(Sorry for the late reply – the notification of the reply didn’t show up in my email til today.)

Evil!

In a discussion with me in the forums on CoffeeGeek, Nick Cho admitted that the main objective of the “no icing espresso” policy was not “Mostly for quality reasons,” (the coffee) as he originally claimed, but to discourage the abuse of complimentary dairy products.

Setting policies for stuff like this just prevents your employees from using and developing their own good judgment and communication skills. Coffee and customer are both important; choosing one at the expense of the other is foolish and unnecessary.

Cho should start a new drink…the Simmermon. Iced cappuccino…in a to go cup.

Both sides have points, both sides have faults, and now both sides will have both associated with them in a medium that will never go away.

Simmermon’s request was reasonable, this response was obscene.

Personally I like it when I go to Peets and when I order tea they actually serve it to me with a mug and a china pot and my own timer for perfecting my own brew.. however that was last year and I havent’ seen their current policies.

Given that this is a mom & pop operation– and not a chain– it’s up to the store owner to set the rules. Much like some delis will NOT serve you pastrami without it being on rye because it’s a signature sandwich or some similar thing, it’s about the customer and owner preference for a more *authentic -genuine- real deal* sort of experience.

While I understand that Simmermon might not have understand the policies of the place which should be PROMINENTLY displayed (try in the windows, on the door, at the order counter, he got his due when he left the bitchy note (and there’s a reason to use that word) at check out time.
Taking it to the blogosphere is a bit much– and Simmermon and Cho have a lot to learn about
1) general etiquette– read that as polite person to person behavior
2) how to do business in such a way as to make a newbie in the store feel like they are welcome and not an idiot
and
3) when said misunderstandings (and that’s a gross underestimation of what went on) occur, you don’t take it to the blogosphere and air your own dirty laundry and show off to the world that you are truly about 4 years old in *gimme what I want NOW* and throw a temper tantrum about it for everyone to see- and that applies to both sides.

If you are selling something and someone wants it a certain way– perhaps for personal reason (right now I could use a quad shot cappucino IV stat).. and if someone said we don’t do that, then I would order 2 shots separately and one cappucino NF no foam and pour it all together. I would not appreciate someone getting into my face and telling me I am doing it wrong if I am paying for it.
However I would not be rude — but at that point I would comment about it on the blog maybe.. or use it as an anecdote about good marketing/business strategies.. and how far are you willing to put your own raison d’etre on the line before you lose a customer and create a firestorm of ill will.
Jonathan.. I think you are spot on in several points.
Chris, while the biz owner has the ability to create his own *menu*
( you wouldn’t ask a bakery to use cranberries rather than currants in a currant scone just because you want it that way), being so rigid, shows that while he fights for his rights and his store, he’s also fighting a battle he can only win in his locale and not in a blog.

I hope he stays in business, I hope he learns about kindness and flexibility and willingness to do something for a customer (newbie or not) that doesn’t require the coffee house’s seal of approval and doesn’t result in their visible and vocal displeasure being expressed.
;-)
PS.. I am all for the small business owner but these two children need to grow up and learn to play nice.

Go somewhere else!

The customer is always right until you’re the best, at which point, the customer is often wrong.

When I read someone’s blog, and he/she talks about burning down a business over what seems to me to be a minor infraction, then discusses punching someone in the genitals, I am more inclined to not like–nor do business with–the guy who’s doing the complaining.

Now, if this is a person who makes their blogging reputation on being extremely nasty to others, including a kid who can’t change his store’s policy—well, having worked retail, where I couldn’t change store policy, I have more sympathy for the kid, then the “customer” whomay be making an unreasonable demand AND makes a reputation as being a surly and perhaps unreasonable individual…

The better thing for Simmermon to have done: left Murky and went to another coffee place. Then simply wrote about the absolutely wonderful triple espresso he had *somewhere else.* Why thrive on anger or intentionally try to hurt someone over something that has a very simple remedy.