3 Questions with Espresso and Bakery Marketing consultant Erica Escalante Day-to-day Espresso Information through Roast Mag

Erica Escalante. Courtesy picture.

Erica Escalante has at all times been motivated through interest, a need to grasp why issues paintings the way in which they do. 

She began in espresso at Starbucks in 2008, leaving two years later to be told extra about barista craft and latte artwork at an area cafe in Portland, Oregon. On the new place, Escalante changed into thinking about the industry of espresso, running along the landlord on a regular basis and taking the chance to be told extra. 

“I changed into referred to as the questions lady,” Escalante advised DCN. “My boss would are available and say, ‘Simply give me 10 mins sooner than you inquire from me anything else.’”

Supplied with a pocket book, Escalante would jot down questions and solutions all the way through the times: What do you do about this? How do you repair this? Why do you do that this fashion? The solutions proved useful when in 2012, at simply 21 years of age, Escalante took possession of the espresso store, then referred to as Arrow Coffeehouse.

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Escalante later rebranded the store as Cafe Reina, opening a 2d location and increase the industry along a sibling bakery undertaking. After 10 years, which Escalante described as a “massive studying procedure,” Escalante made the tricky resolution to near the thriving store in 2021, whilst relocating to Southern California for circle of relatives causes. 

“After I made up our minds to go away, we had been at our peak,” Escalante stated. “I feel everybody was once stunned.”

Escalante is now making use of her years of espresso store and bakery enjoy to her personal consultancy, specializing in operations, control and personnel mentorship. 

“I feel there’s simply an enormous hollow within the business [between] individuals who perceive brick and mortar operations and [people] who additionally know the paintings. Many industry other people can’t discuss the similar language to a tender barista,” Escalante stated. “And in the event you don’t get the buy-in from the workers, you’re going to have top turnover.”

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Along with her consulting paintings, Escalante was once just lately named president of Little Lunch, a restaurant industry with places in Venice and Santa Monica. “There’s a tender, Gen Z vibe,” Escalante stated of Little Lunch. “The corporate may be concerning the nostalgia of the 90s, and I’m a 90s child, in order that’s amusing, too.”

Right here’s extra from our fresh dialog with Escalante…

What about espresso excites you maximum?

As an operations individual, I think like there’s cash available on this business, and there’s some huge cash wasted. To me, what excites me is the potential for having the ear of resolution makers and cash spenders to be smarter in an effort to supply such things as well being advantages. It takes time. It’s no longer an in a single day alternate, however there are too many corporations dropping cash. It’s no longer losing cash, it’s spending cash in frivolous puts. It’s no longer having transparent operational requirements and bounds. All of it stems from management. It excites me to have the ability in an effort to affect and develop new leaders. 

What about espresso troubles you maximum?

The terrifying loss of nice management. There are such a large amount of other people in management who’re horrible leaders. I nonetheless can’t imagine the loss of range, the loss of ladies. We want extra leaders to know excellent management. 

What would you be doing if it weren’t for espresso?

I might be a stay-at-home mother. I want I might be with my youngsters always. I really like being a mother. Then any other a part of me seems like I will have to run for president, , lend a hand alternate the sector extra. 

Is there any individual within the espresso business who evokes you? Nominate them for a function tale right here.