It’s peak season here on the North Shore. Lots of people are here, maybe even more than ever. Despite that, this year feels so much different. Instead of being open every day and late into the afternoon, our cafe is closed two days a week and our open sign darkens at noon. After noon the doors are clocked, the espresso maker is cleaned and everything goes quiet, even as life is bustling outside.
Reduced Hours
Why the change? Why aren’t we open as many hours as we have been in the past? Simply because we care deeply about you. Science shows people shouldn’t drink coffee in the afternoon, so we think it’s best to just close our doors earlier than usual. Ok, the science part of that last sentence is not true, or at least the jury is still out.
Roasting and Production for our Coffee
In all reality, we just CAN’T be open past noon right now, purely for logistical reasons. We don’t have enough room for roasting and production. We are roasting about 1000 pounds of coffee a week, and we don’t have the physical space to put all that coffee on shelves after it is roasted. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, our roasting days, production spreads out past the roasting area in the back of the cafe into the whole space of the cafe. Buckets of roasted coffee, bins of bagged coffee and boxes of coffee that are being prepped to ship spread out over our cafe counters, onto the tables and anywhere we can find a flat surface. Even if we weren’t short staffed those days, which we are, we would still need to be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays since our work demands the entire space we lease.
Limited Staffing
On the remaining days of the week, when we have to close our doors at noon, we do so because we are very short staffed. It’s a problem many of us are seeing on a national level, but in exaggerated numbers here on the North Shore. Here at Fika we have four awesome employees (including the roasting production team and cafe baristas) this summer versus seven from last summer. There are rumors that businesses that operated with 45 staff members in previous years are operating with 5-10 this year.
Quality Over Quantity
Because of this issue, we’ve decided to limit our open hours at the cafe from 7am to 12pm (instead of 7am to 5pm) with the goal of creating a quality experience for the customers that visit over having more customers flow through our doors. We want to keep our staff healthy and ready to serve our guests, instead of having them, and myself, completely burnt out.
The Pain I Feel
Honestly, it pains me not to have our cafe doors open each day and to have to close earlier than normal on the days we are open. I see everyone coming up to the door in hopes to grab their favorite drink, only to be disappointed when they realize the door is locked and the lights are off. If anybody knows, I can easily put myself on the other side. I know what it’s like to walk up to the door in search of the familiarity, comfort and excitement that can be found in a cup of coffee . If I was up on the North Shore for a couple of days I would want nothing more than a nice cup of coffee to start my day and likely another one before I headed off on an afternoon adventure.
Life in the Lutsen, MN Cafe
For the cafe, it has just been crazy, busy, good. Our cafe sales are up 34% from last year (and this summer we're not serving food like we were last). We are seeing numbers by noon in July that we would see in 2020 or 2019 at 5pm in the afternoon. So we assume that people have gotten word that we are closing at noon and are being intentional about getting to the cafe before then. But, as with so many business stats, numbers and influence, there are so many layers to people's behaviors and decisions, so we’re only guessing.
As we stand back and observe all of these changes and analyze where our business has been, where it is now and where we want it to be, I have had a couple of thoughts that continue to stand out.
Roaster First, Coffee Shop/Cafe Second
One thought is I want Fika Coffee to be a roaster with a cafe attached, not a cafe with a roaster attached. Want to take Fika back closer to its roots when it was a roaster in the woods, with a goal of getting high-quality coffee down the shore primarily through our wholesale channels and heavily supplemented by online sales. Over the past year, I’m sensing we have started to prioritize our cafe services over our wholesale and online offerings.
More Nuanced Than Not
I’m not a hundred percent sure how things evolved or how to shift things, but I do know it’s more nuanced than not. Making the change will require more thought, planning and intentional direction to keep Fika Coffee a roaster first, cafe second.
Unhealthy Mindsets Around North Shore Living
There has been this way of living and doing business along the North Shore - the thought of “make hay while the sun shines”- that I believe can be very unhealthy. For us here, the sun is shining during the summer months when tourist travel to the area is high. During these months, we work hard and long, especially as business owners. It’s so easy to believe that we have to make a year’s worth of income in the short four or so months of summer. From the start that was never Fika’s intention. Our intention was always to create/produce/craft/manufacture a quality product and then ship it down the shore, to create a community that has a piece of its heart in the North Shore, but stretches far beyond the Arrowhead of Minnesota.
← Older Post Newer Post →
Related Posts
Behind the Build: The Vision for Fika Coffee’s North Shore HQ
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/1879/cuevana-3-ver-avatar-2-el-sentido-del-agua
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/1886/pelisplusver-avatar-2-el-sentido-del-agua
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/1888/ver-avatar-2-el-camino-del-agua-pelicula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/1897/cuevana-3-ver-avatar-2-el-camino-del-agua
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/1899/cuevana-3-ver-avatar-2-el-camino-del-agua
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/1919/pelisplus-ver-black-panther-wakanda
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/1920/pelisplus-ver-black-panther-wakanda
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/1922/ver-black-panther-wakanda-forever-pelicula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/1934/descargar-black-panther-wakanda-forever
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/1935/pelisplusver-black-panther-wakanda-forever
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/1937/cuevana-3-ver-black-panther-wakanda
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/1999/cuevana-3-ver-black-adam-2022-pelicula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2002/pelisplusver-black-adam-pel-cula-completa
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2008/cuevana3-ver-black-adam-pel-culas-online
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2014/ver-black-adam-pelicula-completa-online
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2024/pelisplus-ver-black-adam-pel-cula-completa
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2028/pelisplus-ver-black-adam-2022-pelicula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2073/cuevana-ver-ant-man-y-la-avispa-quantuman
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2077/pelisplusver-ant-man-y-la-avispa-quantuman
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2088/cuevana-3-ver-ant-man-3-2023-pel-cula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2091/pelisplus-ver-ant-man-3-hd-pel-cula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2099/ver-ant-man-y-la-avispa-quantuman-a
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2115/cuevana-3-ver-ant-man-y-la-avispa
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2169/cuevana-3-ver-john-wick-4-2023-pel-cula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2172/pelisplus-ver-john-wick-4-2023-pel-cula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2176/cuevana-3-ver-john-wick-4-2023-pelicula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2179/pelisplusver-john-wick-4-pel-cula-completa
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2182/ver-john-wick-4-pelicula-completa-online
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2391/cuevana-3-ver-creed-iii-2023-pel-cula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2397/pelisplus-ver-creed-iii-2023-pel-cula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2400/cuevana-3-ver-creed-iii-2023-pelicula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2403/pelisplusver-creed-iii-pel-cula-completa
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2408/cuevana3-ver-creed-iii-pel-culas-online
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2415/pelisplus-ver-creed-iii-hd-2023-en
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2439/cuevana-3-ver-guardianes-de-la-noche-rumbo
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2445/pelisplus-ver-guardianes-de-la-noche-rumbo
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2446/descargar-guardianes-de-la-noche-rumbo-a
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2448/cuevana3-ver-guardianes-de-la-noche-rumbo
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2452/pelisplusver-guardianes-de-la-noche-rumbo
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2455/ver-guardianes-de-la-noche-pelicula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2487/cuevana-3-ver-el-gato-con-botas-el-ltimo
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2494/pelisplusver-el-gato-con-botas-el-ltimo
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2497/pelisplus-ver-el-gato-con-botas-2-2023-pel
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2500/ver-el-gato-con-botas-el-ltimo-deseo
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2503/ver-el-gato-con-botas-el-ltimo-deseo
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2506/pel-splus-ver-el-gato-con-botas-el-ltimo
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2522/cuevana-3-ver-m3gan-2023-pel-cula-completa
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2525/pelisplus-ver-m3gan-2023-pel-cula-completa
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2528/cuevana3-ver-m3gan-2023-pel-cula-completa
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2532/pelisplusver-m3gan-pel-cula-completa-onl
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2538/cuevana3-ver-m3gan-pel-culas-online-gratis
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2543/ver-m3gan-2023-pel-cula-completa-online
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2579/cuevana-3-ver-terrifier-2-2022-pel-cula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2581/pelisplus-ver-terrifier-2-2022-pel-cula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2587/pelisplusver-terrifier-2-pel-cula-completa
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2590/ver-terrifier-2-pelicula-completa-online
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2594/cuevana3-ver-terrifier-2-pel-culas-online
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2609/cuevana-3-ver-argentina-1985-2022-pel-cula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2614/pelisplus-ver-argentina-1985-2022-pel-cula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2618/cuevana-3-ver-argentina-1985-2022-pelicula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2621/pelisplusver-argentina-1985-pel-cula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2625/pelisplus-ver-argentina-1985-hd-2022-en
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2628/pel-splus-ver-argentina-1985-2022-pelicula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2753/cuevana-3-ver-momias-2023-pel-cula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2754/pelisplus-ver-momias-2023-pel-cula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2765/pelisplusver-momias-pel-cula-completa-onl
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2797/pelisplus-ver-momias-hd-2023-en-pelicula
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2798/pel-splus-ver-momias-2023-pelicula-nline
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2810/cuevana-3-ver-ast-rix-y-ob-lix-el-reino
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2814/descargar-ast-rix-y-ob-lix-el-reino-medio
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2816/ver-ast-rix-y-ob-lix-el-reino-medio-online
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2818/ver-ast-rix-y-ob-lix-el-reino-medio
https://bitbucket.org/atlassianlabs/atlascode/issues/2823/pelisplus-ver-ast-rix-y-ob-lix-el-reino
https://www.taptap.io/post/4727743
https://www.taptap.io/post/4727748
https://www.taptap.io/post/4727754
https://www.taptap.io/post/4727771
https://www.taptap.io/post/4727773
https://www.taptap.io/post/4727810
https://www.taptap.io/post/4727813
https://www.taptap.io/post/4727819
https://www.taptap.io/post/4727828
https://www.taptap.io/post/4727835
https://www.taptap.io/post/4727896
https://www.taptap.io/post/4727899
https://www.taptap.io/post/4727908
https://www.taptap.io/post/4727911
https://www.taptap.io/post/4727916
https://www.taptap.io/post/4728430
https://www.taptap.io/post/4728434
https://www.taptap.io/post/4728442
https://www.taptap.io/post/4728971
https://www.taptap.io/post/4728975
https://www.taptap.io/post/4728986
https://www.taptap.io/post/4728994
https://www.taptap.io/post/4729003
https://www.taptap.io/post/4729044
https://www.taptap.io/post/4729054
https://www.taptap.io/post/4729068
https://www.taptap.io/post/4729077
https://www.taptap.io/post/4729119
https://www.taptap.io/post/4729130
https://www.taptap.io/post/4729138
https://www.taptap.io/post/4729146
https://www.taptap.io/post/4729156
https://hastebin.com/share/ikedibibod.ruby
https://codepen.io/terensvjrosjos/pen/gOdxErb
https://paiza.io/projects/DEEKjPUkzVCRMgpaf1Bvsg
https://pastebin.com/7908qLkG
https://www.bankier.pl/forum/temat_opighopisehrgiophreosihgorehog,59415593.html
https://posteezy.com/quetiapine-50-mg-discount-14-codebxvq
https://posteezy.com/levitra-tablets-discount-14-codebkqh
https://fnote.net/notes/h16gS5
https://posteezy.com/propecia-prescription-discount-12-codekmjz
https://posteezy.com/fildena-100-online-discount-16-codedrvz
https://posteezy.com/clomid-tablets-discount-14-codemmsw
https://posteezy.com/nortriptyline-25mg-discount-11-codelqyd
https://posteezy.com/caduet-5mg20mg-discount-11-codegbyc
https://fnote.net/notes/K4Hhqf
https://posteezy.com/amaryl-generic-discount-11-codewncx
https://posteezy.com/elimite-cream-discount-10-codevnhh
https://posteezy.com/abilify-10-mg-discount-12-codeyxpb
https://www.brit.co/u/buy-ivermectin-price2023-promocode-trg4
https://www.brit.co/u/brand-name-tadalafil-20mg2023-promocode-mrs2
http://themalaysianedge.com/listings/buy-atorvastatin-20-mg-4/
https://fnote.net/notes/vwFHN9
http://themalaysianedge.com/listings/plendil-cost-4/
https://www.brit.co/u/viagra-25-mg-generic2023-promocode-fmq0
https://posteezy.com/where-cialis-discount-13-codegjmw
https://posteezy.com/singulair-10-mg-discount-15-codeywbj
https://fnote.net/notes/L1M0y7
https://posteezy.com/meloxicam-oral-discount-14-codemsbv
https://posteezy.com/fludrocortisone-pil-discount-14-codefvrb
https://posteezy.com/vermox-discount-15-codegbnh
https://posteezy.com/glucophage-750-mg-discount-18-codeqgpk
https://posteezy.com/tadalafil-100mg-uk-discount-13-codenjqp
https://posteezy.com/arcoxia-tablets-120-mg-discount-16-codezkvd
http://themalaysianedge.com/listings/buy-sildenafil-cvs-4/
https://www.brit.co/u/tadalafil-cialis-from-india2023-promocode-lgl8
http://themalaysianedge.com/listings/buy-plendil-5-mg-2/
https://posteezy.com/ramipril-5mg-discount-16-codesfjb
https://www.brit.co/u/buy-cialis-price2023-promocode-yjr1
https://fnote.net/notes/5wX8sk
https://fnote.net/notes/fzq1Bb
https://fnote.net/notes/GXAd32
https://www.brit.co/u/cialis-20-mg-price2023-promocode-ddx7
https://posteezy.com/hyzaar-discount-17-codesyhz
https://fnote.net/notes/j3jKjt
https://posteezy.com/furosemide-40-mg-tablet-discount-13-codedsbt
http://themalaysianedge.com/listings/buy-isoptin-3/
https://www.brit.co/u/generic-tadalafil-pill2023-promocode-dyy1
https://posteezy.com/finasteride-5mg-uk-discount-13-codeyqyl
https://posteezy.com/dulcolax-5-mg-discount-12-codedtrx
https://posteezy.com/cialis-price-discount-17-codehrjc
https://posteezy.com/toradol-tablets-discount-19-codebdgs
https://posteezy.com/piracetam-400mg-discount-12-codesskb
https://fnote.net/notes/Fb21m8
https://posteezy.com/disulfiram-250-mg-tablet-discount-17-codexgpj
https://www.brit.co/u/tadalafil-5mg-generic-from-us2023-promocode-hcz4
https://posteezy.com/eriacta-uk-discount-14-codehkvj
http://themalaysianedge.com/listings/buy-inderal-80-mg-3/
https://posteezy.com/plendil-10-mg-discount-17-codeyksq
http://themalaysianedge.com/listings/buy-labetalol-oral-4/
https://www.brit.co/u/tadalafil-20-mg-tablet-price-in-india2023-promocode-snb2
https://posteezy.com/tretinoin-prescription-discount-10-codejtcw
https://www.brit.co/u/order-viagra-50-mg2023-promocode-ljl3
https://posteezy.com/crestor-5-mg-discount-14-codexqhh
https://posteezy.com/silagra-50-mg-discount-13-codedbjh
https://posteezy.com/dapoxetine-sale-uk-discount-18-codetdlz
https://posteezy.com/cialis-online-discount-11-codejdlp
https://posteezy.com/cabergoline-discount-15-codewwmd
https://posteezy.com/tizanidine-discount-16-codemvcn
https://posteezy.com/lopid-300-mg-discount-12-codexqlx
https://posteezy.com/voltaren-tablets-discount-17-codewpym
https://fnote.net/notes/Mr0v12
https://posteezy.com/florinef-cost-discount-17-codepdgn
https://www.brit.co/u/stromectol-12mg-online2023-promocode-mpx7
https://posteezy.com/spironolactone-25mg-tablets-discount-11-codekmxn
https://posteezy.com/tamoxifen-tablets-price-india-discount-12-codelmbf
https://posteezy.com/estradiol-tablets-discount-12-codevsmb
https://posteezy.com/antabuse-250-mg-tablets-discount-19-codexkdf
https://posteezy.com/nebivolol-10-mg-tablet-discount-16-codejdwy
http://themalaysianedge.com/listings/buy-augmentin-3/
https://posteezy.com/cialis-10-mg-discount-12-codejjrn
https://fnote.net/notes/ccCP6z
https://www.brit.co/u/buy-viagra-generic2023-promocode-czq6
https://posteezy.com/tadalafil-5-mg-tablet-generic-discount-14-codefzyz
https://posteezy.com/tadalafil-price-usa-discount-16-codekpmb
https://posteezy.com/albendazole-sale-discount-12-codefkvh
https://fnote.net/notes/ynX0Bc
https://posteezy.com/flexeril-discount-16-codexfkn
https://posteezy.com/brand-name-cialis-discount-17-codeypbc
https://posteezy.com/albenza-price-discount-19-codesrwz
http://themalaysianedge.com/listings/buy-gemfibrozil-600-mg-tablet-4/