Rephonic
Artwork for Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

Chris Deferio
Leadership
Customer Experience
Coffee Shop Management
Hospitality
Coffee Industry
Coffee
Community Engagement
Entrepreneurship
Coffee Shop Operations
Training
Barista Training
Coffee Shops
Customer Service
Coffee Culture
Specialty Coffee
Coffee Shop Leadership
Quality Control
Coffee Shop Culture
Management
Coffee Roasting

A coffee podcast providing coffee shop owners and leaders, with insights, inspiration, and the tools you need to grow and advance your coffee business. We learn from experts both in and outside the coffee industry as they deliver specific, practical, and actionable advice about ownership, optimization, profitability, barista work, employee culture, management, scaling, leadership, personal develop... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes1175Founded10 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
EntrepreneurshipArtsBusinessFood

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Keys To The Shop : Equipping Coffee Shop Leaders

Latest Episodes

Do you find yourself saying this? Over the years I have heard this or a version of this on repeat (the irony!) What is going on? Why do your staff ask you the same things over and over again? Well, the answer may not be what you want to hear, but it ... more

It is easy to fall into the trap of sitting on helpful information and ideas that can help your business and your people because you feel it needs to be perfect. One more class, one more book, one more podcast and then I will act. Really anything, ca... more

We promise people a lot of things. Whether they are implied by marketing, or stated directly, the biggest differentiator between a cafe that is trusted and one that is not will be whether you have a plan for doing what you say you will do. Today on S... more

People. This is what owners consistently say is one of the biggest challenges they have in running their shops. Why is this? Well, I was just at Coffee Fest in Dallas/Fort-Worth and heard basically the same thing form many experienced owners. Today w... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Recent Guests

Kevin Mejia
Founder of Bevel Coffee and specialty coffee roaster
Bevel Coffee
Episode: Special! Interview and Commentary From Coffee Fest Los Angeles 2026! w/ Kevin Mejia of Bevel Coffee
Ashley Derrick
Atlanta real estate professional and owner of Taproom Coffee
Taproom Coffee
Episode: 631 Ashley Derrick: The Joys and Challenges of Buying an Existing Cafe
Tim Riley
Coffee professional, roaster, and founder and owner of Heavy Water Coffee.
Heavy Water Coffee
Episode: 630: Two Dollar Drip and The Fight For Accessible Menus w/ Tim Riley of Heavy Water Coffee, Los Angeles, CA
Stephanie Jones
Owner and founder of Mrs. Jones Cold Brew
Mrs. Jones Cold Brew
Episode: 629: Founder Friday! Stephanie Jones of Mrs. Jones Cold Brew is The OG Cold Brew Queen!
Will Guidara
Author of Unreasonable Hospitality (referenced as guest in earlier interview)
Author
Episode: 628: Start With Reasonable Hospitality
Lindsay Wredge
CEO of 321 Coffee
321 Coffee
Episode: 624: Founder Friday! The Power of Inclusion w/ Lindsay Wrege of 321 Coffee in Raleigh, NC
Ben Carlson
CEO and chief culture creator of Long Miles Coffee
Long Miles Coffee
Episode: 622: Lifting Up Coffee Farmers w/ Ben Carlson of Long Miles Coffee!
Ewelina Kania
Head of Operations and Logistics with a background in Prufrock Coffee and Barista Hustle Tools
Natoora Copenhagen (Current) / prior roles at Prufrock Coffee and Barista Hustle Tools
Episode: 621: Managment, Supply Chain, and Building Great Teams w/ Ewelina Kania!
Mo Maravilla
Filipino entrepreneur, coffee roaster, educator, traveler, founder of Studio Tigre
Studio Tigre
Episode: 620: Creating Spaces For Joyful Hospitality w/ Mo Maravilla of Studio Tigre

Host

Chris Deferio
Host of Keys To The Shop

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 555 ratings
  • Be a better human, better brew your coffee!

    Best and encouraging podcast when it comes to running a shop. This free resource is top notch!!! If we each make one little change we learn from this podcast in our shops… coffee experiences everywhere would be better! Please listen! Please learn! Please be better!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    siseys
    United Statesa year ago
  • An Industry Leader

    This podcast is such a wonderful resource, it’s almost unbelievable that you can access this much information for free! I’ve also had the pleasure of speaking with Chris a couple of times and he is just as kind and as knowledgeable as you would expect him to be. Really cool that he’s providing such great info to our industry.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Michelle DW
    United States2 years ago
  • Valuable experience & guidance

    I’ve been in food service operations for 40 years and Chris’s podcast has be so helpful for my new venture in opening a coffee shop!

    Thanks & gratitude to Chris, and all his guests for so many answers to my questions!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    dishboyroy
    United States3 years ago
  • Thank You!

    We are getting ready to open our dream and first coffee shop. Love the coffee content of course but also love the company culture content and business tips. @todandcoppercoffee appreciates you!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    WadeHugginsMusic
    United States4 years ago
  • My coffee industry university.

    I have been given an invaluable foundation to pursue my coffee service dreams with confidence. These episodes will continue to be a text book I refer back to for the tried-and-true principles that make for success in hospitality

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    damanesr
    United States4 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise the actionable, practical tips that turn into real shop improvements.
The host is described as knowledgeable and generous with expertise across cafe leadership.
Guests are consistently high-quality and provide valuable, field-tested insights.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

630: Two Dollar Drip and The Fight For Accessible Menus w/ Tim Riley of Heavy Water Coffee, Los Angeles, CA
Q: How does it work out on the backend? You must just make up the difference on the percentage margin you make on other items in the cafe in order to continue to offer something like that on your menu.
Riley says the cafe does not lose money on the $2 drip, but would need to sell thousands to earn what hundreds of iced vanilla lattes bring in. Those higher-volume, higher-priced drinks help support the affordable option, and the cafe also avoids charging extra for non-dairy milk.
630: Two Dollar Drip and The Fight For Accessible Menus w/ Tim Riley of Heavy Water Coffee, Los Angeles, CA
Q: How long has Heavy Water been in operation, and when did you get into coffee?
Heavy Water operated as a roaster for six years and as a brick-and-mortar cafe for three. Riley started working at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf at age 15 and a half, then worked in cafes, toured as a musician, consulted, and began Heavy Water in June 2020.
631 Ashley Derrick: The Joys and Challenges of Buying an Existing Cafe
Q: What were some of the most important logistics behind the scenes to make this work so that when you did get ownership, you could just focus on ownership and not have to go back and fix those back end financial or legal things?
She emphasizes securing enough money to run the business, reviewing financial records and potential repairs, avoiding inherited debt, and ensuring the cafe could pay staff and cover future expenses. Retaining experienced staff was also essential to her decision.
631 Ashley Derrick: The Joys and Challenges of Buying an Existing Cafe
Q: What from the real estate world gave you the confidence to ask such a question?
She wanted Taproom to remain a welcoming community hub and did not want to lose the cafe's place in the neighborhood. Her real estate experience and personal connection to the business helped her take the step.
Special! Interview and Commentary From Coffee Fest Los Angeles 2026! w/ Kevin Mejia of Bevel Coffee
Q: Do you feel like that's a thing that a boss should be able to do with their employees?
Mejia says leaders should keep an open door, help staff work through issues, empower them to make decisions, and delegate tasks to people who are suited to them.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show targets coffee shop leaders and owners with practical, battle-tested guidance on running, growing, and improving profitability in a hands-on way. Episodes frequently cover leadership and management, staff development, onboarding, hospitality culture, and the operational backbone of a cafe (from scheduling and training to leveraging partnerships and equipment). Notable throughlines include a strong emphasis on servant leadership, repeatable systems, and intentional people-first practices, often paired with real-world sponsor context and actionable takeaways that listeners can apply in their own shops. A distinctive trait is the blend of founder-level experiences, coaching-style guidance, and insights drawn from related hospitality ... more

Where can I find podcast stats for this podcast?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to this podcast and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does this podcast get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for this podcast, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for this podcast?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for this podcast, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does this podcast have?

To see how many followers or subscribers this podcast has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to this podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with this podcast:

1. Cat & Cloud Podcast
2. Valor Coffee Podcast
3. Huberman Lab
4. Coffee Roaster Warm Up Sessions
5. The GaryVee Audio Experience

How many episodes of this podcast are there?

this podcast launched 10 years ago and published 1175 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact this podcast?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for this podcast?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for this podcast from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for this podcast?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of this podcast. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Kevin Mejia
2. Ashley Derrick
3. Tim Riley
4. Stephanie Jones
5. Will Guidara
6. Lindsay Wredge
7. Ben Carlson
8. Ewelina Kania

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days