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PROTECT YOUR NECK continued from page 56 focuses on due diligence on the front end to head off problems later. "Usually we're hiring someone we know—it's a small town," says Machado. The business is vigilant without going as far as using security cameras or a shopping service because "the envi- ronment is so low-key and laid-back, it's not part of the culture," Machado says. Instead, Coastal Roasters does a nightly cash register recon- ciliation in which employees check for variations from the norm. There are also two people working at any time, in addition to the two owners. "When employees know they're being monitored, it helps ensure appropriate actions," Machado says. Harried restaurant owners are a top target of con artists, and one of the most popular scams concerns Internet or telephone services. "All our employees are instructed to refer service calls to me or my partner Lisa; we're pretty skeptical people," says Machado. "We make sure there's a hyper vigilance about illegiti- mate offers." Big-city cafés face another challenge: warding off crime. It's something Stumptown has dealt with in its cafés, which are in cities including Portland, Seattle and New York City. "We've had problems with quick-change artists, we've had tip jars stolen, people come into the cafés drunk, we've had people doing drugs in the bathroom," says Peyton. Management fights back by having policies in place and train- ing employees about how to respond. The police non-emergency phone number is posted on cash registers. In the event of violence—or the threat of it—employees are urged to instead call 911: "Protect yourself first; don't put yourself in danger," Peyton says. "Keep your distance. If some- one steals a tip jar, don't run after them." SERVICE SNAFUS With most cafés depending on utilities and other services such as Internet connec- tivity, a disruption can put a major wrench into daily business. "We have commercial generators, so we haven't had spoilage," says Machado, adding that when his opera- tion loses power, the biggest concern is making sure the dairy stays chilled. "When there's a storm, the board of health makes rounds to make sure restaurants are dis- posing of food that could go bad. We usu- ally lose power for up to eight hours, not extended outages." As Web-based POS systems and other technologies develop, Internet "black- outs" are becoming a legitimate worry as well. "We depend on Wi-Fi—if that goes down, we quickly troubleshoot," says Peyton. "You have to know your systems. We have an IT person that helps us with that." Work up a technology disaster plan to recover from breakdowns and data loss due to computer viruses, power outages and operator error. It doesn't matter how large or small you are; you need to have a disaster pre- paredness plan. "You wouldn't wait until there's a fire to get a fire extinguisher," says Machado. "Make a plan, even if it's just a verbal program and only part of employee orientation. Then if something happens outside of it, upgrade your plan. 58 COFFEE ALMANAC 2012