Businesses Respond to COVID-19: Robert Myers, Highwire Coffee
/By Hylan Joseph
I’ve have known Robert Myers for a very long time. So long in fact that he has the singular distinction of being a judge during my first in-house barista competition in Ann Arbor, Michigan for Espresso Royale in 1994. I lost.
Robert started working in coffee shops in 1991. He is passionate about those connections that occur within the specialty coffee environment. Currently, he is one of the founders of Highwire Coffee located in Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, and the San Francisco Ferry Building Farmer’s Market. Most days you’ll still find him working behind the counter.
I admire Robert. He is driven by the quality of the product that he sells. He is also passionate about the experience of specialty coffee. That experience when people take some time out to appreciate the coffee, the other person, and the care that goes into making the experience special.
Robert’s perspective as a roaster and supporter of barista culture is important. I wanted to see what he is doing to hold things together with his business and team during this crisis
Robert Myers, Highwire Coffee Roasters
Hylan Joseph: How have your service calls/business been affected since this pandemic began?
Robert Myers: 50-80% drop in calls depending on the day. We've seen a drop in sales of about 70%.
HJ: How are you communicating with your staff concerning the loss of work?
RM: We speak to them in person, or via our intracompany communication: Basecamp, email, text, scheduling app. Everyone seems to understand what's happening and why.
HJ: Are you going to utilize any of the state and federal program offered?
RM: We are trying to utilize the federal, local, and state programs offered, but have not been confirmed for any of it yet.
HJ: Have you or your company participated in any community volunteer events or round table discussions during this event. If so, what were they?
RM: Several business owner meetings with subject matter experts.
We have not participated in any community events recently. We're working very long hours to keep the doors open and haven't had the bandwidth. Also, we're old introverts who don't participate much in our work communities during the best of times.
HJ: Is your organization doing anything to support your local community? If so, can you provide details?
RM: Nothing specific – trying to stay open, keep people employed, highlight other small businesses on social media, donations for fundraisers.
HJ: How do you feel your local community has responded to this event?
RM: Everyone is going through a major trauma that is hitting us in waves of realization. That said, people have been amazing – kind, positive, understanding, and generous with their money and their words. It's been the one good thing to come of this, the sense that we're all in it together.
HJ: How are your employees reacting?
RM: Our employees are all dealing with it in their individual styles. Some have been more communicative about it than others. Some have expressed gratitude that they are still employed and for the openness of communication, we've tried to have around this. Others have not wanted to work with the public during this time and we have accommodated their wishes as well. We have received tremendous support through meal donations from local caterers and people using the virtual tip jar option on our website.
HJ: Do you think this event will alter our industry?
RM: I do think it will alter our industry. I think many people aren't making it, others (like us) are operating with much smaller teams. Some of these jobs aren't coming back for a long time. I think some of the adaptations made to be safe during the COVID-19 crisis may become permanent. The pivot to delivery and online ordering services may stick with many businesses.
HJ: What are your key takeaways so far?
RM: I think we will probably be much more cautious with our safety net as a business. We will probably be more cautious in spending money and try to put more money away for tough times than we did these last nine years. This caught us at a very vulnerable time and we did not have any cushion to weather this storm with our full team. This lead us to painful layoffs. That said, I'm a bit of a slow processor and am not sure I've reached a place where I have key takeaways yet.
HJ: Are you hiring? If so, why?
RM: We are not hiring. Our hope is to give more hours to existing staff if we are able to get some grant or loan money, but do not anticipate adding more positions at this time.