50. Big Chain Lessons for Small Cafés: Reflecting on Our Conversation with Derek Tonn of Black Rock

SUMMARY: In this episode of The Coffee Experts Club Podcast, we revisit our insightful conversation with Derek Tonn, Vice President at Black Rock Coffee. Derek offered a rare glimpse into the operational strategies of a large coffee chain with over 100 locations. He shared invaluable lessons on scaling business operations, particularly in the context of technology upgrades, such as the challenges and rewards of transitioning to a new point-of-sale (POS) system. Whether you're managing a small café or aiming to expand into a multi-location chain, this episode is packed with practical advice such as the importance of keeping your operations efficient, tracking key metrics, and the role of technology in supporting a growing team. We also explore how to apply these big-chain insights to smaller coffee businesses, emphasizing the necessity of planning and adapting tools as your business evolves. Tune in to learn how to map your journey to success, track your progress with meaningful data, and make strategic decisions that can drive your business forward, regardless of its size.   Minute by Minute: 0:00 Introduction and Drew vs the hurricane 2:56 Revisiting Derek Tonn's interview and switching POS systems 11:26 Tracking your metrics is important 20:49 Nobody wants to work forever