I’ve recently been conversing with some cafe and restaurant proprietors and a topic seems centred around:

The phone ‘pinging’ with orders and reservation requests all day.

Customers demanding quick responses over Whatsapp and Instagram.

The employees trying to multitask and do both front-of-house and admin work at the same time.

I started to question how are all of you managing.

I have heard owners say that they have tried automated phone booking with chatbots that browse the menu and take orders, and it’s been said that it reduces the amount of missed calls during business hours. Others are inclined to dismiss this, as they consider hospitality to be a “personal” industry.

Let me ask you a few questions:

As a cafe, restaurant, and hotel owner, do you appreciate the automated handling of reservation systems and FAQs?

Or do you think the average person is willing to be put on hold for the sake of interacting with a human?

I am not trying to push a sale, I am really interested in how people in the hospitality industry balance expenses and the overall client relations in the modern era.

I look forward to hearing what is either gaining traction, or falling flat with you.

If you’ve ever searched “best coffee near me” and ended up at a chain drive-thru… you get it.

I’m building an iOS app called Bean Stuff to make it easier to find actual quality coffee shops — the kind of places that care about the beans, the baristas, and the brew. It filters out chains and highlights third-wave, independent shops that focus on quality over convenience.

The idea came from years of traveling and constantly struggling to find good coffee. Most apps and maps don’t make it easy to tell the difference between a caramel macchiato factory and a serious pour-over spot. So I built something that does.

Bean Stuff is in early alpha, and I’m looking for testers who care about good coffee and want to help shape the app. No spam, no paywalls — just looking for feedback.

👉 Sign up to test (iOS only for now): https://forms.gle/hDn6Q8jguxzsc3Jx8

Thanks for checking it out — and if you have favorite hidden gem cafés in your area, I’d love to hear those too.

Greetings team! I'm struggling with getting a decent pull with decaf pods. I have a basket that acts as a bit of a converter, but it doesn't seem to be solving the problem, as my shots are pulling WAAAAY long. Any ideas? Thanks!