When asked about how Kaffein, the new coffee shop on Monterey Street – now occupying what was once Skipper’s Brew – was doing, the Director of Operations Kate Taylor said so far so good. Taylor said they are ironing everything out and this week has gotten better and better.
Since she wanted everything to be perfect, she described the first day as a “little chaotic.”
“Everyone has been learning very quickly and loving the new recipes, and we’ve tried to create structure, as much as we can,” Taylor said.
Kaffein opened with a soft opening on March 30 to the public. Currently, their hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Kaffein took over the space after Skipper’s Brew closed in February.
Fire science junior Mikey Sayegh said he liked Skipper’s Brew so he thought he would come try out Kaffein.
“I thought it was really good,” Sayegh said. “I asked for their recommendation when I walked up.”
He complimented the service he received at Kaffein and said he would come back.
“My drink came out on time and fast,” Sayegh said. “It was hot, tasted fantastic, so yeah, I think it’s great.”
Taylor was hired as director of operations because of her work in the Washington area as a barista and manager where she got to experiment with drink recipes. Taylor has been in the coffee business for about eight years.
According to Taylor, they were lucky to have a lot of the staff come over from Skipper’s Brew. They did have to retrain the staff in the new layout, products and recipes.
At Kaffein, customers can order lotus plant energy-based drinks and also might find many drinks on the menu with irish cream in it, like the chocolatini mocha latte drink. These are just some of the items Taylor has added to the new menu. Many of the drinks came from previous recipes Taylor created at her previous workplace.
“It was really really nice to introduce those products here and some of the things that I really love.,” Taylor said.
Skipper’s Brew operated as a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community. When asked about whether they were going to continue to have that environment, Taylor said they were going to do their best to create a safe space. Taylor has reached out to the community to try to educate the business on how to create that dynamic.
“I will say that we are going to work on educating ourselves on how to do that well and how to do that correctly because I would be lying if I said I knew everything about how to create a safe space and make sure that people are aware we are actively doing that,” Taylor said.
Taylor said they have a very diverse staff. One way they have tried to foster inclusivity in the workplace environment, she said, was by creating pronoun buttons so staff members can be properly addressed, not have to correct anyone and feel comfortable behind the bar.
They also have a small pride flag by their cash register.
Cal Poly parent Patrick Lee said Kaffein is a great place, the people are nice and that Skippers was inclusive, so he’s glad they kept the same vibe.
“I love the area,” Lee said. “It is close to Cal Poly. I am not a student but I drop my kid off there and yeah, they have great coffee.”