fourteen rules for a very small counter

one barista, one four-legged Q.C. officer, one short line of responsibility. posted behind the register and revised only when the cup improves.

1. 01

   Give the barista practical control of the batch, from beans to handoff. Decisions belong as close to the cup as possible; final review belongs to the Q.C. officer.

2. 02

   Keep the counter strong and small. A short reach is a design feature.

3. 03

   Keep the crew deliberately small; hire for judgment, not headcount. Current approved staffing: one human, one four-legged inspector.

4. 04

   Use the simplest recipe card that can still survive a change. The person making the drink must be able to improve it without convening a committee.

5. 05

   Keep paperwork light. Record the measurements that change the result; do not inventory the air around them.

6. 06

   Review the till while there is still time to act. Costs, commitments, and the point where the batch stops making sense belong on the same page. Guests do not receive surprise price tests.

7. 07

   Let the barista source directly when direct is better. Good beans do not improve while waiting for three approvals.

8. 08

   Inspect quality at the earliest useful point. Reject bad beans before they become expensive drinks; never repeat the same inspection merely for comfort.

9. 09

   The designer drinks the test cup. Anyone who stops tasting loses the right to tune the recipe.

10. 10

    Agree on the target before the kettle boils: dose, temperature, time, and what “done” means. A complaints book is an expensive measuring instrument.

11. 11

    Fund the batch on time. A barista who keeps running to the till is not making coffee.

12. 12

    Trust between barista and Q.C. officer must be direct, daily, and mostly nonverbal. This reduces misunderstandings and unnecessary commentary.

13. 13

    Keep casual traffic out of the kitchen. The STAFF ONLY sign is not decorative typography.

14. 14

    Reward good work for the result, not the number of tables supervised. A small crew should not be punished for remaining small.