To rest or not to rest... that is the question

As 2008 winds down, I have been resting, at least from the shop.  I made a decision to close Transcend from Christmas Day until the 2nd of January, as I felt that all of our staff needed a good rest.  In all honesty, the decision was a hard one this year as I know that we are not only foregoing a fair bit of needed revenue, but we are creating inconvenience for many of our customers.  I have been at the shop a few times this holiday, and each time that I am there I see people drive up, look forlornly into the empty windows, quickly glance at our holiday hours notice and drive away.

This has given me pause, and has had me thinking about our business as a whole during the last year.  2008 has seen a tremendous amount of change at Transcend.  The shop has grown from this small little ma & pop shop with a few baristas, to a legitimate roastery and espresso bar, with ten employees including a full-time roaster.  I have been relegated to the loft, where I spend most of my time planning, writing, administering the business.  My role has changed dramatically this year, and there are aspects of this which I am enjoying and to be honest, some of which I lament.  Nonetheless, the company has and continues to experience continued growth, and in areas that I didn't foresee.  For example, our retail bean sales have really taken off, and is a significant component to our overall revenue.  The wholesale aspect of our business continues to limp along, partially due to our existing coffee culture in Edmonton, and largely due to our own stringent expectations of new wholesale customers...

But back to my original question.  I actually think that closing this holiday has been good for a number of reasons, despite the lost revenue.  The staff, including me, have needed some time just to hang, and recover after a busy Christmas season.  Additionally, I think that our customer base needs to be reminded that our product is not something which can always be taken for granted.  I think that we would all be better off, if the things we enjoy, were not always available to us at our beckon call.  Coffee, at least the way we pursue it, is something that should be enjoyed, and not taken for granted.  When I first started Transcend, I thought that consistancy was the most important factor in business.  Now I value quality and diversity, more than I do consistancy.  This is not to say that we don't work hard at following our own profiles to provide a consistant roast, or that we don't enforce our exacting standards so that the customer gets a consistantly made espresso or traditional capp.  What it does mean is that in the future, people won't always get what they want.  If you love a certain origin, in the future it might not always be available all the time, or it might even get dropped from our line-up.  I think that the specialty coffee industry should be more in line in their offerings with the seasonal availability of coffee around the world.  So when the Ethiopians are fresh, we serve a beautiful Amaro Gayo, but when the crop begins to age, we move onto something else.

So to wrap up this rambling post, I think there is tremendous benefit in resting, and learning to rest.  I think in the midst of our ever busying culture, it is important to be confronted with opportunities to rest.  Whether this is via the form of holiday, or via situations where our own wants and demands are not instantly met.  Rest does us all good.  I know that our staff will benefit from the rest, and will be more effective in their jobs.  James Hoffman recently blogged that we would all do well to get in cue at our own shops to see what our customers are experiencing as they wait to be served.  I know for sure that when my staff are stressed and burnt out that they don't do a great job of creating an environment where the customer feels comfortable waiting in line for one of our drinks.  I am trusting that with a week of rest, both the team at Transcend and the customers which we so value will all have a better start to the new year.