A new study predicts that not only will we trade our offices for coffee shops in the years to come …

But universities and retail stores will come to resemble coffee shops as well. That might alarm those who aren’t fans of a good cup of joe, but it might also be unwelcome news to those who like to work in seclusion. Won’t all this time in buzzing public spaces disrupt the visionary thinkers among us who chase eureka moments in quiet solitude? Not according to a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Read the rest of the story at GigaOm.

It’s not all coffee and pastries. Whether you’re an owner-operator or you employ a full-time front-of-the-house manager, people are the core of your business. You need to know how to engage them, motivate them, and teach them.

Some management basics, to keep you in your employees’ good graces:

Put most things in writing. Don’t assume employees will “know what to do” if you haven’t told them explicitly. Have clearly defined job descriptions with reasonable expectations and boundaries in writing. Also clarify your policies for tipping out, sick time, tardiness, etc.

Provide adequate training. New employees are usually nervous about starting a new job, and will need time to adjust. Help them to feel encouraged and empowered by training them during slow or off hours, and have them shadow experienced coworkers for a few days. Otherwise they’ll feel overwhelmed and thrown to the wolves, and their lack of confidence will reflect on you and your business.

Deal with problems head-on, and welcome input. A manager’s job is to take care of his/her staff. Give employees a safe outlet for expressing grievances and to suggest ideas, so they’ll be inclined to ride out tough times (and less inclined to take their frustrations out on customers). Be available, and really listen so you can understand the situation and come up with a real solution.

Reward professionalism and hard work. At some cafés, employees with the longest tenure get to work the most coveted shifts. To reinforce your expectations for how people perform on the job, you might also consider giving people who are easy to work with some preferred shifts.

But don’t play favorites. Some employees are better than others, but if any one of them is so bad that you’d rather ignore them, let them go and then treat the rest equally.

Take care of them. Thank employees for a job well done. (Praise publicly and scold privately is a good motto.) Ask them how things are going. Have an occasional staff party. Make good workers feel appreciated and they will be more likely to stay.

Be friendly, but don’t be friends. Show an interest in the lives of your staff, but don’t make a habit of spending a lot of free time with them. This can confuse business matters, and can make it hard to “be the boss” when you’re back at the café.

Always be professional. Never yell, curse or hurl insults at employees. This is the least you can do to maintain morale and respect for your position.

Keep your word. This goes for the good and the bad. If you promise a review or a raise, make it happen if you want to keep people happy and motivated. If you threaten to fire someone for continual tardiness, follow through the next time they’re late or you’ll lose credibility.

Some coffeehouse owners say Wi-Fi restrictions help them create a steady stream of paying customers, while others offer unlimited access to daily workers.

There’s no question that laptop users are increasingly soaking up wireless Internet connections and electrical outlets at their local coffee shops, along with their lattes. Their presence creates a delicate challenge for some owners who want to keep a welcoming atmosphere but also maintain the type of customer turnover necessary for a profitable business.

See how some owners are striking a balance between these concerns, in this article from the Chicago Tribune.

Nearly every business has felt an impact from the recession. There has been no escaping. The root causes were universal and had a domino effect.

Some small-business owners believe they’ve seen the bottom and they are surviving — they are OK and they expect to persevere with modest adjustments. These small-business owners are kidding themselves. The bottom has not been reached, and it will be a long slide until it does. We are in for a five- to 10-year disaster.

Defeat the Downturn 
During such times, it’s easy to panic. Panic, which is fear-driven and not based on fact but on emotion, has tremendous power, the power to change the direction of business. But do you want to give in to panic, throw your hands in the air and accept self-destruction, actually accelerating it, becoming a part of the panic, stimulating more?

There’s an alternative to panicking. We are confronting change, and change is an opportunity for advances. Now you have the choice to take advantage of change it or allow yourself to be buried by it.

Make the right choices today and see the results tomorrow. It’s not just about adjusting prices — you need to broadcast your differences, tell people why they should shop with you, provide them with added value, and not discounts, and watch your business grow in a down market.

Be a leader, and the people will follow. As a small-business owner, you can help lead the way out of the recession. Start with your employees, move to your vendors, and then support your customers and your market area. Announce the good news, and everyone will line up.

For 10 rules of engagement that will help you successfully recast your business and succeed in the new economy, read the rest of this article at Entrepreneur.com.

Not unlike your clothes, your menu says a lot about you. Are you clean and polished and easy to read, or disheveled and a bit confused? Keep the following guidelines in mind when creating your menu and you’ll be sure to make a positive first impression:

1. Graphics. To remain consistent with your brand, use your logo and signature colors. Avoid photos unless they are gorgeous and professionally done. If you or a friend take photos, your restaurant could appear dingy and your delicious signature dishes could look like a pile of grey, inedible mush. Also steer clear of clip art, which can only make your menu look like it’s meant for a junior-high cafeteria. And if graphic design is not your forté, consider hiring a graphic designer to produce one that reflects your aesthetic, with a professional polish. If you try to do it yourself, it could take endless hours. 
2. Fonts.Simple and highly readable are the rule here. Stay away from cursive, all-bold or all-capitalized text. 12- to 14-point font is a good range for easy reading. 
3. Try not to speak from on high. Before you start throwing around coffee-geek terminology or highbrow culinary philosophy, consider your audience. Even if you own a coffee lover’s hangout or an upscale restaurant, your menu descriptions should be understandable to most of the people who walk in the door. A few well-placed terms like “single-origin” or “slow brazed” will add flavor to your menu without alienating patrons. (And always make sure your staff is trained to answer any questions.) 
4. Disclaimers. Menus often include a disclaimer or two at the bottom, in fine print. Yours might be: “gratuity will be added to parties of eight or more” or “two-for-one special not available on to-go orders.” These are fine, and can save your customers any unpleasant surprises. Just try to limit your disclaimers. Your goals should be to please and serve your customers, not to make them feel underappreciated with lots of no-we-won’t language. 
5. Please, do not laminate.Instead, invest in [menu jackets] that have clear sleeves. These allow you to remove menus when they need to be updated or replaced because of wear and tear. Professional laminating (because we agree that do-it-yourself laminating looks cheap and tacky) will quickly get expensive if you have to reprint your menu every six months, which is not uncommon. 
6. Proofread like crazy. And have a second or third set of eyes look for typos, too, even your nightly specials. Also ask for brutal honest. Have people weigh in on whether your menu is easy to read and understand, and if it makes your dishes sound appealing.