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Main
Date: 01 Jul 2006 14:20:14
From: yEnc Man
Subject: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
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http://snipurl.com/skv4
The guy is selling a Bunn Espresso machine in this auction (he also has a
Conti listed) and in his advice to someone asking about opening a coffee
shop he says "Buy an Italian Espresso Machine...it really makes the
difference.."
Some of the other advice is interesting. Most of it looks good but I wonder
about the advice to "keep a large, diversified menu." It seems to me that a
lot of business people actually go backwards on some of their products (I
was married into a restaurant family for close to a decade and was expected
to help make it work so I have a little bit of experience here) without
really knowing it.
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Date: 01 Jul 2006 08:20:21
From: daveb
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
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Truly a bizarre piece of "ADVICE", al.
Geez.
dave
sprsso wrote:
> Where the hell to start on this one? A guy that can't even spell
> Italian, among most other words, is trying to sell a French machine as
> Italian. Not that French machines are bad (in fact the Contis, Renekas
> and Unics are very respectable), but last time I checked France was a
> whole different country.
> His advice, while hard to decipher, seems to be mostly ill-advised.
> That is probably why his equipment is for sale.
> If you are looking for coffeehouse advice on ebay, you are looking for
> a recipe for failure.
> While staying in the same vein, I recently watched Espresso 101.... I
> think I wrote about this already. I actually lost my voice from
> yelling at it.....al
>
>
>
> On Sat, 01 Jul 2006 14:20:14 GMT, "yEnc Man" <yencman@nothotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> >http://snipurl.com/skv4
> >
> >The guy is selling a Bunn Espresso machine in this auction (he also has a
> >Conti listed) and in his advice to someone asking about opening a coffee
> >shop he says "Buy an Italian Espresso Machine...it really makes the
> >difference.."
> >
> >Some of the other advice is interesting. Most of it looks good but I wonder
> >about the advice to "keep a large, diversified menu." It seems to me that a
> >lot of business people actually go backwards on some of their products (I
> >was married into a restaurant family for close to a decade and was expected
> >to help make it work so I have a little bit of experience here) without
> >really knowing it.
> >
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Date: 01 Jul 2006 15:11:24
From: sprsso
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
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Where the hell to start on this one? A guy that can't even spell
Italian, among most other words, is trying to sell a French machine as
Italian. Not that French machines are bad (in fact the Contis, Renekas
and Unics are very respectable), but last time I checked France was a
whole different country.
His advice, while hard to decipher, seems to be mostly ill-advised.
That is probably why his equipment is for sale.
If you are looking for coffeehouse advice on ebay, you are looking for
a recipe for failure.
While staying in the same vein, I recently watched Espresso 101.... I
think I wrote about this already. I actually lost my voice from
yelling at it.....al
On Sat, 01 Jul 2006 14:20:14 GMT, "yEnc Man" <yencman@nothotmail.com >
wrote:
>http://snipurl.com/skv4
>
>The guy is selling a Bunn Espresso machine in this auction (he also has a
>Conti listed) and in his advice to someone asking about opening a coffee
>shop he says "Buy an Italian Espresso Machine...it really makes the
>difference.."
>
>Some of the other advice is interesting. Most of it looks good but I wonder
>about the advice to "keep a large, diversified menu." It seems to me that a
>lot of business people actually go backwards on some of their products (I
>was married into a restaurant family for close to a decade and was expected
>to help make it work so I have a little bit of experience here) without
>really knowing it.
>
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Date: 01 Jul 2006 16:47:16
From: D. Ross
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
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Date: 01 Jul 2006 17:02:56
From: sprsso
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
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Which machine is coming out of Monaco these days? The last time I
worked on any of these three, they were all listed as being
manufactured in France....al
On Sat, 01 Jul 2006 16:47:16 GMT, ross@math.hawaii.NOSPAM.edu (D.
Ross) wrote:
>
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Date: 01 Jul 2006 22:34:14
From: D. Ross
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
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sprsso <acritzer@cfl.rr.com > wrote:
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Date: 02 Jul 2006 00:24:45
From: sprsso
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
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David,
Perhaps I missed something. The distributor I worked for when illy
decided not to distribute to him told me decidedly that the machines
were made in France. He himself was French and had the attitude and
breath that made that evident. This was imparted to me by customers,
not self-assumed. Come to think of it, he had an arrogant attitude
that ultimately caused me to quit, and his breath did stink.
This has no bearing on the quality of the Conti machines, just that he
claimed territorial ownership of these machines.I hate being lied
to....al
On Sat, 01 Jul 2006 22:34:14 GMT, ross@math.hawaii.NOSPAM.edu (D.
Ross) wrote:
>sprsso <acritzer@cfl.rr.com> wrote:
>
>
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Date: 02 Jul 2006 02:38:01
From: D. Ross
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
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Date: 01 Jul 2006 10:30:26
From: bernie digman
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his
|
sprsso wrote:
While staying in the same vein, I recently watched Espresso 101.... I
> think I wrote about this already. I actually lost my voice from
> yelling at it.....al
>
>
>
>
I use the 101 for training and there are some parts I fastforward over. These are probably the
ones you are yelling at, al.
This week I travelled to a distant city for a training session on a new generation of superauto
which will remain nameless to protect.... Anyway, one of the things I came away with was the knowing
look on the instructors face when I asked what percentage of technicians he trains on espresso
equipment actually drink specialty coffee or espresso. The number was around 20% in his opinion.
When we read of the dismal state of espresso in the country I wonder how much can be attributed to
techs who know and care nothing about the final product. Of course, the owner has ultimate
responsibilty for the quality, but an aspiring young entrepenure who shells out 18k for a top end
superauto and may not yet be an expert in espresso preparation is sort of screwed. In six hours of
classroom training I did not hear one time a discussion of encouraging the operators to use quality
beans. When I worked as diesel mechanic and when I spent several years training one of the key
points in any training or troubleshooting in the field was checking the inputs. Fuel, air in the
case of diesels. To not train techs on the importance of the machine being charged with the best
coffee available to get the best results just baffles me. But, this is an old lament I suppose from
folks like al who actually have done the heavy lifting of trying to get them to understand the
entire picture.
Bernie
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Date: 01 Jul 2006 21:47:16
From: sprsso
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
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Bernie
It is frustrating on every level. Becoming involved in training,
especially technicians, has long been a pain in the (their) ass. I
have come to the conclusion that explanation of coffee quality, its
position in the world marketplace and the history of its influence on
world politics has got to be preemptory. One suggestion. Throw in Kopi
Luwak. It seems to engender real interest and questions that will
continue through the training. If you can actually get some, you'd be
surprised how many non-drinkers will try it.
All my trainings and sales presentation now begin with an explanation
of coffee. I try to make it entertaining enough and interactive enough
to make the training in preparation interesting. You can actually see
the light going off or on in their eyes.
I spent yesterday checking up on my newest coffee cafe, and it was one
of the best days for a long time. There was a disagreement on
different preparation techniques for iced capps and iced lattes. So,
although I am not that conversant on cold drinks, I taught them (and
myself) how to present them with totally different appearances and
pallate impact. Any way, it was a good day with people that really
want to learn.
Their first training was without me and was done by the video.
So when I trained them, it was both an intervention and a
deprogramming. I would welcome the opportunity to train side by side
with the video to point out the deficiences.
Please send me mail to let me know what supers you are using and your
take on performance issues.
I have been offered a position involving restaurant sales and
franchising development and would appreciate your input on the product
you represent....al@alpuccino.com
On Sat, 01 Jul 2006 10:30:26 -0600, bernie digman <bdigman@zianet.com >
wrote:
>sprsso wrote:
> While staying in the same vein, I recently watched Espresso 101.... I
>> think I wrote about this already. I actually lost my voice from
>> yelling at it.....al
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> I use the 101 for training and there are some parts I fastforward over. These are probably the
>ones you are yelling at, al.
> This week I travelled to a distant city for a training session on a new generation of superauto
>which will remain nameless to protect.... Anyway, one of the things I came away with was the knowing
>look on the instructors face when I asked what percentage of technicians he trains on espresso
>equipment actually drink specialty coffee or espresso. The number was around 20% in his opinion.
>When we read of the dismal state of espresso in the country I wonder how much can be attributed to
>techs who know and care nothing about the final product. Of course, the owner has ultimate
>responsibilty for the quality, but an aspiring young entrepenure who shells out 18k for a top end
>superauto and may not yet be an expert in espresso preparation is sort of screwed. In six hours of
>classroom training I did not hear one time a discussion of encouraging the operators to use quality
>beans. When I worked as diesel mechanic and when I spent several years training one of the key
>points in any training or troubleshooting in the field was checking the inputs. Fuel, air in the
>case of diesels. To not train techs on the importance of the machine being charged with the best
>coffee available to get the best results just baffles me. But, this is an old lament I suppose from
>folks like al who actually have done the heavy lifting of trying to get them to understand the
>entire picture.
>Bernie
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Date: 01 Jul 2006 21:46:10
From: sprsso
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
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Bernie
It is frustrating on every level. Becoming involved in training,
especially technicians, has long been a pain in the (their) ass. I
have come to the conclusion that explanation of coffee quality, its
position in the world marketplace and the history of its influence on
world politics has got to be preemptory. One suggestion. Throw in Kopi
Luwak. It seems to engender real interest and questions that will
continue through the training. If you can actually get some, you'd be
surprised how many non-drinkers will try it.
All my trainings and sales presentation now begin with an explanation
of coffee. I try to make it entertaining enough and interactive enough
to make the training in preparation interesting. You can actually see
the light going off or on in their eyes.
I spent yesterday checking up on my newest coffee cafe, and it was one
of the best days for a long time. There was a disagreement on
different preparation techniques for iced capps and iced lattes. So,
although I am not that conversant on cold drinks, I taught them (and
myself) how to present them with totally different appearances and
pallate impact. Any way, it was a good day with people that really
want to learn.
Their first training was without me and was done by the video.
So when I trained them, it was both an intervention and a
deprogramming. I would welcome the opportunity to train side by side
with the video to point out the deficiences.
Please send me mail to let me know what supers you are using and your
take on performance issues.
I have been offered a position involving restaurant sales and
franchising development and would appreciate your input on the product
you represent....al@alpuccino.com
On Sat, 01 Jul 2006 10:30:26 -0600, bernie digman <bdigman@zianet.com >
wrote:
>sprsso wrote:
> While staying in the same vein, I recently watched Espresso 101.... I
>> think I wrote about this already. I actually lost my voice from
>> yelling at it.....al
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> I use the 101 for training and there are some parts I fastforward over. These are probably the
>ones you are yelling at, al.
> This week I travelled to a distant city for a training session on a new generation of superauto
>which will remain nameless to protect.... Anyway, one of the things I came away with was the knowing
>look on the instructors face when I asked what percentage of technicians he trains on espresso
>equipment actually drink specialty coffee or espresso. The number was around 20% in his opinion.
>When we read of the dismal state of espresso in the country I wonder how much can be attributed to
>techs who know and care nothing about the final product. Of course, the owner has ultimate
>responsibilty for the quality, but an aspiring young entrepenure who shells out 18k for a top end
>superauto and may not yet be an expert in espresso preparation is sort of screwed. In six hours of
>classroom training I did not hear one time a discussion of encouraging the operators to use quality
>beans. When I worked as diesel mechanic and when I spent several years training one of the key
>points in any training or troubleshooting in the field was checking the inputs. Fuel, air in the
>case of diesels. To not train techs on the importance of the machine being charged with the best
>coffee available to get the best results just baffles me. But, this is an old lament I suppose from
>folks like al who actually have done the heavy lifting of trying to get them to understand the
>entire picture.
>Bernie
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Date: 01 Jul 2006 21:03:48
From: sprsso
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
|
Bernie
It is frustrating on every level. Becoming involved in training,
especially technicians, has long been a pain in the (their) ass. I
have come to the conclusion that explanation of coffee quality, its
position in the world marketplace and the history of its influence on
world politics has got to be preemptory. One suggestion. Throw in Kopi
Luwak. It seems to engender real interest and questions that will
continue through the training. If you can actually get some, you'd be
surprised how many non-drinkers will try it.
All my trainings and sales presentation now begin with an explanation
of coffee. I try to make it entertaining enough and interactive enough
to make the training in preparation interesting. You can actually see
the light going off or on in their eyes.
I spent yesterday checking up on my newest coffee cafe, and it was one
of the best days for a long time. There was a disagreement on
different preparation techniques for iced capps and iced lattes. So,
although I am not that conversant on cold drinks, I taught them (and
myself) how to present them with totally different appearances and
pallate impact. Any way, it was a good day with people that really
want to learn.
Their first training was without me and was done by the video.
So when I trained them, it was both an intervention and a
deprogramming. I would welcome the opportunity to train side by side
with the video to point out the deficiences.
Please send me mail to let me know what supers you are using and your
take on performance issues.
I have been offered a position involving restaurant sales and
franchising development and would appreciate your input on the product
you represent....al@alpuccino.com
On Sat, 01 Jul 2006 10:30:26 -0600, bernie digman <bdigman@zianet.com >
wrote:
>sprsso wrote:
> While staying in the same vein, I recently watched Espresso 101.... I
>> think I wrote about this already. I actually lost my voice from
>> yelling at it.....al
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> I use the 101 for training and there are some parts I fastforward over. These are probably the
>ones you are yelling at, al.
> This week I travelled to a distant city for a training session on a new generation of superauto
>which will remain nameless to protect.... Anyway, one of the things I came away with was the knowing
>look on the instructors face when I asked what percentage of technicians he trains on espresso
>equipment actually drink specialty coffee or espresso. The number was around 20% in his opinion.
>When we read of the dismal state of espresso in the country I wonder how much can be attributed to
>techs who know and care nothing about the final product. Of course, the owner has ultimate
>responsibilty for the quality, but an aspiring young entrepenure who shells out 18k for a top end
>superauto and may not yet be an expert in espresso preparation is sort of screwed. In six hours of
>classroom training I did not hear one time a discussion of encouraging the operators to use quality
>beans. When I worked as diesel mechanic and when I spent several years training one of the key
>points in any training or troubleshooting in the field was checking the inputs. Fuel, air in the
>case of diesels. To not train techs on the importance of the machine being charged with the best
>coffee available to get the best results just baffles me. But, this is an old lament I suppose from
>folks like al who actually have done the heavy lifting of trying to get them to understand the
>entire picture.
>Bernie
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Date: 01 Jul 2006 10:53:36
From: Randy G.
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
|
bernie digman <bdigman@zianet.com > wrote:
> This week I travelled to a distant city for a training session on a new generation of superauto
>which will remain nameless to protect.... Anyway, one of the things I came away with was the knowing
>look on the instructors face when I asked what percentage of technicians he trains on espresso
>equipment actually drink specialty coffee or espresso. The number was around 20% in his opinion.
>....... To not train techs on the importance of the machine being charged with the best
>coffee available to get the best results just baffles me. But, this is an old lament I suppose from
>folks like al who actually have done the heavy lifting of trying to get them to understand the
>entire picture.
>Bernie
GIGO
As Tom Leher said, "Life is like a sewer. What you get out of it
depends on what you put into it."
Randy "everyone knows it- you just got to care" G.
http://www.EspressoMyEspresso.com
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Date: 02 Jul 2006 20:32:50
From: Barry Jarrett
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
|
On Sat, 01 Jul 2006 10:30:26 -0600, bernie digman <bdigman@zianet.com >
wrote:
>When we read of the dismal state of espresso in the country I wonder how much can be attributed to
>techs who know and care nothing about the final product.
during your training, were you either asked to taste a shot, or
otherwise offered a shot, from the superauto? did the trainer touch
on the influence any of a number of programmable variables would have
on the shot quality?
--barry "'trained' on the same machine"
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Date: 01 Jul 2006 16:25:35
From: Andy Schecter
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his
|
sprsso wrote:
> I recently watched Espresso 101.... I
> think I wrote about this already. I actually lost my voice from
> yelling at it
Hi Al:
Sorry to hear about your unfortunate laryngitis. Perhaps the best remedy is
turning off the VCR and enjoying a fresh cup of self-prepared espresso. :-)
--
-Andy S.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andy_s/sets/
http://tinyurl.com/eh0x
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Date: 02 Jul 2006 20:25:02
From: Barry Jarrett
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
|
On Sat, 01 Jul 2006 15:11:24 GMT, sprsso <acritzer@cfl.rr.com > wrote:
>While staying in the same vein, I recently watched Espresso 101.... I
>think I wrote about this already. I actually lost my voice from
>yelling at it.
heh-heh-heh...
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Date: 01 Jul 2006 08:06:09
From: JRogers
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
|
yEnc Man wrote:
> http://snipurl.com/skv4
>
> The guy is selling a Bunn Espresso machine in this auction (he also has a
> Conti listed) and in his advice to someone asking about opening a coffee
> shop he says "Buy an Italian Espresso Machine...it really makes the
> difference.."
>
> Some of the other advice is interesting. Most of it looks good but I wonder
> about the advice to "keep a large, diversified menu." It seems to me that a
> lot of business people actually go backwards on some of their products (I
> was married into a restaurant family for close to a decade and was expected
> to help make it work so I have a little bit of experience here) without
> really knowing it.
Advice from people going OUT of business should be taken with a
generous dose of skepticism...I'd me more interested in the advice of
someone who is expanding his business.
Jack
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Date: 01 Jul 2006 11:05:42
From: Felix
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
|
sprsso asks:
> Which machine is coming out of Monaco these days?
"CONTI is strategically located in the heart of Monte Carlo":
http://www.conti-espresso.com/en/soc.shtml
Felix
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Date: 01 Jul 2006 12:37:40
From: bernie digman
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his
|
Felix wrote:
> sprsso asks:
>
>> Which machine is coming out of Monaco these days?
>
>
> "CONTI is strategically located in the heart of Monte Carlo":
> http://www.conti-espresso.com/en/soc.shtml
>
>
> Felix
>
Is that "strategically located" as in "we have the corporate offices in Monaco-800km from the
factory in France"? That would be my choice. A great excuse to live in one nice 'hood and travel to
the factory through some excellent wine country to see how things are going down at the shop.
Bernie
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Date: 01 Jul 2006 20:59:12
From: Ken Fox
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
|
"bernie digman" <bdigman@zianet.com > wrote in message
news:44a6c0f6@nntp.zianet.com...
> Felix wrote:
>> sprsso asks:
>>
>>> Which machine is coming out of Monaco these days?
>>
>>
>> "CONTI is strategically located in the heart of Monte Carlo":
>> http://www.conti-espresso.com/en/soc.shtml
>>
>>
>> Felix
>>
>
> Is that "strategically located" as in "we have the corporate offices in
> Monaco-800km from the factory in France"? That would be my choice. A great
> excuse to live in one nice 'hood and travel to the factory through some
> excellent wine country to see how things are going down at the shop.
> Bernie
>
hell, given the size of Monaco, the factory could be located 800 meters
away, in france
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Date: 01 Jul 2006 11:00:30
From: Carmen
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
|
Randy G. wrote:
> bernie digman <bdigman@zianet.com> wrote:
>
> > This week I travelled to a distant city for a training session on a new generation of superauto
> >which will remain nameless to protect.... Anyway, one of the things I came away with was the knowing
> >look on the instructors face when I asked what percentage of technicians he trains on espresso
> >equipment actually drink specialty coffee or espresso. The number was around 20% in his opinion.
> >....... To not train techs on the importance of the machine being charged with the best
> >coffee available to get the best results just baffles me. But, this is an old lament I suppose from
> >folks like al who actually have done the heavy lifting of trying to get them to understand the
> >entire picture.
> >Bernie
>
> GIGO
>
> As Tom Leher said, "Life is like a sewer. What you get out of it
> depends on what you put into it."
This doesn't quite scan. By the time it gets through the sewer, you
can't tell if it went in as a filet mignon or a Twinkie.
Can you tell it's too stinking hot to go outside in TN? Stuck being
silly indoors. <G >
Carmen
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Date: 02 Jul 2006 04:33:18
From: daveb
Subject: Re: Interesting advice on en eBay auction from a guy closing his last coffee shop
|
OMG, al, I am having a flash back to a few years ago -- trapped in the
apartment of a French attorney, part of a large firm whose networks I
supported -- He was wearing a filthy T shirt and shorts. I was there
for hours! in the summer. with NO A/C.
I GAGGGHH to think of it.
( a friend recalls Paris -- reeking of cigarettes, garlic and dog
feces)
thank you for bringing it all back, al.
:-)
Dave "buhik78oi,03" b
sprsso wrote:
> David,
> Perhaps I missed something. The distributor I worked for when illy
> decided not to distribute to him told me decidedly that the machines
> were made in France. He himself was French and had the attitude and
> breath that made that evident. This was imparted to me by customers,
> not self-assumed. Come to think of it, he had an arrogant attitude
> that ultimately caused me to quit, and his breath did stink.
> This has no bearing on the quality of the Conti machines, just that he
> claimed territorial ownership of these machines.I hate being lied
> to....al
>
>
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|
