163 : Lessons from Crush the Rush w/ Josh Littlefield

There is no better feeling than when the cafe gets busy, the pressure is on, and you and your fellow baristas dig deep, communicate well, get orders out quickly, accurately, and keep the bar clean in the process. You just crushed it!  This is the idea behind La Marzocco USA's amazing team based competition, Crush the Rush. A competition who's aim is to re-create a rush in a cafe under but with even more pressure than normal and to test team's ability to handle that pressure with professionalism and grace.  Today we get to talk to the one and only, Josh Littlefield, Events Manager for La Marzocco USA & the man spearheading Crush the Rush and its 2nd country wide tour.  In our discussion we chat about the competition's creation, goals, format, and the lessons we can learn from the both the mistakes and successes of the many teams that have all competed in Crush the Rush.  You will learn about: Grace under pressure Recovery from mistakes Accuracy and speed Good communication when it counts Handling unforseen challenges The importance of cleanliness and organization  Be sure and follow the link below to find more info about signing up for Crush the Rush! LINKS: La Marzocco USA Instagram La Marzocco USA Blog   Listen to these related KTTS Episodes: Crushing the Rush   Drink Drills! Working Clean Order out of Chaos