Lakota Training:
From Front to Back! (4)

The Bar And Beyond...

Cabinets:

You'll notice cabinets running the whole length of the back bar. As you learn where everything is, please be aware of making an effort to keep things in their proper place. Reorganizing the cabinets is a great project to take on when we are slow. You could do one section at a time just to clean and organize. It's also a great idea to get rid of mis-placed items that tend to collect here and redistribute them to wherever they belong. If you don't know and can't find out, then just box the stuff up and deposit it downstairs on the big work table.

Along the Bar:

We Love Our Granite Espresso Bar. Please wipe it down and bus it regularly. We have lots of regulars who you'll be getting to know, who use this area for a study or second living room. They deserve a nice neat area to hang out in! Remember you are their host or hostess. Make them glad they chose to hang out here at Lakota.

Sandwich Prep Table

Directly opposite the Espresso Machine is our Boar's Head meat fridge and sandwich prep table. This area is all about hands-on training. Your training here will include how to use the meat slicer, prepare soups, cold sandwiches for our kiosks, and hot "Panini" style sandwiches for our customers. In this area you'll also find a large dispenser for brewed daily iced tea, a utility sink and an ice machine, none of which really need further comment here.

Dish-Washing Sinks and Auto-Sanitizer Area:

On the job training covers this area but it's important to remember that WE wash the dishes in our three sink area. The machine that we load them into after they are washed is a Sanitizer so please make sure that you have washed everything properly before you load the machine.

Water Dispenser:

At the end of the Espresso Bar, you'll notice a self-serve water dispenser for our customers. This is another of the many areas that need some care. We need to keep clean glasses available and refill the ice-water dispenser whenever needed. When it gets hot outdoors this becomes even more important. This is also an area that gets some abuse from non-customers. Just monitor this as needed.

The Refrigerator:

This enormous double door refrigerator is located opposite the dish-washing area. You'll learn how to keep it stocked and what goes where in the course of training. Suffice it to say that keeping milk and other liquids mopped up as you go is of some importance. Please tidy and stock this important area throughout the day as needed.

Sheesh! We finally got out from behind the espresso bar. Oh, but you've probably guessed... there's more...

So here we go!

From the End of The Espresso Bar to the Back Door!

One step past the refrigerator, outside the bar area is where you'll find our ice-cream freezer. Travis, our milk man keeps this stocked but once again, it's our job to keep it as orderly as possible. We also keep some other frozen items like Salmon backed up in this fridge.

Back Tables & Study Booths:

The back half of the store gets heavy traffic from people who come in to study. Please do your utmost to keep these areas bussed and wiped down. It's a good idea to keep your bar towel damp but not wet. Nobody likes sitting down at a wet table, even if it's just been wiped down. It is kind of easy to forget about the study booths. They need the same attention as the rest of the store. Every seat in the house is valuable real estate! It must be clean and inviting.

Coffee Bags:

As you probably know, we keep our green coffee bags on the floor, some in front, but mostly in back. They often get moved around or knocked over. Please make an effort to keep these bags upright and the edges rolled down tight so that they are easy to access and nice and neat!

Retail Area:

This is another area of some neglect because it's rather small and it's clear in the back of the store. If ignored it collects more dust than any other area because it's right next to the roasting room. The constant activity in the roasting room keeps the dust levels very high. The truth is the retail shelves and products really should be dusted every other day at the very least. This is just one more reason why, like it or not, there is always some important task that needs doing while you're on shift.

The only time anyone should be in the roasting area is when coffee is needed. The other supplies and the printer should be accessed with permission only. If no one is around and you need something, go for it, but please return whatever you borrow. I try to keep this area very clean and organized because of the volume of work that moves through this room.

I also ask that you put everything back where you found it when you're done. If you use the grinder, also use the vacuum cleaner to tidy up. (mounted on the wall right next to the grinder area) If you use the scale, put it back where you got it. If you empty a coffee barrel, wipe the oils out of it and stack it right next to the short wall by the roaster. If you spill coffee, sweep it up. Empty a flavor barrel? Wipe the oils out of it and place it in the corner on the back landing. Please don't pile the white flavor barrels next to the roaster!

In all honesty, other than some clean, empty coffee barrels, we shouldn't be able to tell that anyone was in this area.

The Office:

Here is an area that must be treated with respect. Please peek through the window to see what's going on in the office before entering. There is an occasional meeting in this tiny space that would be better off uninterrupted. Obviously, if you have a mini-emergency then do what you must.

There is a drop box (safe) under the office desk that we use for all deposits or payments that we don't want laying around. The combination safe under the stereo is strictly for banks and change.

The office computer is for people who are working. This office is very small and needs the same care and consideration we expect for the roasting area. All the same rules apply. If no one is using the office, please turn the light off and close the door. This makes it obvious that management is out of the office and keeps snooping by unauthorized people to a minimum.

Please do your best to leave the office as neat (or even neater) than you found it!

The coffee closet has coffee label stickers to identify where the coffee barrels belong. When you pull coffee for any reason, please, please put the barrels back in the right row. Make sure the lids are on tight for freshness sake and if you spill coffee, clean up after yourself. The coffee bags and boxes in this closet are for mail order and wholesale but if you use the last of something, restock it please.

The Supply Closet:

This closet is full of odds and ends that require quick access for restocking. Chocolate powder, sugar, red coke trays, (for hauling wholesale coffee orders) register tape, and more can be found in this closet. Like all other areas the neater and more clean and organized this closet stays, the happier everyone is.

The Bathrooms:

O.K. We all have to go sometime. Each time you do, we ask that you pick up the trash, dry off the counter top, and do any other tidy job that may be necessary. If the floor is wet, throw a quick mop on it. The mop bucket is just a few feet away on the landing. If the trash needs compacting just give it a quick hand or foot. If everyone will do this, our bathrooms will always be neat and clean.

You may post anything (decent) you want to on our public bulletin board. While you're at it, please pull and discard anything you see that may be outdated.

The Back Landing:

Our back landing includes everything from the access door, (across from the ladies restroom) to the back door of the building and down the steps. It needs occasional sweeping and it is also another hot spot for items that no one knows what to do with.

The shelves just outside the door are for the lost and found, paper products, cleaning products, etc. Please don't put anything there that doesn't seem to fit the profile! Also, when you use the mop and/or mop bucket please take a moment to tuck it away so it's out of the path of the door. Adjust the mop handle so that it's not a booby trap for the next person through the door!

The upper landing should be kept clear of clutter. Several times a week, this area has a lot of heavy product being hauled through it for stocking the kiosks. In and out, in and out, all week long. How well does that work out for us if your bike is parked on the back landing?

The flavored coffee barrels are organized by sticker labels on the wall. Please stack the barrels accordingly. Your effort to put these barrels back where they belong makes it that much easier for the next person to find what they are looking for. Empty flavor barrels get stacked in the corner opposite the back door.

There is a scoop for flavored coffee that sets in a Tupperware container. It should be scoop side down so that it doesn't collect dust. Please wipe the coffee and flavoring oils off of the scoop each time you use it. Do NOT use our regular scoops for flavored coffee. This oil gets everywhere and it is very concentrated. That's why we have a special grinder for flavored coffees.

Down the Steps:

Though I view the steps as part of the back landing, they deserve special attention here. First of all the steps are a bit treacherous. Please be very careful navigating the stairs, especially with a load. The only thing that should be on the steps would be barrels from the espresso bar containing grounds that we save for recycling. They get picked up once a week or so. We place them on every other step along the left side, against the wall. There are seldom more than two of them.

Table of Contents...

On to Next Page...