Savvy or
snob?
Sometimes there's a 'sophistication disconnect'
between a café and certain customers.
BY PAN DE METRAKAKES
R
oger & Me," Michael Moore's classic documentary,
opens with a sequence explaining how Moore fled
San Francisco after briefly holding a job there because,
as a Rust Belt native, he couldn't relate to the Left Coast
culture. To highlight his dilemma, there is an encounter in
a coffeehouse where a barista reels off the bewildering (to
Moore) array of choices.
It's a great illustration of how there can easily be a
"sophistication disconnect" between coffeehouse personnel
and a good slice of the clientele. Especially in shops that
cater to coffee connoisseurs with high-end varietals, it can
sometimes be a challenge to be both sophisticated and
welcoming. Coffeehouse owners who put in a lot of time and
effort to develop and maintain a varied lineup of high-end
coffees naturally want personnel who are knowledgeable and
can impart that knowledge, but one person's well-informed
barista may be another's "coffee snob."
As you might imagine, the snobbery question can incite
some fairly strong sentiments—on both sides of the issue.
"When I review a coffee shop I look for people skills in the
employees," says Ken Feigner, a coffee journalist and former
barista based in Gilbert, Ariz. "They should be knowledgeable
and wanting to share with anyone who asks questions, give a
smile and just be nice. Snobbery on the other hand will make
sure your shop will have a small customer base, and 'coffee
snobs' still has a lot of bad reputation that goes with it.
"I don't mind talking coffee with someone who loves it
and wants to share, but on the other hand you have people
who want just a cup of coffee and nothing else, as a employee/
owner you still need to keep your people skills up in case that
customer has friends that they talk to about their coffee shop
they go to."
But John Piquet, owner of caffe d'bolla in Salt Lake City,
objects even to the use of the term "snob" in this context.
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