At the Sacramento Convention Centre, and Paddy's Coffee House is being presented with an award as small business of the year from district 10 represented by Senator Ellen Corbett. This show is put up by the California Small Business Association.
And what a gathering it is. Lots of small business from various districts of California, and they each have a tale to tell. Succeeding against all odds, helping out the community, being at the forefront of innovation. Compared to them, we are small potatoes or to use a sorry expression, we are tiny beans :)
Truly, the state of CA is a wonderful place, though sometimes the regulatory processes can drive one up the wall. And that's what a lot of folks are talking about, and telling their legislators. Hope something good comes out of it.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
And who are we ?
People constantly ask us about our colleagues and how did they come to work here ? We tend to hire students, with the main criteria being that they have to finish high school.
We do not look for experience, on the contrary we found that it was a hurdle in assimilating into our culture. And we have been extremely fortunate with all our colleagues. The average stay is about 2.5 years which is a remarkable feat in the industry. And that really helps, because as a customer when you come in, you are greeted by a familiar friendly face.
Their field of studies is pretty diverse. Hospitality Management, Engineering, Psychology, Speech Therapy, Sports Therapy, Law, Accounting, Computer Engineering and then you have Paddy who is a study unto himself.
Yeah,we are a different breed out here. We actively encourage our colleagues to talk and network with you, our patrons, to help them grow professionally. We have found that this has helped the young ones tremendously in becoming more aware of the profession of their chosen academic career.
Often times, we ask our patrons to coach and guide our colleagues in interview techniques, resume writing, industry outreach etc. It helps everyone out.
We do not look for experience, on the contrary we found that it was a hurdle in assimilating into our culture. And we have been extremely fortunate with all our colleagues. The average stay is about 2.5 years which is a remarkable feat in the industry. And that really helps, because as a customer when you come in, you are greeted by a familiar friendly face.
Their field of studies is pretty diverse. Hospitality Management, Engineering, Psychology, Speech Therapy, Sports Therapy, Law, Accounting, Computer Engineering and then you have Paddy who is a study unto himself.
Yeah,we are a different breed out here. We actively encourage our colleagues to talk and network with you, our patrons, to help them grow professionally. We have found that this has helped the young ones tremendously in becoming more aware of the profession of their chosen academic career.
Often times, we ask our patrons to coach and guide our colleagues in interview techniques, resume writing, industry outreach etc. It helps everyone out.
Who are you ?
And yes, that is a vexing question. The "you" here refers to our customer base. It is very diverse, ethnically, culturally, professionally and financially.
The neighbourhood we are in is a classic middle working area. In the days of the past, it used to be the home of both the rich landowners and the labourers that worked on their lands. And in contemporary times, we do have that economic disparity.
Quite a few of our patrons are extremely well off, while the others tend to be a bit more cautious. Many of our patrons are from the hi tech industry, and apart from that, we have a huge medical fraternity customer base, and automotive and service industry folk as well.
And then we have the student community. Who can all be lumped in one basket "Stressed out Students". And their field of studies is pretty diverse.
The neighbourhood we are in is a classic middle working area. In the days of the past, it used to be the home of both the rich landowners and the labourers that worked on their lands. And in contemporary times, we do have that economic disparity.
Quite a few of our patrons are extremely well off, while the others tend to be a bit more cautious. Many of our patrons are from the hi tech industry, and apart from that, we have a huge medical fraternity customer base, and automotive and service industry folk as well.
And then we have the student community. Who can all be lumped in one basket "Stressed out Students". And their field of studies is pretty diverse.
So what is coffee of the month ?
We used to brew different coffees every day. We noticed what our patrons liked and did not. Based on all that and to keep things even more interesting, we decided to switch to a dual coffee concept.
So we have a coffee of the month, which is one particular coffee varietal repeated every day, and we have a coffee of the day, where we rotate the varietals every day.
So for June 2011, we have our coffee of the month as our own
As mentioned in one of the earlier posts, we have a few of our own blends, and ought to admit, we are quite proud of them. Namaste Blend was designed by one of our colleagues, and it was an accidental design. We then brushed and polished the accident to give you Namaste Blend.
And it conveys the simplicity and complexity of the coffee bean. Namaste is Hindi for "Greetings", and given the context and personalities involved, it can be a simple form of greeting or a highly respected and revered form of greeting.
Enjoy the coffee.
So we have a coffee of the month, which is one particular coffee varietal repeated every day, and we have a coffee of the day, where we rotate the varietals every day.
So for June 2011, we have our coffee of the month as our own
Namaste BlendAs mentioned in one of the earlier posts, we have a few of our own blends, and ought to admit, we are quite proud of them. Namaste Blend was designed by one of our colleagues, and it was an accidental design. We then brushed and polished the accident to give you Namaste Blend.
And it conveys the simplicity and complexity of the coffee bean. Namaste is Hindi for "Greetings", and given the context and personalities involved, it can be a simple form of greeting or a highly respected and revered form of greeting.
Enjoy the coffee.
Awards and recognitions
Paddy's Coffee House has received quite awards and recognitions. And quite honestly, each and every one of them has been a complete surprise. We have never ever gone out of our way to solicit awards or recognitions. We just open our doors, smile like the dickens, be the friend and family on your travels and help out where ever we can. And unbeknownst to us, people talk about our involvements and participation, and lo and behold, we get calls congratulating us for yet another award.
So, shockingly we have to mention that on June 6th 2011, we are receiving yet another award. This time, the California Small Business Association is recognising us as an outstanding Small Business of the year from District 10, represented by Senator Ellen Corbett.
On behalf of everyone in the community and all our well wishers and patrons, we will be accepting the award. Our heartfelt thanks to each and every one, and to Senator Ellen Corbett for nominating us.
So, shockingly we have to mention that on June 6th 2011, we are receiving yet another award. This time, the California Small Business Association is recognising us as an outstanding Small Business of the year from District 10, represented by Senator Ellen Corbett.
On behalf of everyone in the community and all our well wishers and patrons, we will be accepting the award. Our heartfelt thanks to each and every one, and to Senator Ellen Corbett for nominating us.
Where do we go for coffee and tea ?
When we are out and about, we prefer to visit similar establishments in the neighbourhood. Suju's Coffee in Fremont is the grand daddy of them all. Mahesh Patel is our friend and mentor. When we started, we would constantly run to him for guidance. Thank you Mahesh for everything that you have done. We are in your debt.
Apart from Suju's, we go to Mission Coffee in the Mission Area of Fremont. We also have Eon Coffee, across from Chabot College in Hayward. In San Leandro, we have Zocalo Coffee House. What can we say about Tim Holmes? We started off around the same time, both ex geek heads venturing in the world of retail. At least a month does not pass when we share and exchange stories and our foibles. We are the sounding board for each other.
And let us not forget the newest kid on the block, Snappy's Cafe in Hayward. April Yamaguchi used to work for us with the understanding that she will be opening her own coffee house in the future. And boy, did she do it ? It is with great pleasure that we inform the world that the first week end in June is Snappy's first anniversary. Congratulations April and Snappy's. Very truly, welcome to neighbourhood. Our loss is A Street's gain.
With all of them, we have a lot of common traffic and frequently, we send patrons to each others establishments.
May the power of indie coffee houses rise.
Apart from Suju's, we go to Mission Coffee in the Mission Area of Fremont. We also have Eon Coffee, across from Chabot College in Hayward. In San Leandro, we have Zocalo Coffee House. What can we say about Tim Holmes? We started off around the same time, both ex geek heads venturing in the world of retail. At least a month does not pass when we share and exchange stories and our foibles. We are the sounding board for each other.
And let us not forget the newest kid on the block, Snappy's Cafe in Hayward. April Yamaguchi used to work for us with the understanding that she will be opening her own coffee house in the future. And boy, did she do it ? It is with great pleasure that we inform the world that the first week end in June is Snappy's first anniversary. Congratulations April and Snappy's. Very truly, welcome to neighbourhood. Our loss is A Street's gain.
With all of them, we have a lot of common traffic and frequently, we send patrons to each others establishments.
May the power of indie coffee houses rise.
Tales from the Vault - A new beginning
Earlier on, we had mentioned this young lad. Imagine our surprise, when he shows up at Paddy's one day, with a nice young lady in tow. It was a shock on seeing him. He looked real good, had an air of confidence in him. The Army had taken care of a wayward soul.
We knew the young lady from her previous visits to the shop and we had reckoned the two were friends. To our utter pleasant shock, they inform us that they had recently got married in a civil ceremony while he was on leave. It was an emotional moment for all of us, because we were seeing the growth and maturity.
Turns out, apart from the marriage, the lad was in the process of reconciling with his parents. Pointed out to both of them, that they are not the brash young teenagers any more, who think they know the world. A simple word of Sorry will help in breaking the ice with his parents.
And lo and behold, a couple days later, his dad shows up, thanking us profusely for our assistance. All we did was talk patiently to the young boy, that's all. It was more his doing than anything else.
It is instances like these that make it worthwhile keeping the doors open.
We knew the young lady from her previous visits to the shop and we had reckoned the two were friends. To our utter pleasant shock, they inform us that they had recently got married in a civil ceremony while he was on leave. It was an emotional moment for all of us, because we were seeing the growth and maturity.
Turns out, apart from the marriage, the lad was in the process of reconciling with his parents. Pointed out to both of them, that they are not the brash young teenagers any more, who think they know the world. A simple word of Sorry will help in breaking the ice with his parents.
And lo and behold, a couple days later, his dad shows up, thanking us profusely for our assistance. All we did was talk patiently to the young boy, that's all. It was more his doing than anything else.
It is instances like these that make it worthwhile keeping the doors open.
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