Hey Team, Drew P here. I hope your March is off to a good start. After a family vacation and a long (but wonderful) sourcing/employee trip, I’m glad to be home and focused on our operations and execution. Here’s a little run-down on some things happening across the company right now.
WHITEFISH BAY – Yesterday we turned our PM menu back on. Big thanks to Annaliese and the kitchen teams at WFB and Downer as we start this new chapter in the new space. I had the Mojo Pork bowl and some devilled eggs last night, both of which were on-point. Just a reminder that your employee discount applies to the PM food and to the wine/beer, so plan on coming by for dinner one night soon!
WORKSHOPS – Just last month we had our tri-annual team workshops focused on spring preparation and operations team by team. These times to gather are always great for sharing our experiences, building plans, and taking commitments to improve the quality of our work and our environment. During this round of workshops we talked about how I planned to host some additional workshops throughout the year to deep-dive with interested team members on certain aspects of our company strategy and operations. Here is a survey meant to help me gauge interest in these workshops and prioritize which topics team members would like to attend first – https://forms.gle/ydMTPYeNPkW7YvMf8 If you have any interest in participating, please fill that out!
PAY & PERFORMANCE REVIEWS – As we trek through March, this our first Pay & Performance review month out of the year. That means that your review time with your team leader should be on the schedule. As a reminder, your performance level, performance goals, pay level, and pay goals should all be discussed during these times. As an employee, if you do not feel like you’ve been treated fairly or given clear goals during your P & P, then please reach out to us at teams@stonecreekcoffee.com. We know how important these moments are to provide you with clarity, and we will work to support you and your manager until that clarity is achieved.
LIVING WAGE STUDY & OUR PATH FORWARD – We’ve been working over the last three months with the folks at https://livingwageforus.org/ to assess Stone Creek Coffee wages and benefits and better highlight the areas we are strong, and where we should prioritize focus in the coming years. The B Corporation movement is, of course, prioritizing paying Living Wages. Living Wage for Us is helping to define what “Living Wages” are. They factor in hyper-local costs, company demographics, as well as benefit factors. They also use a two-tier system when talking about “living wages.” Those two tiers are “Living Wage for an Individual” and “Living Wage for a Family.” The goal for all B Corps is to first pay a “living wage for an individual,” then to aspire and plan toward paying the “Living Wage for a Family.”
I am very pleased to report that we are now in a position where 100% of employees are earning a living hourly wage for an individual as of the end of last year, and 46% are at a living wage for a family. We are particularly strong in our cafe group where wages are complemented by tip rates. While starting rates have historically escalated equally across the company, on a go-forward basis we will be doing even more focused work in production and bakery as we continue our journey with our fellow B Corps to achieve the new “Living Wage for a Family” goal.
SEASONAL DRINKS & EVOLVING FLAVORS – As we push into the future we will continue to work to create new and remarkable beverages that cater to all types of customers. We did hear some “speak ups” through workshops and our Employee Satisfaction Survey that some customers have voiced some apprehension toward trying some of the more progressive flavors we’ve offered. I just wanted to reiterate that you as baristas and team members can encourage customers to try something they’re interested in without fear of disappointing them. You can reassure them that if they don’t like it, we’ll replace it with something else at no cost to them, no questions asked. We want them to have a great experience and will make it right if they’re not vibing with what they ordered.
SUMMER RAMP-UP – As we progress through spring, we can expect our customer counts to slowly escalate as well. This will bring some adjustments to schedule and operations across the team. Communication is the name of the game. If at any point you have any questions or feedback for how things are going with your team, please communicate those with your team leader. If for any reason you feel like you weren’t heard or your feedback wasn’t addressed well, please reach out directly to me or to teams@stonecreekcoffee.com so we can provide additional resources. We do not take these concerns as complaining, but as an opportunity to learn how to improve and to map a better path forward together. So, Team Leaders, please prioritize your communication with your teams. And Team Members, please remember this is a two-way street. Every question is a good question.
At Stone Creek Coffee, one of the biggest challenges of our work is also one of the biggest joy-centers. The work is perpetual. We’re always roasting, always brewing, always planning, always communicating, and always learning. There hasn’t been a season during my time at Stone Creek Coffee where status-quo was an option. With each step we’ve taken, we look forward to the necessary next step. Each celebration is conducted with full knowledge that more growth is needed. This is the work of a lifetime. Constant learning. Constant growth. Thank you all for your work on this journey. Stone Creek Coffee is what it is today because of the years that have come before, and the Stone Creek Coffee of the future will be the product of the work we do today.
Drew Pond
SCC Director of Development & Co-Owner
(940) 733-1414
dpond@stonecreekcoffee.com