Launch Scout’s Post

Why settle for machine coffee when you can have a skilled barista? Find out why choosing a skilled professional over a machine is the key to a superior coffee experience at events. ☕ https://buff.ly/3snrQNy

It is indeed inspiring to create different arrangements and also see the impact of it on customers and staff. Different layouts create different opportunities and a feeling of freshness. When planning and replanning a project, one can create different opportunities for the stakeholders and the team…what do you think ?

#Bartender Business: Bartending Under Pressure with Chris Ruys. As a master of his craft, Chris unravels the secrets to staying calm and composed during high-stress moments, offering practical tips and techniques that every bartender can benefit from. From handling difficult customers with finesse to executing flawlessly during bustling nights, Chris's wisdom shines through as he shares his strategies for maintaining focus and efficiency. Tune in to gain valuable insights from an industry expert and discover how to thrive in the face of pressure behind the bar.

[Waitressing in the USA: From Drive-ins to Five Stars] In this blog post, we will explore the fascinating world of waitressing in the United States. From casual drive-in diners . . . https://lnkd.in/dg8GzeR5

Love this article from Miranda Haney on home baristas. One of my favorite things to do is talk to people who are looking to make better coffee at home and want to know how. Often it's just learning that they can ask their local roaster to grind the beans for them and that's okay! Like Miranda said, "As an industry, it’s essential to welcome home brewers into our events and competitions and to celebrate their diversity, curiosity, and passion for coffee." Also, if you are looking to grow your coffee skills at home, check out Miranda's work and classes at Barista Friend! https://lnkd.in/gPKfpBC6

Have you ever played the game, called Blind Wine Waiter? Yesterday I used it as an inspiration for a team activity. There were five of my teammates present. At least one needed to be blindfolded, and at least one other one needed to see, but not be able to move. The rest was up to them. Team task - guide the blindfolded people in the room to pick up a Fanta bottle and a glas, and pour a drink. We played this game twice, with them regrouping in the middle and changing the strategy based on the first trial (like making sure all teammates are participating). Original activity: https://lnkd.in/eT8nmXDN #Teambuilding #TeamActivity #SeriousPlay #BlindWineWaiter

Meet the N&P team! For our first “Meet the Team,” we have a man who needs no introduction! You’ve seen him frequently on our social media, from hosting spirits tastings in our cellars to being an excellent hand model...Spirits Specialist, Steven Cook. In this series, we will be asking the Nickolls & Perks team a few questions so you can get to know the people who make N&P tick. "What’s your favourite Dram?" It's always a tricky question for a booze geek. Something peated in a port cask. "What’s your favourite local restaurant?" The Old Wharf Inn. I'll be there for another top-draw Sunday roast this month. "What’s your desert island drink?" Another toughie. A bourbon, perhaps. If you find any islands with Michter's 20 Year Old on tap, let me know. "What’s your favourite Band/Artist?" I'm a big fan of shoegaze-y style stuff like Stumbleine, Tourist or M83, they're great for a road trip. "What’s something you think is totally overrated?" Nightclubs. Too loud. Give me an old-school boozer, taproom or swanky bar any day. "...and finally What’s your guilty pleasure?" Horlicks. I'm already accused of being older than my years. A hot cup of Horlicks certainly doesn't do that reputation any favours. #NickollsPerks #MeetTheTeam

The future of drinks industry Insights is sitting at the bar. Talking to bartenders. Observing consumer behaviors. Here's why: Maybe I am biased as I have spent thousands of hours at the bar getting real-time insights but I believe that nowadays companies are: - too focused internally - not spending enough time in the market. It's not enough to talk to your colleagues and inner circle. You will just get the answers you wanna hear. What's the last time you have been to a bar? ...talked to a bartender? ...asked a question to a stranger? Many times I've heard marketing & insights colleagues complaining that they didn't "get invited" by sales to a market visit. 🤔 Really? You don't need an invitation. Step out of your comfort zone. Step out of the meeting room Read between the lines in those trends reports. You can just walk into a bar incognito. Brands are built bottom-up. From the bar, up to the board room.

Last night while enjoying a well-mixed drink in a bar I witnessed something that caught my attention. Why was that? Because I haven’t seen it for a long time. It’s a rare breed: It was the interaction of the two bartenders responsible for mixing and serving the cocktails. They were both employees. The owner of the bar enjoyed an evening at home. And if you think of a highly entertaining and energetically performed scene as we know it from the late 1980s movie “Cocktail” starring Tom Cruise (of course), well that was not it. Au contraire. What impressed me was the explanation of each drink's ingredients and how they are put together, the silent perfection in mixing the drinks, and the joy of putting the final touches of decoration before putting them on the tray. It was a joy shared between the bartenders expressed in words like „look, what a beauty“ or a whispered „holy shit“ in carrying out the drinks to the tables. They exchanged their insights, shared their experiences, and had fun doing their job. Even the arrangement of the bottles behind the bar was a brief topic. They discussed which bottles fit together from the label design and bottle forms. It was a joy sitting there and experiencing their level of involvement. It was not for the audience, for the applause, the attention, or because someone asked them to do so. They clearly did it for themselves, for their shared passion for mixing and creating perfect drinks. Of course, they wanted people to have a good time at the bar. And their interpretation of that is by serving a perfect product. What if more businesses were focusing on delivering a perfect product? On giving their employees the pride to work on something great? #hospitality #brand #strategy #brandstrategy #creativestrategy #business #branding #focus #passion

Here’s why I like this post below. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, you have to find ways to understand how your customers perceive your brand, how they interact with you, where are the friction points in the buying process. You need to interact with customers and you need to interact with your brand as a customer. I’ve always found focus groups helpful but even better - at Admiral we managers used to spend time on the phones: maybe listening in but even better was taking calls with real customers ourselves. The insights are invaluable and feed into both tactical and strategic initiatives. I don’t always agree with Chris Maffeo in that brands are built bottom up because top down has a place too. However you MUST understand your brand bottom up to keep it salient and to create positive and long-lasting attributes. Brands that are built to last are built bottom up! You need to find your equivalent of the bar!