By Brianna Zuidema
Due to COVID-19, many local eateries had to shut down their operations for awhile. Some closed for good. Others reopened but that has meant finding new staff and training them, which is no small task.
Biggby Coffee is one establishment working to onboard new hires, and district manager Danielle Anderson is the point person on training. Anderson oversees stores in the Kalamazoo area and has roughly 40 current employees whom she has trained.
The pandemic has put a pause on the shops’ ability to be open daily, so Anderson trains almost every day of the week in attempt to solve their current staffing crisis.
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- Biggby Coffee district manager Danielle Anderson removes her mask for a photo on Sept. 27 at the Schoolcraft, Mich. location. Anderson, over the last seven years working for Biggby Coffee, has enjoyed the relationships she has made, the dogs she has gotten to see and the free coffee she gets to drink.
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- From left: New barista Jessica Doxtater and Anderson begin to go over their training material on Sept. 22 at the Biggby Coffee location in Portage, Mich. Anderson emphasizes the importance of hand washing, especially during the pandemic.
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- Anderson at a Biggby Coffee location in Portage talks a new barista through the proper procedure of cleaning the milk wand used for steaming milk, particularly important because milk alternatives are used.
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- Anderson explains the importance of “stretching” and “rolling” the milk to get a proper steam. The new barista she is training is learning the proper steaming temperatures and consistency of the milk.
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- From left: Anderson and new barista Jessica Doxtater at a Biggby Coffee in Portage. The pair struggles to maintain any social distance while in the small workspace.
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- Biggby Coffee district manager Danielle Anderson cleans dishes during her training session with her new barista on Sept. 22.
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- Anderson explains that Doxtater she did not need to wear her mask if she did not want to during the training and while the shop was closed. Anderson continues to wear her mask to make new hires more comfortable during training.
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- At the Biggby Coffee location in Schoolcraft, Mich. on Sept. 27 a drink sits behind the plastic glass that was installed in March to protect employees and customers due to the pandemic.
