How Necessary & Sufficient Prepared for COVID-19

As part of our ongoing effort to empower independent coffee shops with resources, tips and best practices to adapt during the COVID-19 crisis, we are interviewing a series of business owners that are finding ways to safely serve customers and protect baristas.

How Necessary & Sufficient Prepared for COVID-19

When COVID-19 initially reached the US, Kate Vrijmoet, owner of Necessary & Sufficient Coffee didn't wait to make an action plan for her shop. Even though she is located in a neighborhood of Chicago, she had contacts in the Seattle area who were first-hand experiencing the impacts of COVID.

In early February, far ahead of the rest of the country, Kate responded. Creating a 5 Phase action plan, she retrained her staff, and modified operations to ensure when the pandemic did reach Chicago, their doors (or rather service window) would be open.

COVID in Chicago

As Kate describes, in Chicago this pandemic is invisible to a lot of people, however, the threat is entirely real. As owner, she has to take things serious for the safety of her community and the longevity of her business.

Changes to Operations

First steps that Kate and her team made was creating the shop's 5 Phase Plan. This plan was posted for the public and detailed the modifications they were making to internal practices, as well as sanitization precautions and changes to operations.

Necessary has a small storefront with a traditional Chicago-style labor workers window. Other changes included:

• Open a second window - one for ordering, one for pick up
• Going cashless and promoting contactless ordering with joe
• Eliminating some programs like the reusable cup discount
• Creating pay-it-forward programs for customers to contribute to
• Adding a filter over windows to protect from airborne transmission

Building Trust with Staff

Kate's team all commit to a "working agreement" that includes expectations for harmony in the workplace. For staff safety, the team added amendments including:

• Taking temperature twice a day
• Following CDC guidelines
• Wearing a mask, gloves, and going above and beyond with sanitizing

Kate also committed to the mental and emotional wellbeing of her staff by:

• Doubling down on team meetings each month
• Scheduling all staff for only 4 work days a week
• Refusing service to customers who choose to not wear masks

Communicating with Customers

A few key highlights include:

• Using positive phrases like "We're happy to serve you when you come back with a mask"
• Keeping masks available for sale at the shop
• Publishing the 5 Phase Plan for the community to view

We are in this together.