speaks out to Aspen is the restaurant and dive bar known as Bad Billy’s. Bad Billy’s feels like you are in an oasis in a middle of a sea of tourists where you can get a good burger and know what the best ski runs are for that day. In fact, Bad Billy’s has been dubbed “the best burger in Aspen” by the Aspen Times Newspaper. It is also a place to try some of aspens local favorite foods, such as “deep fried” pickles or some amazing Mahi-Mahi Tuna Tacos. So to put it in suggestive terms, if you want to eat what the locals eat, then go to Bad Billy’s for the best of the best.
This little “local gem” is the one place you can go to where you get to try the best and only Jewish deli in all of Aspen. The deli known as Oye! Vay! Café pays tribute to the Jewish New York “Delicatesa” with their beef tongue sandwiches, motza ball soups, and Belgium cut fries smothered with your choice of meat, gravy, and cheese curds known as “Geshmick.” Although the food is enough to bring me back, the one other reason why I come back is the people because the wait staff, cooks and the owner has the one thing that any amazing 5-star restaurant doesn’t have, and that is “The True Spirit of Hospitality.” The staff not only cooks and serves the food, they also like to talk and have a good time with good people and make your day.
As for Aspen, I can say that it is a metropolis disguised as a small town and that is a good thing, because the people have a warm, comforting, small town feel in the middle of one of America’s great cities. In Fact, there is a reason why celebrities go to Aspen in the winter and it’s because they want that small town hospitality that they could not get back at Los Angles, New York, Chicago or any other major American city. So Aspen is more than just a ski resort, it is a town where you can be with good people and wonderful food.
This next artical is based on my adventures as a server and what are some good qualities a server should have.
The Server and the Served
By Kyle Hedlund
The life of server is about the being a listener, a talker, and someone who you trust with your food. If you think that being a server is all about being polite and getting the order right, then you are wrong. It takes courage, knowledge, skill, and grace to truly serve the best to the best.
When you walk into a restaurant and take your seat, you mostly see the server and greet you with a smile. To you he seems pretty happy, but to the new server serving for the first time, he/she is an emotional wreck because they are afraid to freeze or make the guest unsatisfied. In fact on my first night of serving, I was so nervous that I thought I would break my serving tray in half if I didn’t calm down. I just kept telling myself “don’t screw up. Don’t screw up.” In fact that is it is on everyone in the front of the house does on their first day because they don’t want to run the business down or/and lose their job. That’s why it takes so much courage to get out there for the first time and serve to the public, because they want to succeed in doing their job and make sure the guests do not go on a rampage. Plus, if you put in the work pay based on 2.15/hr and the amount of tip you collected or pooled, then it’s a lot of pressure for the server to make sure everything is right and dandy. Where you find the courage is basically try to overcome it by try your best and be lucky that you get someone really nice. If you do get someone who is kind, then you can make it. If you don’t, you are just going have to work harder and try and try again.
Knowledge to the server is not only a necessary; it’s a very good thing to have inside and out of the restaurant. The first thing to know is the restaurant itself, because in culinary school you learn that knowing the product, you can “sell” the item to the guest. This is known as “suggestive selling”: it’s a little trick I learn from intro to hospitality were we “selling” a particular item to the guest while in the restaurant, bar, and lounge ect. This technique is a very important tool for the server because it could really boost the satisfaction for the guest and show that you know about the restaurant and the product. It’s also important to know the area outside the restaurant because sometimes knowing what’s inside the restaurant is not good enough to satisfy the guest. A good example would have to be when a couple is done with their meal and they want to find a great place to catch a movie. The server, knowing that there is a romantic film festival in town, suggests visiting the festival and the couple though it was a great idea to visit the festival. So as the couple leave, they were thankful to the server for the information and gave a very big tip. So if the server gives you useful information, thank them with gratitude and a tip if possible.
Skill is mostly connected to the knowledge to the server because of the certain “smarts” that is applied to the task at hand. This skill is mostly applied to concept of “tableside preparation,” where the server puts the finishing touches on the meal. A good example is the time old tradition appetizer that it’s served in nearly every Greek restaurant in Chicago, known as saganaki. This dish is a simple but yet mystical appetizer because when it gets to your table, the server pours a flammable alcohol on to the still sizzling cheese and “flambéed” the cheese in a tower of fire as the server says “opa!” That’s when the skill is most important because if the server didn’t know what he/she was doing, he/she could set the whole place on fire. Skill can also applied when pouring drinks or any other situation, such as the wine and candle trick or the ever so graceful napkin folds you see on the tables. In general, skill can be one of the server’s best tools.
Whenever I go to one of the great restaurants in Chicago, I see the front-of-the-house staff as dancers going through a certain routine. Grace can separate the armatures from the professionals because to a first-time server, his/her actions are rickety and jittery. To the professional however, there actions are like the trays float in the air by their finger tips. How to achieve the grace of a server really just takes 2 things: practice and time. As the server gets more experience, the more in tuned he/she is more into the job and more familiar with ones routine. Some servers can actually do their job blind and know where everything is and where other people are going. Grace can also be expressed with the vocabulary of the server. From the first weeks of becoming a server, I learned that what you say to guest is just important as serving the product. As being the beginner of the crew, I always had a bad habit of saying “no problem” and in a situation of a fine dining lab, which was a big turn off for some guests because it’s like saying “I don’t really care for what happens when something goes wrong,” indirectly and it can really be offensive if said incorrectly. From that point on, I always say “my pleasure,” whenever someone thank me, because it says “I enjoy your company.” So when a server says “my pleasure” or “how may I serve you,” they are doing the right thing.
In the end, the best thing a server can do is to develop a style of service that is unique to their own. I say that because every guest is different and the world of dinning keeps on changing. With that in mind, the server needs to keep up with the changes with the restaurant and the outside world, but still constant with the quality of service and hospitality as part of the front-of-the-house staff.
So the next time you have a great server with all these qualities, tip them with not only extra bills but with the respect and dignity that he/she deserves.
