Page 77 - #58 English

t’s Saturday morning. The all-powerful sun lights up the day,
bringing life to the radiant blue of the Melbourne spring sky.
Birds are singing, cars are starting and the bustle begins as the
city dwellers go about their day. For me it’s a rare weekend
day off and, as any barista would attest, it begins by enjoying a morning
coffee prepared by someone other than oneself. I remember this morning
from a number of years ago so vividly. I was treated with a simple, yet un-
forgettable experience and began to truly realise the importance of quality
service. I was walking to a cafe that had been recommended to me by a
colleague, I had heard a number of other positive things about this particu-
lar institute so I was both excited as well as slightly apprehensive, hoping
that the experience would live up to the hype. As I describe the events that
unfold they will no doubt read oh-so simply, and in essence they are in fact
just that simple, but the execution of these fundamentals are unfortunately
so rare in daily service interactions that their impact can be extraordinary.
I arrived at the establishment only to be greeted by what can be best described
as a mecca of coffee klatsches. In typical Melbourne coffee culture style,
every table was full and waddles of caffeine hungry patrons gathered outside,
patiently awaiting for their takeaway drinks.
Skeptical of my chances for a table I entered the building and stood by
the ‘please wait to be seated’ sign. I hadn’t had chance to glance the glorious
space when a server, arms full of plates, had appeared out of nowhere to
great in me passing, assuring that I would be seen shortly. I only had chance
to quickly catch sight of the brew bar and espresso bar, watching the baristas
shift coffees, whilst still engaging with inquisitive customers, before I was
greeted by a smiling host who showed me to a small table for one. General
chit-chat masked the actions of the server, a menu was placed in front of me
and a water glass was poured, then as per my request, I was left to peruse
the options now before me. Like I said, this all seems quite simplistic, but I
couldn’t help remember the amount of times I had been to other places and
been lost in the chaos of a busy morning service, being rushed to a table and
left with a menu without as much as some eye contact. Comfortable in my
surroundings, I felt that the team was there to aid me in getting the most out
of my visit and this was confirmed when the server returned to help with
my coffee order. Clearly and concisely the available offerings for espresso
and filter were riddled off, including origin, farm/region and a few tasting
notes, all conveyed with enthusiasm and some welcome bias. Again I remi-
nisced on previous encounters, times where servers had no idea what alter-
nate coffees were available and any descriptions of flavor were solely from
the barista. All of this went unnoticed at the time, I was so swept out of
regular mind state(default) and instead just enjoying the present moment,
it was only until after as I recalled on this experience, that I realized how
poignant it was.

The power of great service was revealed to me,
when harnessed it can be used to coax a cus-
tomer into comfort, bliss and an increased per-

ception of quality.

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