Starbucks Team Leaders

As SoS says, steam pitchers really only need labeling for dairy & non-dairy.
Ours only have the soy pitchers labeled (we also use them for the coconut milk).
The others are good for non-fat, 2%, whole, breve, heavy cream, etc.
I'd look at how many whip canisters you go thru in a day & make sure ea one is charged & ready. Do it consistently & remind those working with you to do the same (ie: Be sure you're adding the chargers to the whip. Not charging/not dating is a myth & Steritech WILL bust us for it, m'kay?). Falls under the 'leading by example'.
You're off to a good start.
 
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redeye58 said:
As SoS says, steam pitchers really only need labeling for dairy & non-dairy.
Ours only have the soy pitchers labeled (we also use them for the coconut milk).
The others are good for non-fat, 2%, whole, breve, heavy cream, etc.
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Soy is an allergen, so there needs to be a pitcher dedicated to soy only. The non-dairy pitchers should be used for coconut milk and apple juice. One of my baristas is allergic to soy. She took a sip of a mistake drink just to try it and she had to step off the floor to make sure she was ok. She had no idea she was allergic, but at least it was a very small reaction.
 
Xanatos said:
Soy is an allergen, so there needs to be a pitcher dedicated to soy only. The non-dairy pitchers should be used for coconut milk and apple juice. One of my baristas is allergic to soy. She took a sip of a mistake drink just to try it and she had to step off the floor to make sure she was ok. She had no idea she was allergic, but at least it was a very small reaction.
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And if you have the almond milk like some of the places, dear g-d, don't be getting that mixed in with any of the other stuff.
I have a tree nut allergy.
A nice dose of anaphylaxis along with my six shot dark chocolate mocha breve will not get you a good tip.

Okay, I know you can't take tips but I will say very stern things on the customer survey after recovering in the ambulance.
 
Thanks for the heads-up, Xanatos.
I'll make sure my SBTL & my team know about that. We do have a pitcher for non-dairy (apple juice) so I'll pass the word.
A couple of our PT TMs are absolutely sloppy about pitcher use. When I point out that they're using soy pitchers for regular dairy, they just shrug.
Don't wanna be around for THAT lawsuit....
 
@Ladida0905: Don't know what part of the country you're in (don't divulge) but in our area we're reaching the cut-off time on shipping chocolate items (choc-covered grahams, java chips, etc).
Our district orders heavy on those items because they won't ship them during summer months (big glob of chips, anyone?) so we start stock-piling during early spring.
Our SBTL ordered TONS during his first yr but we got a lot of calls from nearby stores during frap promos begging for java chips. lol
 
Ahhh ok..thanks for all the tips. Here's a little update I spent two whole days organizing the backroom because why put up a truck in an unorganized backroom is absolutely pointless!..so after a 10 hour shift I can finally put up the truck Monday. Also I had a tm who put in her two weeks before I came and I had the privilege to work with her. It wasn't bad until I came in the next day and there was a list of things she hadn't completed on receipt paper. Things like not washing dishes pulling pastries. Everything! So yesterday was a fiasco.

Another thing, is anyone having issues with their pastry case?...like a fly issue? Because apparently all the pastry cases in my area are having that issue..any suggestions?

Lastly..I guess someone went around telling people false things about my training stating that I left my training and I don't know how to make drinks. So I'm kinda bummed/irritated about that..:(
 
Pastry case needs to be wiped down thoroughly every day. If you're seeing fruit flies, you'll want to strip out your case of as many fixtures you can remove & deep clean.
Pay particular attention to the tracks (if you have sliding glass doors); crumbs accumulate & that can attract flies.
Make sure that the case is closed tightly whenever you're not pulling items. We had a ditz who left it ajar on several occasions until our SBTL made her pitch the entire case & scrub it because guests had seen flies among the food.
Make sure surrounding areas are also crumb-free. We found crumbs on the floor nearby (so did a mouse) so we added sweeping under fixtures to the daily routine because the overnight crew wasn't doing it.
Re: rumors - treat like any other nuisance: ignore it & prove them wrong.
Many times I've opened to a mess to the point of who I knew had closed. Whenever I worked a mid with them, I dumped extra dirty work on them. They also got their breaks just before I left so that when they returned I was going out the door & they were on their own.
Karma is a bitch in a green apron.
 
Like HLM and Redeye said just think of the gossip as a strong wind.
Keep your eyes on the prize and keep pushing against it.
You will get there, it can't beat you so why worry about it.
Don't let it get to you.
As long as the TL and ETL aren't listening, you're golden.
 
Also I heard we have to do drains every other day?..my training store never did drains..I just told me etl that a conversation needs to be had because gossip isn't needed. As the sbtl it's frustration but more annoying then anything. There is a natural gap on our pastry case. Apparently every stores case has one. But idk how to get rid of the flies.
 
At my store, the pastry case has no gap? The srtl did say that they clean at least twice a day. I would add drain cleaning into your routines. I could imagine what stuff could be living in it.
 
What kind of doors are on your pastry case? Sliding or hinged?
If hinged with a gap, you might talk to your PMT about getting some edge stripping to close the gap.
Re: drains - according to our weekly cleaning schedule, drains are done 3x/week. It should have a task list for each day with some done weekly, some bi-weekly, some 3x weekly & some daily.
 
@Ladida0905 , in my region, gnats are so abundant that we cleaned drains every day. Also, I had a fly light installed close to my pastry case-what a difference! As @redeye58 said, partner with your PMT on the pastry case. They can help.

As far as gossip, that is tough. You can't technically coach for gossip. But, you can let the team know to keep things professional and Target Brand. If they don't, you can hold them accountable for not being brand. Partner with ETL-HR on this.

I used separate pitchers for dairy, nondairy, soy, coconut milk, and eggnog, due to me being paranoid about allergies.
 
My doors are sliding. They said they did a fruit fly kit but it still left the gap. How do u clean the drain by the pastry case?..I think it's never been cleaned.
 
There should be a lift-off grate at the top & a bowl grate inside the drain (shaped like an upside-down bowl) to keep debris from going down.
You'll need to get the Eliminex sprayer; should be in your sink area or maintenance cleaning supplies area.
Much like you do for filling the glance or degreaser bottles, you connect the water hose to the large concentrate jug & turn on the water. Squeeze the lever to fill it up to the line - don't overfill.
You'll also need a long-handled scrub brush; toilet brush will do but something with a reach.
Pump the bottle until you get enough pressure then spray Eliminex thoroughly around the inside of the drain.
Let it sit for 15 secs or so then start scrubbing. Follow up with a pitcher of hot water (full brew on the coffee machine).
Detailed instructions should be on the cleaning card ring hanging in your area (ours is on a cabinet handle).
We also take the grates to the sink, spray them down & rinse with hot water before replacing them.
Re: pastry case - If your PMT can't locate thick enough stripping, requisition adhesive felt stripping (strips or squares) from home improvement. Cut it into a uniform half-inch strip (if it's more than one piece, keep it uniform width), peel the adhesive & stick it on the back of the INNER sliding door (facing outward) right up against the existing strip full length trimming as needed (exacto knife works well). The felt should not be so thick as to keep the door from sliding easily so test your thicknesses between glass before cutting.
It's also important to mount it on the OUTSIDE of the case so it doesn't come in contact with food items.
Hope this helps.
 
Great response, redeye!

Ladida, I would sometimes use block whitener and let it sit 30 minutes. Then, I would clean it with eliminex. Block whitener makes it pretty, but eliminex has a pesticide in it-so it is imperitive that you use it. Since that drain looks so bad, it sounds like it may need a lot of elbow grease. If the grates are corroded, you can put them in the sink and spray them with oven cleaner. Once they have set for a few, you can scrub them clean. But, use gloves-that stuff burns.
 
Ladida0905 said:
Another thing, is anyone having issues with their pastry case?...like a fly issue? Because apparently all the pastry cases in my area are having that issue..any suggestions?
Click to expand...


Several suggestions. First, drains are supposed to be cleaned daily. If your cleaning card (there should be a metal ring with a ton of cards on how to clean nearly everything) says 3 days per week, then it is outdated. It was changed about a year ago to daily (though they did not change the weekly cleaning log that we initial every day).

With regards to the gap between the door of the pastry case, I figured out a decent solution. There are clear plastic dividers that the store uses to keep items separate on the shelves throughout the store. My store uses a ton of them in A; most of the aisles have them everywhere. I got a new one of those, cut it, bent it, and stuck it on one of the doors between the gap. It's difficult to do because you want to cover the gap as much as possible, but you also need to open the doors smoothly. Grab a couple of them in case you mess up. They work pretty well once you get it right, and they're clear so no one notices.

You also need to check underneath the pastry case. My store used to have fruit fly problems even when the temperature was negative outside, so we obviously had a problem in the store. You have to find where they're living. It's impossible to get rid of every single one in the summer because they will come into the store, but if you have 5 or more, the problem is likely that they're living in the store and you need to find that spot. For my store, it was under the pastry case. If you open up the back grate (below the doors), you can see where you need to clean. To get in there you really need to pull the whole case out (it's on wheels) and unscrew the side panel. There may or may not be a drip pan in there. If there is a drip pan, clean it! If there isn't, then you might need a spray bottle and a full box of wipe-alls to clean it. After I cleaned mine, the fruit flies practically disappeared because that's where they were living! Once the adults died off, no new flies showed up. Our store had a serious fruit fly problem for at least 5 years because no one had ever cleaned that.
 
Hey guys any tips on how to stay in the sbtl job?.. Right now I'm so overwhelmed with what needs to be fixed. My etl said to give it 30 days but I'm seriously having doubts. I could have easily been counting pills in the target pharmacy without all this bs going on. Maybe in over reacting but it just seems like in the intruder and my etl hr just says "yippee and yeaaahhh" all day like she doesn't really hear me. Or care about how I'm feeling. I know Rome wasn't built in a day but goodness at least they had the blueprint for how it was supposed to be lol.

Side note anyone get the cups in for the mini frapps??.. I didn't and I didn't notice until I had already sent the order for Friday. I thought promotional stuff was prorated to the stores..
 
It should be.
They always send the new product once but it's up to you to order later.
 
Ladida, I think your first problem is training. It is overwhelming, when you come in fresh faced and out of your comfort zone. If you feel your training was inadequate, talk to your HR. But, it is sometimes is hard to get the team's buy in, at first. If you come on too strong, they will resist. Let them know why you are so passionate about implementing these changes.

I am not going to lie, though. SBTL is a tough position. Target's expectations are rediculous. On top of that, you have to find a good balance between Target and Starbucks.
 
Sbtl is hard when I've been told not to make changes until 30 days. I want to help n make things better but I've been told not to do anything. It's making my blood pressure go up.
 
Don't give up! Teach yourself the routines needed to change your team to accept you & be better than they are now. You can lead this team. Your leadership is watching for changes that you make. They must of looked in the sb closet, you fixed the other day.
Think about how clean the pharmacy was at all times.
 
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