Coffee and Concrete

If you tried to get an after-work caffeine boost last night at one of the nation's 7,100 Starbucks, you were out of luck. As detailed in a New York Times article, the company closed all stores from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm and gave employees a retraining on the finer points of coffee. Employees were encouraged to examine the color of each shot of espresso and reminded to use their ears in determining when their steamed milk is ready. Starbucks executives are trying to make coffee No. 1 again at their stores, reminding themselves, employees and customers that it was excellent coffee brewed with care that brought them success in the first place. It's interesting to see a huge company take the time to retrain employees like this. It shows the importance of customer satisfaction, and relates to any other business -- including concrete.  No matter how big your company gets and how much money you make, you have to remember that it's all about your customers and the concrete.