Page 57 - #61 English

However , how much technology is too much tech-
nology? Coffee shops are seen as a part of hospitality
industry, which is based on human interaction. Will it
be healthy to replace barista with machines? The role
of the barista is going to change. It might have changed
already, the barista no longer pulls levers, nor manages
a dozer full of pre-ground coffee. Technology means
that the mechanics of making coffee will change for a
USTOMERS As other parts of coffee barista, but the role of looking after guests, of anticipat-
chain are getting their fare
share of technological innovations, coffee shops seem ing their needs and understanding and empathizing
with them is only going to become more and more
to have the most of it: not only for grinding and making important. Talking about human interaction, no one
espressos, but also in case of customer experience. can explain its importance better than a barista: “As an
industry we need to understand that machines are here
to help our work and let us focus on the work and things
we are good at, which is emotion. That is why, at the
end of a day, human is the one who hand over cup of
coffee to a customer,” shares Hidenori Izaki, 2014 World
Barista Champion. And in fact, coffee shops have been
always seen as social hubs. Nowadays it is true not only
among the customers but also for baristas: as more
people started asking questions about their coffee and
choosing new ways of preparing it, people will still need
some guidance through this coffee knowledge and, as
a hospitality industry worker, barista taking care of
customers and making them feel home is just-as, if not
more important than, latte art or pulling espresso (ma-
Café X in San Francisco chines can do both now).
Café X in San Francisco and Briggo in Austin, Texas,
are coffee shops that operate without a barista: you just
choose your drink right on a spot or via an app, pay
and pick up your coffee. The drink is prepared by a
robot, it can do several drinks at once, so you won’t
have to wait in line for long. Also there is a face rec-
ognition technology, Noah Face, that allows memoriz-
ing customers and creating data on their preferences.
Product like Noah Face is something that can help
coffee business and barista to focus on making better
coffee and serve better customer experience, as every-
thing you need to know about a customer, who comes
not for the first time, is already in a base and will be
shown on a screen to you. This way the interaction
between barista and customers can be even closer. The
program was launched in 2016 to help the busy cafes
to maintain high level of customer service. And one of
the most famous Australian coffee shops, Toby’s Estate,
is already using this system. Also recently you can see
a lot of digital menus boards in coffee shops around
the world: the most frequently seen example is the one
in McCafé (and McDonald’s). Static printed signs have
to be redone every time you change a price or menu
item and the color vibrancy fades over time. The abil-
ity to easily change products, pricing, and specials make
these bright easy to read digital menu boards an attrac-
tive option for a café or a restaurant.

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