Saturday, April 07, 2007


how they do it

"hundreds of former and current shop managers for caribou coffee company inc. should be allowed to collectively press their claims for overtime pay in a pair of lawsuits in federal and minnesota courts, a federal magistrate says."

often i get emails from coffee lovers who ask me -- almost in distress -- how these chain coffee stores do it, how they monopolize their niche and choke out the high-quality coffee and vibrant community surrounding independent shops. and all i have to do is point to articles like the one above.

the mermaid and caribou both have had these kinds of allegations following them for years -- many former employees allege that the reason they are so successful is because they cut cost corners by abusing their workers and breaking labor laws.

of course i have no evidence either way, personally.

but the unionizing people claim to -- and it seems the government agrees with them. i don't have any desire to get tangled up in these claims and counter-claims.

mostly i want to direct attention to the idea that if baristi were considered real professionals, like sous-chefs, and treated accordingly, none of this would occur.

to my mind, all of this is an argument for the need to create the real pro barista. as a consumer, it seems to me that pro baristi would only benefit my beverage experience!

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posted by fortune | 2:19 PM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 0 comments