barrett

You may like to know that the Kerrisdale store is having a silent opening on Friday, the 28th.

1atm is 14.7 psi, which makes 9 atm 132.3 psi. Isn't tea more popular? You could always ask for it dry. We tend not to ask a bunch of questions, we find it annoys people.

We're still there, and it hasn't hurt us. I even got called in yesterday - my day off - to make coffees for a few hours.

Something I look for when I'm training a new barista is whether they realize that they are overwhelmed, and they need to step out of the way. I'll gladly let them know for you - no idea when they'll drop by again though.

Andrew, I appreciate your candor in the evaluation of the cafe. I read your post last night, and by 9 o'clock this morning, I had dealt with it. My staff work too hard to have someone creating more work for them. That problem is resolved now. Are we still finding our feet? Probably a little. When Artigiano Park Royal opened, we had planned on a quiet opening - it didn't happen. Our reputation precedes us, or so I keep getting told. I would have liked to have heard your comments in person. I can always learn more, and anyone willing to talk, I'm willing to borrow their knowledge. Thanks Andrew, Barrett.

It's not that lofty a goal... we're all trained the same, we all spend time with Sammy. We swap staff in and out of the stores to make them more well rounded. I must admit though, I do love the Hornby store... something about it... maybe it's the 5 groups? Posterity? I know that no one is perfect, but from the tone of the conversation, I was under the impression that Park Royal's espresso was consistently below the quality set by the other locations. When was your last visit? I'm in search of more diversified comments... I've read enough about bottomless portafilters and PIDing a Sylvia. I want to know how the coffee is, when I'm not standing there, or pulling the shots myself, I want to know how the service is and, well, everything! That's my job! Any takers?

Can't argue with it being cramped... running the food and clearing the dishes is a trick at times. So, we've shifted a few of the tables away from the pinch points, and we've actually removed a couple of the tables to give more room. Holidays, and weekends, that store is packed, especially in the afternoon. The mornings are pretty quiet though, until 10 or so.

I would like to hear more about the Park Royal location. I'm the manager, and I've been there since day one. One of the drawbacks to the ristretto shots we pull is the fine line you must dance to pull them. A touch low in volume - bitter. A touch over - no longer a ristretto. We will always make a new espresso if it doesn't meet your expectations. I hope your visits (coop and winegeek) were not recent. We trained the staff almost completely from scratch - and they have come a very long way, believe me. We prefer to teach from scratch. It may seem like more work, but in the long run, it's not. A few days ago, I'd read good (not great) things about our espresso on coffeegeek, and was pleased. When I read this, I was taken aback, I wanted to learn more... so, if you're willing, give me the details. I'll figure this out, and fix it.