In the Adirondack Mountain area in upstate New York, Origin Coffee Co. has locations in two nearby towns, Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. It is no coincidence that both shops are located on Main Street1 of their respective towns.
在紐約州北部的阿迪朗達(dá)克山區(qū),原生種咖啡公司在附近的兩座小鎮(zhèn)——普萊西德湖和薩拉納克湖——設(shè)有門店。兩地的門店都開在各自小鎮(zhèn)的主街上,這并非巧合。
Origin Coffee Co. is the quintessential Main Street café, where locals come to congregate for coffee, munch on a fresh blueberry muffin, or dine on home-made lunches.
原生種咖啡公司是典型的主街咖啡館,當(dāng)?shù)厝司墼谶@里喝咖啡,盡情品嘗新鮮出爐的藍(lán)莓松餅,或者享用店家自制的午餐。
Its owners, Mike Barillari and Carolyn Bordonaro, who are business partners, acquired it in February 2022, using what Barillari calls their “own hard-earned money through years of working 60 plus hours a week in hotel and food beverage since we were teenagers.”
公司的所有者邁克·巴里拉里和卡洛琳·博爾多納羅是商業(yè)伙伴。兩人在2022年2月收購該公司,用巴里拉里的話講,花了他倆“自十幾歲起多年來在酒店和餐飲業(yè)每周工作60多個(gè)小時(shí)賺到的辛苦錢”。
Both had run the Madalin Hotel in Tivoli, N.Y., and then Barillari served as executive chef at the Crowne Plaza Resort & Golf Club in Lake Placid and Bordonaro was director of sales & marketing at the historic Hotel Saranac.
兩人曾一起在紐約州蒂沃利市經(jīng)營馬達(dá)林酒店,隨后巴里拉里在普萊西德湖的皇冠假日度假村和高爾夫俱樂部做行政總廚,博爾多納羅則在歷史悠久的薩拉納克酒店任銷售和營銷總監(jiān)。
Two local Origin Coffee Co. shops in the Lake Placid area are appealing to locals and tourists and finding success, despite several challenges.
普萊西德湖的兩家原生種咖啡公司門店吸引著眾多當(dāng)?shù)厝撕屯獾赜慰?,盡管面臨一些挑戰(zhàn),但生意紅火。
Lake Placid, a town of 3,000 residents, is where the winter Olympics took place in 1932 and again in 1980, when the USA men’s hockey team achieved its Miracle on Ice victory when they beat the heavily favored, more experienced Soviet team and Eric Heiden won five gold medals in speed skating.
普萊西德湖,一個(gè)擁有3000居民的小鎮(zhèn),是1932年和1980年兩屆冬奧會(huì)的舉辦地。美國男子冰球隊(duì)在1980年冬奧會(huì)創(chuàng)造了“冰上奇跡”,成功擊敗眾人十分看好、經(jīng)驗(yàn)更為老到的蘇聯(lián)隊(duì),而埃里克·海登更是奪得男子速滑項(xiàng)目的五枚金牌。
It’s still the training center for the US Olympic winter teams for skiing and ice-skating, helping Lake Placid draw throngs of tourists, particularly in the warmer months.
普萊西德湖如今仍是美國冬奧滑雪隊(duì)和滑冰隊(duì)的訓(xùn)練中心,小鎮(zhèn)因此吸引了大量游客,尤其是在溫暖的月份。
Getting involved in the community, knowing their customers, and aiming to treat their staff well are the hallmarks of owning a café in small-town America, Barillari suggested. “We display rotating local art, highlight local producers on our menus, volunteer and support local organizations,” he said.
巴里拉里表示,融入社區(qū)文化、了解顧客所需、以善待員工為宗旨,是在美國小鎮(zhèn)經(jīng)營咖啡館的特點(diǎn)。他說:“我們輪流展示當(dāng)?shù)厮囆g(shù)品,在菜單上主推當(dāng)?shù)靥禺a(chǎn),主動(dòng)支持當(dāng)?shù)貦C(jī)構(gòu)團(tuán)體?!?/p>
It also hired additional staff to produce more efficient service. Between the two shops, it has grown to 20 employees, and most staff takes shifts at both shops, creating flexibility between them.
原生種咖啡公司還多招了些員工以提供更為高效的服務(wù)。兩店相加,員工現(xiàn)已增至20人,多數(shù)員工在兩家店穿梭輪值,靈活接崗。
But running two coffee shops in small town presents challenges. “It’s a tough spot to find purveyors, and staffing is always a balancing act2,” he acknow-ledged. They’ve established a network of 20 purveyors, work with local farmers, and still make occasional emergency trips to local grocery stores.
不過,在小鎮(zhèn)上開兩家咖啡館會(huì)遇到若干挑戰(zhàn)?!斑@里很難找到供應(yīng)商,而且人手安排總是需要相互協(xié)調(diào)?!卑屠锢锾龟惖馈K麄円呀⒁粋€(gè)由20家供應(yīng)商組成的配送網(wǎng)絡(luò),還同當(dāng)?shù)剞r(nóng)場主合作,但偶爾仍需跑去當(dāng)?shù)仉s貨店緊急采購。
Hospitality is critical to its success. Staff is trained to greet guests as they walk through the door, and create a conversation beyond, “What can I get for you?”
熱情好客是原生種咖啡公司成功的關(guān)鍵。咖啡館的員工經(jīng)過培訓(xùn),客人一進(jìn)門就要迎上去打招呼,隨即開啟對(duì)話:“您想來點(diǎn)什么?”
Its clientele is about 40% locals in high season and can rise to 70% locals in winter, though Lake Placid still manages to attract tourists year-round.
盡管普萊西德湖一年四季仍在設(shè)法吸引外地游客,但咖啡館的客戶群在旺季時(shí)約有40%是當(dāng)?shù)厝?,冬季則會(huì)增至70%。
Co-owner Bordonaro focuses more on accounting, bookkeeping and social media, and Barillari is more “boots on the ground” and doing daily hiring and overseeing staff.
咖啡館的共有人博爾多納羅更關(guān)注會(huì)計(jì)事務(wù)、做賬和社交媒體運(yùn)營,巴里拉里則側(cè)重“實(shí)地部署”,負(fù)責(zé)日常招聘和監(jiān)管員工。
Barillari had worked in larger hotels in the past and prefers being an entrepreneur where he can “curate the workplace and create the atmosphere he wants.”
巴里拉里過去曾在大型酒店工作,他更喜歡以一個(gè)企業(yè)家的角色去“策劃工作場所布局,營造他想要的工作氛圍”。
Why it closes early
咖啡館為何很早就結(jié)束營業(yè)
Each Origin Coffee opens at 7 a.m. but closes at 2 p.m. Closing early each day ensures “quality of life for our staff and ensuring a great customer experience every time, and there is a sales component as well,” Barillari said.
每家原生種咖啡館都是早上7點(diǎn)開門,但下午2點(diǎn)就結(jié)束營業(yè)。巴里拉里說,每天早點(diǎn)兒結(jié)束營業(yè)能保障“我們員工的生活質(zhì)量,確保顧客每次都有美妙的體驗(yàn),同時(shí)也有銷售方面的考量”。
“We know some people like to drink coffee late in the afternoon but not enough for us to risk staff challenges and burnout,” he added.
“我們知道有些人喜歡在下午晚些時(shí)候喝咖啡,但這部分客流量不足以讓我們?nèi)殡y員工,害得他們身心俱疲?!彼a(bǔ)充道。
It buys coffee beans from Coava, a Portland, Oregon coffee roaster, known for its unique blends and Ethiopian blends.
咖啡館的咖啡豆進(jìn)自俄勒岡州波特蘭市的咖啡烘焙商“夸瓦”。這家烘焙商以其特色混配咖啡豆及埃塞俄比亞混配咖啡豆而聞名。
50/50 split between food and coffee revenues
食品和咖啡的營收五五開
But Origin Coffee, more so than most coffee shops, emphasizes home-made food. “We bake our own buttermilk biscuits, focaccia, and baked goods in-house,” Barillari noted. Yelp responders praised its avocado toast and frittatas, and its breakfast burrito and turkey brie sandwiches are perennial best sellers. In fact, its food and coffee sales are split 50/50.
不過,較之大多數(shù)咖啡館,原生種咖啡館更強(qiáng)調(diào)自制食品?!拔覀兊昀镒灾泼撝田灨伞⒁馐介蠙煊捅饷姘群姹菏称贰!卑屠锢镏赋觥R站W(wǎng)上的評(píng)論者盛贊他們家的牛油果吐司和意式菜肉餡煎蛋餅,早餐玉米煎餅和火雞布里干酪三明治則是常年爆款。事實(shí)上,咖啡館食品和咖啡的營收正好五五開。
It introduced a new drink Sweater Weather in 2022, consisting of a double shot of espresso, with local maple syrup and steamed milk, which has proven so popular that it stays on the menu year-round.
2022年,咖啡館推出一款新飲品“毛衣天氣”,含兩小杯意式濃縮咖啡,添加當(dāng)?shù)禺a(chǎn)的楓樹糖漿,再打上奶泡。這款飲品后來大受歡迎,全年穩(wěn)占菜單上的一席之地。
In Saranac Lake, its location is at the center of town, near several art galleryZQ37wp3V+/z2XmxRsuWp2mQjAkbiTdjYsB2bGyALLg=ies, the Book Nook and the Adirondack Center for Writing, but in Lake Placid, it’s off-the-beaten-track, away from the main part of town, where there are ample t-shirt and gift shops and some eateries including Starbucks.
薩拉納克湖的原生種咖啡館位于鎮(zhèn)中心,挨著幾家藝術(shù)畫廊、“圖書角”書店和阿迪朗達(dá)克寫作中心,而普萊西德湖的門店位置偏僻,遠(yuǎn)離遍布T恤禮品店和星巴克等快餐店的核心商圈。
Barillari loves its location off-center and “could never afford the absurd rents on Main Street in Lake Placid. Locals find us,” and yet they’re in walking distance to the town’s nexus.
巴里拉里喜歡咖啡館偏離鎮(zhèn)中心的位置,稱“絕對(duì)付不起普萊西德湖主街核心地段那高得離譜的租金。本地人會(huì)來找我們”,盡管他們只需步行即可到達(dá)鎮(zhèn)中心。
Consumer feedback on Yelp tended to be positive with some exceptions. For example, Alex, a tourist from Washington, D.C, said the Lake Placid store “excels because it combines cheerful ambiance with quality food and drinks. Their oat matcha honey latte is among the better machas I’ve ever had.” But Kamil from New York City found the breakfast sandwiches rather dry and needing some sauce.
除了個(gè)別例外,耶普網(wǎng)上的顧客反饋總體好評(píng)居多。舉例來說,來自華盛頓哥倫比亞特區(qū)的游客亞歷克斯點(diǎn)評(píng)道,普萊西德湖店“很出眾,因?yàn)樵摰昙婢吡钊擞鋹偟木筒铜h(huán)境和高品質(zhì)的飲食。他們家的燕麥抹茶蜂蜜拿鐵是我喝過的味道較好的抹茶拿鐵”。但從紐約市來的卡米爾卻認(rèn)為早餐三明治太干,需要加點(diǎn)醬汁。
Opening a third coffee shop isn’t being “ruled out,” he said, but they don’t want to dilute their customer service. But they are introducing a mobile espresso cart for music festivals and special events.
巴里拉里說,“不排除”會(huì)開第三家店,但他們不想降低服務(wù)品質(zhì)。不過,他們正計(jì)劃在音樂節(jié)和特殊活動(dòng)期間推出意式濃縮咖啡流動(dòng)販?zhǔn)圮嚒?/p>
Asked the keys to its sustained success, Barillari replied: 1) It’s all about the staff, 2) Keeping the general economy strong so people have discretionary money to spend, 3) Maintaining consistency with the guest experience.
在被問及維持咖啡館成功經(jīng)營的關(guān)鍵時(shí),巴里拉里回答道:(1)關(guān)愛員工;(2)維持整體經(jīng)濟(jì)景氣,讓人們有可自由支配的錢;(3)維護(hù)顧客體驗(yàn)的一致性。
1 Main Street(美國小城鎮(zhèn)的)主街,大街。
2 balancing act平衡各方權(quán)益的行動(dòng)。