“So, how was your lockdown?”
We used to ask if customers had had a good holiday, but the new default question is about how people coped with being cooped up!
It’s a strange ‘new normal’ for sure, but now that we’re back open it’s definitely time to take stock, and think about where we’ve been, where we are now and where we are headed in the future.
One thing is absolutely clear – people have missed their coffee, and are really glad to have us back! It is possible to make really good coffee at home (especially if you buy your single origin beans from Bean & Bud!), but it’s just not the same as having a really good espresso or filter coffee made for you by an expert barista! We know – we missed it ourselves for twelve long weeks…
So, if you haven’t made that bold step outside your front door yet, and are thinking of heading out for your first sit-down coffee, what can you expect to find here at Bean & Bud?
Well, the first thing you’ll notice is…well, ‘notices’! We’ve got them everywhere. Signs telling you to follow government guidelines, signs telling you not to touch stuff, signs telling you to sanitise your hands, and signs telling you what to do when you go to the loo! We love signs! It’s the new way…but unfortuately, we’ve noticed that no one ever reads them! We’ve all become ‘sign-blind’, so don’t be offended if we tell you off for not reading one of our signs 🙂
On a serious note; our signs are there for a reason. There are so many ‘dos and don’t’ in the post-COVID world that communicating the new normal to our customers is an ongoing challenge. We’re sure you understand…
Apart from the signs, we’ve tried to adopt a fairly light-touch approach to re-opening. You’ll see us wearing face shields when we bring stuff to your table (we feel that shields are more personable, and offer a greater degree of protection for our staff and customers, than masks), and we have the screen installed at the counter. We have reduced the number of tables inside, and spaced them out to comply with the social distancing regulations – and we love our shiny new black and yellow tape on the floor to make it clear where you can and can’t sit! It’s all good stuff 🙂
For those of you who prefer the great outdoors, we have plenty of seating outside, thanks to North Yorkshire County Council who have allowed us to use some pavement space so we can distance our tables effectively. It seems to be working pretty well, so far.
Apart from that, it’s business as usual. We’ll ask you to order at the counter as we always have. Find a seat inside or out, then we’ll bring your order to you. Once you’ve finished we’d be grateful if you’d leave your used cups and plates on the table so we can collect them safely and get them straight to the kitchen to be washed. Then we’ll sanitise the tables and chairs after every use.
If you’re a take-out customer, please keep bringing your reusable coffee cups – we’ve perfected ‘contactless coffee’ where we can make you a superb quality takeaway drink, without ever touching your cup. That’s great news for you, as you’ll still get your 25p discount, and great for the environment!
And that’s about all there is to it. We’ve asked our staff to be cautious and on-the-ball at all times, but to remain relaxed so that you – our customers – can feel at home, and have a pleasant time while you’re with us. We are operating a walk-in service, so no need to book, and to comply with track and trace we’ll be taking a phone number or email address from visitors who choose to stay inside. Our motto is ‘Keep it Safe, Keep it Simple’, and we hope you like the way we’re doing things.
We know that it’s all a bit strange, but everyone seems to be doing their bit to help. We’re grateful to everyone for following the new rules, and for making our little coffee shop your go-to haven from Corona-craziness. If you haven’t been back to see us yet, then we’re looking forward to welcoming you to ‘the other side’ – it’ll be great to see you again:)
