CORE COMMITMENT REFLECTION FROM PAYSON EAST
This Week’s CoCo: Clean the Corners
When reflecting on this week’s core commitment, I was tempted to write a reflection on how this can be used not only for physical corners, but corners one may find in life (mindset, bad habits, etc.). I decided against it because focusing on the literal interpretation of this commitment, while less exciting to ponder, is vital, and with deep cleaning month coming around the corner I want to make sure we are all ready to crush it in our respective cafes! The insight I give to this commitment is this: Find the places that are not seen. These are the places that most likely get missed due to their out of sight nature. This may seem simple as you read this, but the amount of times I or my coworkers find unseen corners with three inches of dust and grime on them is astounding. The nature of these places is that they love to hide and seem unimportant. They are in fact important. Leaving these corners to their demise means a much harder time later when they decide to become un-unseen. One example is my cafe ceiling vents. Often they are missed in the day-to-day dusting, but when they are left for too long, they get so bad that a swipe of the swiffer is no longer enough. They drop their dust all over the place and threaten to get into the pastry case and contaminate food. By finding these places before they find you, you not only accomplish this CoCo, but you also minimize future events that are far more unpleasant. So, this week going forward I recommend this: Play hide and seek with your cafe “corners” whatever and wherever you find them to be. Put thought into where these messes may be and put a stop to them by, well, cleaning those corners!
Next Week’s CoCo: Create Remarkable Care
Creating remarkable care is such a brilliant way of summing up the ideal of doing everything in such a way in order to provoke positive conversation around your area of work. In order to provide remarkable care, we have to be thoughtful of our actions when working. I say this because creating remarkable care means that you must tailor each experience to the customer’s particular needs. This is seen by providing accommodations to those with different needs and wants which necessitates that each interaction has thought and care put into it. If you are to have an experience that a person would “remark” on you need to show them that they are valued by the service you provide and the product you serve. And we are not alone in our task to create remarkable care! Remarkable care is interwoven in every area of our company. I’ll give you a few areas where we see remarkable care: Starting at origin, where Stone Creek shows remarkable care by investing in their coffee farmers through genuine relationships. Next, in the way our kitchen crew constantly pushes the envelope on providing tasty and exciting new food items and syrups for people to try. It is also in the way that SCC’s customer and employee care teams provide amazing care and surface to us and any customer to Stone Creek. These are a few examples of the way Stone Creek lays the foundation for remarkable care, and the culmination of all of this comes to our cafes where we are tasked to represent and deliver this amazing product to amazing customers. That’s exciting! It is also a responsibility though, as this may mean that a customer’s final opinion on our company, with all its moving pieces, to be either positive or negative. I think about this often and encourage you all, whether you are in a cafe, customer care, the kitchen or anywhere else, to put your best foot forward and “do the thing” to the best of your ability. Let’s create that remarkable care, my friends!
CORE COMMITMENT HEROES
Clean the Corners This Core Commitment Hero comes from our Bakery Team – Julianna W! She is an amazing Corner Cleaner. If I’m struggling to find the solution to a dirty corner, I know I can rely on Julianna to offer a great solution. Many times I have looked down at a corner that I wanted to clean and asked, “Hey, who cleaned that?” Sure enough, it was Julianna! Moreover, in the Bakery, completing our weekly cleaning tasks is usually something we do before we leave for the day, but Julianna has often completed her weekly tasks early in her shift so it gets prioritized and never gets missed.
Create Remarkable Care : This Core Commitment Hero comes from our Production Team – Jason K! Jason truly embodies what it means to create remarkable care. His attention to detail ensures that everything meets and exceeds the highest standards. Whether it’s meticulously handling the smallest task or stepping up to tackle big challenges, Jason consistently delivers excellence with a positive attitude. His dedication not only guarantees quality but also inspires those around him to aim higher.
EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
If you’d like to schedule a spot, please click the link below to reserve your seat here!
This new career opportunity is now available for internal applicants! As part of our ongoing commitment to professional growth and development, this is a fantastic chance for you to take the next step in your career while continuing to contribute to our company’s success. We’ll also be sharing this info across the company, but wanted to include you all first as you’ll be directly impacted and have the closest understanding of what we do here at WFB!
Position: PM Service Coach
Location: Whitefish Bay Cafe & Kitchen
What This Role Offers:
- Growth Opportunities: This position offers a unique chance to broaden your skill set and take on new leadership challenges.
- Collaborative Environment: Work alongside talented, motivated individuals in a supportive team culture.
- Impact: Be part of a high-impact role that directly influences the future of Whitefish Bay Cafe & Kitchen

WINS & SHOUT-OUTS

Cecil Cope – Master Service Tech
Cecil is always more than happy to lend a hand, whether it’s sharing his extensive knowledge about equipment care or jumping in to help a coworker troubleshoot with a smile. His willingness to teach, support, and go the extra mile doesn’t just solve problems—it helps all of us to grow and learn more! Thank you, Cecil, for being such a dependable and positive presence in every space you enter!
If you’d like to recognize or celebrate a teammate, we would love to hear about it! By clicking here, you can fill out a form to nominate a hero and choose how you would like them to be celebrated.
UPCOMING MERCH & DESIGNS
Skull Cherries Coffee Canister
Launching 1/23
Featuring an interior accordion-style seal that compresses to kick out oxygen and lock in flavor with an easy grip, store your favorite brew with an edgy twist. House 12oz of beans (whole or ground) in this sleek and high-quality coffee canister. Durable, stylish, and perfectly sized, this canister is a must-have for coffee lovers who appreciate both quality and a touch of dark whimsy.
Transcend Sticker
Launching 1/23
Elevate your everyday with the Transcend Sticker. This sticker is your daily reminder to rise above the mundane and embrace your journey.
GOINGS-ON & UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
- 1/23-1/27 $65 5lb Sale: We’ll be having a $65 5LB Year-Round & Seasonal (and $85 5LB small batch available only online) coffee sale in our cafes and online. This will be available in cafe and on our mobile app (promo is auto-applied and no coupon needed). In Square, ring up coffee as usual, the discount will be auto-applied.
- 1/30 National Croissant Day Promo: We’ll be having a two for one sale on our Butter Croissants. Please use the BOGO Croissant button in Square.
- Upcoming Projects – New Website & Bag Size Change: In the coming months, we are working on a new website and a packaging transition. For the updated packaging, the sizes we’ll be offering are: sample bag (for the coffees we currently have it offered for), 12oz, 2lb, & 5lb. We will start this transition online first, then will move to cafe shortly after. At that time, employees will get a free 12oz bag weekly (excludes Reserve) instead of the current 1lb, since 1lb bags will be eliminated. We will also be changing the benefit to extent to part-time employees (instead of 1/2lb weekly) so everyone will get the same weekly bean amount. If you have any questions, concerns or feedback about these upcoming company projects, please connect with our Teams & People crew by emailing teams@stonecreekcoffee.com. We love hearing from you!
- 2/27-2/28 20% off Beans & Merch: We’ll be having a 20% off promo in cafes & online (when spending $40). More details as it gets closer!
PROGRAMMING CALENDAR

RESOURCES & TOOLS
