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Winfield Street Coffee Turns to Tech to ‘Perk up’ Operations

With 11 locations and more on the horizon, Winfield Street Coffee has had to invest in new technology, including a new POS, to improve operations.
Photo credit: leszekglasner - stock.adobe.com

In 2015, Breno and Jeanette Donatti took over Winfield Street Deli in Connecticut and rebranded it to Winfield Street Coffee. They always envisioned that it would be a multi-location business and today, Winfield Street coffee has 11 storefronts across Connecticut, New York and Florida.

The credit of our growth goes directly back to the amazing people that have been part of the process,” said Breno Donatti in an interview with Small Business Xchange. “Whether it be our customers, team members, community partners or technology partners, everyone who has helped bolster our vision over the years has truly played a foundational role in the evolution of Winfield.” 

With more locations on the horizon, the Donattis has had to double down on new technology. By expanding an existing partnership with Clover, they’ve been able to not only provide a more seamless customer experience; they’ve been able to improve back-end operations, too. Read on to learn more about Winfield Street Coffee’s expansion and how they’ve been able to tackle small business growing pains.

Small Business Xchange (SBX): You helped bring Winfield Street Coffee from one location to 11. What were some of the “growing pains” you faced with this growth?

Breno Donatti: There is a lot of juggling that goes into managing multiple locations. As the business grew, we had more customers to serve who expected a stellar and quick experience. When it came time to execute the expansion — going from one store to multiple stores, and from operating in one state to multiple states — we had to learn to streamline inventory management and ingredient procurement to keep a tight handle on our cost of goods sold. We also had to manage a geographically diverse team, which proved to be a big challenge. We knew we needed technology that could stretch as far as we wanted to grow. 

SBX: What made you realize you needed a more robust payment solution? 

Jeanette Donatti: With our customer volume and plan for multiple locations, we knew we needed a system that could do more. We have used the Clover point-of-sale and business management system since we opened in September 2015. 

Clover has allowed us to expand to new locations smoothly, and because Clover offers a wide variety of devices, we can customize each location’s technology setup based on the needs of that store. The system also provides a complete look at the business, offering important data that spans all of our locations on one dashboard. We can also automate our daily tasks — like scheduling our staff and calculating sales tax – by using apps from the Clover App Market, which is a huge plus.

SBX: How did you learn about Clover, and why did you decide to partner with them versus other vendors?

Breno: It goes back to relationships and the people in our community. We learned about Clover from a trusted friend, who was a big proponent of the technology. 

We looked into the system and realized it was the best fit for where the business was and where we wanted it to go. Clover allowed us to get all the technology we needed from the same provider, but it’s also a flexible system, which we needed as we grew. It’s also great that they continue to come out with new solutions, so we can continue to evolve how we do business and serve our customers better.

Jeanette: All of our locations use at least one, if not two, Clover devices. Every store is outfitted with a Clover Station Duo, and we also use other devices in tandem to speed up our transaction time. The Clover Minis are vital in our New York City stores, where we serve fast-paced commuters. We also just added the self-serve Clover Kiosk, a new addition that makes a huge difference in reducing lines.

SBX: How has offering a more robust and digital-friendly payment experience impacted your team?

Jeanette: From a management perspective, we save about 40 hours a week by relying on Clover to automate scheduling and timesheets. That’s a huge amount of time we get back.

Like all change, updates are sometimes met with hesitation from our team. However, once the value proposition is clear, and they can see how it makes their job easier and faster, they typically love it. This was especially true for the introduction of the Clover Kiosk, as it reduced pressure on our staff during the busiest times and they were no longer responsible for manually entering every order.

Clover has been a great partner, and every year for the business has been better than the year before. They have been able to provide solutions to new problems that have come up as we’ve grown. When you have a partnership where improvement is the common goal, there’s no need to change.

SBX: And how has it benefited the customer experience? 

Breno: We continue to see an uptick in sales. We saw a big impact on sales with the introduction of the self-serve kiosk, especially in our NYC stores. When commuters are in a hurry, we often see them leave if there is a line. We’re able to serve customers faster and more efficiently, shaving seconds off an already quick transaction time. 

SBX: Do you have any words of advice or wisdom to share with your peers who are also considering how they can select the best technology for their business?

Jeanette: Make sure that you have good relationships with those who are responsible for your technology. The tech is great, but arguably, what’s just as important as great tech is someone who can help assist you when you’re having issues. At some point, you will run into a roadblock, and it helps to have a great technology partner on your side who wants to see the business grow and will help you get there.

Winfield Street Coffee Turns to Tech to ‘Perk up’ Operations

With 11 locations and more on the horizon, Winfield Street Coffee has had to invest in new technology, including a new POS, to improve operations.

In 2015, Breno and Jeanette Donatti took over Winfield Street Deli in Connecticut and rebranded it to Winfield Street Coffee. They always envisioned that it would be a multi-location business and today, Winfield Street coffee has 11 storefronts across Connecticut, New York and Florida.

The credit of our growth goes directly back to the amazing people that have been part of the process,” said Breno Donatti in an interview with Small Business Xchange. “Whether it be our customers, team members, community partners or technology partners, everyone who has helped bolster our vision over the years has truly played a foundational role in the evolution of Winfield.” 

With more locations on the horizon, the Donattis has had to double down on new technology. By expanding an existing partnership with Clover, they’ve been able to not only provide a more seamless customer experience; they’ve been able to improve back-end operations, too. Read on to learn more about Winfield Street Coffee’s expansion and how they’ve been able to tackle small business growing pains.

Small Business Xchange (SBX): You helped bring Winfield Street Coffee from one location to 11. What were some of the “growing pains” you faced with this growth?

Breno Donatti: There is a lot of juggling that goes into managing multiple locations. As the business grew, we had more customers to serve who expected a stellar and quick experience. When it came time to execute the expansion — going from one store to multiple stores, and from operating in one state to multiple states — we had to learn to streamline inventory management and ingredient procurement to keep a tight handle on our cost of goods sold. We also had to manage a geographically diverse team, which proved to be a big challenge. We knew we needed technology that could stretch as far as we wanted to grow. 

SBX: What made you realize you needed a more robust payment solution? 

Jeanette Donatti: With our customer volume and plan for multiple locations, we knew we needed a system that could do more. We have used the Clover point-of-sale and business management system since we opened in September 2015. 

Clover has allowed us to expand to new locations smoothly, and because Clover offers a wide variety of devices, we can customize each location’s technology setup based on the needs of that store. The system also provides a complete look at the business, offering important data that spans all of our locations on one dashboard. We can also automate our daily tasks — like scheduling our staff and calculating sales tax – by using apps from the Clover App Market, which is a huge plus.

SBX: How did you learn about Clover, and why did you decide to partner with them versus other vendors?

Breno: It goes back to relationships and the people in our community. We learned about Clover from a trusted friend, who was a big proponent of the technology. 

We looked into the system and realized it was the best fit for where the business was and where we wanted it to go. Clover allowed us to get all the technology we needed from the same provider, but it’s also a flexible system, which we needed as we grew. It’s also great that they continue to come out with new solutions, so we can continue to evolve how we do business and serve our customers better.

Jeanette: All of our locations use at least one, if not two, Clover devices. Every store is outfitted with a Clover Station Duo, and we also use other devices in tandem to speed up our transaction time. The Clover Minis are vital in our New York City stores, where we serve fast-paced commuters. We also just added the self-serve Clover Kiosk, a new addition that makes a huge difference in reducing lines.

SBX: How has offering a more robust and digital-friendly payment experience impacted your team?

Jeanette: From a management perspective, we save about 40 hours a week by relying on Clover to automate scheduling and timesheets. That’s a huge amount of time we get back.

Like all change, updates are sometimes met with hesitation from our team. However, once the value proposition is clear, and they can see how it makes their job easier and faster, they typically love it. This was especially true for the introduction of the Clover Kiosk, as it reduced pressure on our staff during the busiest times and they were no longer responsible for manually entering every order.

Clover has been a great partner, and every year for the business has been better than the year before. They have been able to provide solutions to new problems that have come up as we’ve grown. When you have a partnership where improvement is the common goal, there’s no need to change.

SBX: And how has it benefited the customer experience? 

Breno: We continue to see an uptick in sales. We saw a big impact on sales with the introduction of the self-serve kiosk, especially in our NYC stores. When commuters are in a hurry, we often see them leave if there is a line. We’re able to serve customers faster and more efficiently, shaving seconds off an already quick transaction time. 

SBX: Do you have any words of advice or wisdom to share with your peers who are also considering how they can select the best technology for their business?

Jeanette: Make sure that you have good relationships with those who are responsible for your technology. The tech is great, but arguably, what’s just as important as great tech is someone who can help assist you when you’re having issues. At some point, you will run into a roadblock, and it helps to have a great technology partner on your side who wants to see the business grow and will help you get there.