Baristas Rule The World: Eduardo Brooks McCann
Lofty Coffee Co, State Street General Manager
Who: Eduardo Brooks McCann (He/Him/His)
What: State Street General Manager
Where: Lofty Coffee Co., Carlsbad, CA
Years in the industry:
If He Was A Ninja Turtle He Would Be: Donatello
Connect: @elmexicutioner on Instagram & check out @loftycoffeeco
R!WC: How would you describe what you do?
Eduardo: I help run a business! I train the team, [and] hire new team members. I work with my leads to make sure we order everything we need. I make the schedule, I run payroll, and on top of all that, I get to make coffee.
R!WC: What is the best thing about your job?
Eduardo: I would say that question has two answers for me. My favorite part about being a barista is putting out a drink that I can fully stand behind—exceptional flavor, milk texture, presentation, everything.
Then, to be able to serve that drink and make someone's day makes it all worth it. However, coming into management, I've found that I get the same satisfaction when I can empower my team to do all those things and still run the store smoothly. It feels good having a lobby full of customers and a happy, smiling, thriving team working together for [a] common goal.
R!WC: What is the worst thing about the job?
Eduardo: The worst thing I would say is juggling all the different responsibilities I have. Your drink was supposed to be iced? Not a problem. The tricky part is when you have to re-make a drink, there's a line out the door, the kitchen iPad isn't printing out orders, and we're out of cups for here. That's when it gets tricky.
R!WC: Do you have a first memory of when coffee became something more important to you?
Eduardo: For me, it actually came a couple years after I got into the industry. I had been working for a small local shop in my hometown for a couple years. It was my first job, and it was all that I knew, so I hadn't been exposed to much other coffee.
Then I moved and started working for a different shop in a different town, and I tasted their espresso during an interview, and I literally had to take a moment and say, "Wow, ok. This is crazy." The owner responded with, "Yeah, there's a lot going on there, huh?" and from that moment, I was hooked.
R!WC: What have you learned about life from working in coffee?
Eduardo: So much. Where to begin. I think the biggest thing that I've learned is that people bring their own lives into every interaction. You don't know what type of day someone's had, how they're doing, or what's going on in their life. Genuine curiosity and kindness go a long way to make someone's day.
Just be nice. It's that easy.
R!WC: If you could share one piece of advice to a new barista, what would it be?
Eduardo: It's just coffee. It's just a latte. It's only a drink. We love to make things more complicated, but at the end of the day, we're just slinging lattes.
R!WC: When you aren't at the coffee shop/roaster/etcetera, what are you doing in life? Who are you?
Eduardo: I'm at home with my wife. She works a regular Monday-Friday 9-5 type deal, so we spend as much time as we can together. We have our regular TV shows. Sometimes, I play video games if I'm not too tired. Truthfully, because I get so much human interaction at work most days when I get off, I just want to relax with my partner.
R!WC: What is your favorite way to drink coffee?
Eduardo: Espresso. Most days, my go-to drink is a super short Iced Americano.
R!WC: What is your favorite coffee drink to make?
Eduardo: I love latte art. Anything with milk is fun to pour!
R!WC: Is there anything else you'd like the world to know?
Eduardo: Please, please, please, if you can't leave a tip, just hit the no-tip button. I understand. It's ok. No hard feelings. But just hit the button so we can move on to the next order.
R!WC: Are there any other coffee businesses/baristas you'd like to shout out?
Eduardo: Lone Pine Coffee in Bend, Oregon. Necessity Coffee in Encinitas!
Eduardo works with former R!WC podcast guest Siri Simran Khalsa, the Executive Director of Coffee at Lofty Coffee. Check out one of the episodes she appeared on at the link below.
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