Another BIGGBY COFFEE Opens.... breaking the cycle !

Birmingham MI

Local finds opportunity with Biggby

When Mohamed Shetiah moved to East Lansing from his home in Egypt 21 years ago, he didn’t know English, the American culture, or exactly what to expect in the United States.

The only thing Shetiah really knew, he said, was that he was coming to the U.S. for opportunities he couldn’t find at home.

“I came here for a better life, to go to a good school and start a new life and career,” Shetiah said. “Now, here I am.”

On Tuesday, Shetiah opened his 20th Biggby Coffee shop at 4480 Hagadorn Road, in Okemos, giving him more than twice as many stores as any other Biggby franchise owner — which he said was another step in his journey to fulfill his dreams.

Coming to the U.S. in 1989, Shetiah moved in with his uncle, who already had lived in the country for 20 years. Shetiah said his first few years in his new homeland, when he worked various odd jobs at fast food restaurants and golf courses..... Read More....Local finds opportunity with Biggby

Malcolm Gladwell on spaghetti sauce | Video on TED.com

Malcolm Gladwell on spaghetti sauce | Video on TED.com

Muskegon BIGGBY 'Spot Bob' ...what a great event! Thank You!!!

Cars, Cherries & Coffee--My experience with Biggby

Go To -- Chris Theisen’s "blog"

Last month I was nearing a trip to my birth state of Michigan when I saw a tweet mentioning Michigan Cherry coffee. Not only do I love Michigan cherries, I enjoy coffee now and again. I inquired about the coffee and found out that a company called Biggby offered it. My sister works and lives in Lansing, the home of Biggby, so I had heard of them. Nearing my trip I searched Biggby's website and noticed a location close to where I was traveling. My wife and I couldnt wait to pair two of our favorite things, cherries and coffee.
After a longer than expected stay we needed to make the 4 hour trip from Ann Arbor back to Noblesville. We decided to forgo the stop to the local Biggby and get on the road. A little way down the road we decided the call of cherries and coffee was too strong for us to ignore. We needed to find a Biggby. Not knowing the area I had to pull out my handy HTC Hero to find a location. I had a tough time navigating their mobile site. The site wasnt optimized for mobile phones. The map gave me major hassles. There were so many locations around that the flag markers all ran together. I tried searching for Jackson (the next town down the road) and was sent to locations in Alabama. Yes there is a Jackson, Alabama but I already did a Michigan search. I got completely annoyed with the site, turned off my browser and was bummed about my lack of Michigan Cherry coffee.

As soon as I turned off my browser I turned on Twitter. I sent a tweet that stated, Biggby Coffee you lost a customer tonight due to your mobile site. I didnt know if they had an account. I have taken to mentioning brands without their account to test if they are listening properly or not. Its a thing I do since part of my job is brand monitoring and awareness. I heard nothing back from that tweet. The next day I happened to find out Biggby's CEO Bob Fish had his own Twitter account, @biggbybob, through a tweet from another person I followed from Michigan. It turned out Bob had a pretty good following. I check his tweet stream and he seemed to engage with his followers and probably managed his own account. This was at once encouraging and troubling. I was encouraged that a CEO of a growing company would engage with followers personally. I was troubled that someone who understood Twitter didnt see my tweet and/or didnt respond.

It was now my mission to get Bob to listen to me or respond. Getting customer feedback (and insight on their habits) is one of the main reasons to be on Twitter. I had valuable free advice that he should be interested in not to mention that I put negative information about his brand in the Twittersphere. I sent Bob an @ message. The next morning I received a direct message (Twitter email so to speak) from Bob asking that I email him with my issue. Again I was encouraged and troubled. I was encouraged the CEO of a growing regional company would reach out to me. I was also troubled that someone who engaged and understood customer service online wouldnt engage me publically. Public engagement and acknowledgment of company shortcomings goes alot longer in the new media world than addressing the issue one on one privately.

I proceeded to email Bob my soapbox social media engagement, brand monitoring diatribe. As you can imaging by this post it was sort of long. There was alot of criticism, albeit all constructive. My intention was to give Bob insight he may not have had or open his eyes to other ways his company could leverage technology they already deployed.

I received an email back from Bob that was thoughtful and thanked me for my effort and constructive criticism. I was extremely impressed with Bob's response. He stated that he agreed with my assessment of their mobile site. He mentioned they were a year behind on this initiative, but had one in the works. Not only did he respond to me but he copied his VP of Operations and a few others within the company. Impressive to say the least.

The next email I received I did not expect. Their VP of Operations, Tom Butz, stated they normally monitor their brand but somehow my tweet slipped through the cracks. Tom offered to send me some Michigan Cherry free of charge. I was thrilled! It wasnt necessary but I took him up on the offer. Not only did Biggby engage with me, they continued engaging in the days after our initial contact. They truly cared about what I had to say and werent just blowing me off. I found out that Tom had lived in the next town north for 8 years. Its a small world indeed.

A week or so later I received not one but TWO bags of Michigan Cherry grounds. They smelled delicious before I ever opened the bags. I couldnt wait to brew it! You would've thought we were opening a rare vintage, my wife and I were so excited to try this coffee after all of this. The coffee didnt disappoint. I looked forward to coming home and having coffee. My wife swears by it now. I enjoy it alot but she always finds an excuse to make some. The smell and taste of cherries takes me back to my Michigan youth. A truly great coffee drinking experience!

Im not sure if Biggby has incorporated any of my ideas I presented them. I hope they do if they havent already. Regardless Biggby understands customer service, interaction and engagement. I do wish Bob and the company would've heard or interacted with me in a more public fashion so they could've gotten the credit they truly deserve. This blog post is my way of repaying them and giving them their due credit for listening and responding honestly to a nobody from Noblesville. Heres to Biggby Coffee, Bob Fish and Tom Butz. Now when are you opening in Indiana?

Go To -- Chris Theisen’s "blog"

The BIGGBY way .... Again !! :)

The Big Rapids Biggby is by far the best coffee place I have ever been too. The owners, Tami and Julie, know all the regulars by name and it seems that I can never get out of there much under 10 mins! I come in every morning between 8 and 9 and Emma and Macey are always there to greet me with a smile. They are the perfect morning barista duo! They have more energy than any college student should that early in the morning.

My day just isn't complete until I make a Biggby Run. I have been to others, and the coffee is just as good, but you truly can't beat the service and people that work at Biggby Big Rapids!

Thanks,
Carrie...a most loyal customer

New Store in Birmingham, MI and a Career Changer...Go BIGGBY!

Go to the original CRAIN'S Article

Career Transition: Rose and Joseph Glendinning
By Dustin Walsh

Names: Siblings Rose Glendinning, 29, and Joseph Glendinning, 32.

Education: Rose has a bachelor's degree in business economics from Providence College in Providence, R.I. Joseph has a bachelor's degree from Albion College, a law degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and an MBA from DePaul University in Chicago.

Last career: Rose Glendinning formerly managed exchange-traded funds for State Street Bank in Boston. Joseph Glendinning was an associate attorney in business, real estate and tax law in Chicago for Amari and Locallo law firm and River North Law Group.

New career: Coffee. The brother and sister opened a Biggby Coffee franchise in Bloomfield Township in 2008, and their second location will open March 22 in downtown Birmingham.

Why they decided to make the switch: Neither of the Glendinnings were satisfied in their jobs.

“I was beginning to feel the rut of working the daily grind,” Rose Glendinning said. “My job was fast-paced and deadline driven. I craved interaction with people and having a feeling that my career would positively impact people's lives.”

Joe said that while practicing as an attorney he helped others achieve their goals, but he desired to achieve his own. “I wasn't super excited to go to work every day,” he said. “I enjoyed my work, but I never felt satisfied with my career choice.”

How they made the transition: “I was very familiar with Biggby growing up in East Lansing,” Joseph Glendinning said. “I remember when they just had one store. Coffee had just hit Michigan. They were happening places.”

The Glendinnings' mother owns and operates three Curves locations in the Lansing area, so becoming a business owner always interested them, he said. And, after attending a franchisee informational session, urged by their mother, the siblings procured a lease space in Bloomfield Township.

Obstacles they overcame: “To be honest, it took a lot of stamina to transition into the role of barista,” Rose Glendinning said. “It's very fast-paced, but my enthusiasm to succeed pulled me through until I had my "barista legs.' ”

“I invested a lot of time, money and effort into my career as a lawyer,” Joseph said. “It wasn't easy to leave it behind for something that was not guaranteed to be a success.”

Advice for others: “I think the best advice is something that my father told me as a boy,” Joseph Glendinning said. “He always told me to find a job that isn't a job, but a passion — something that I could wake up to every morning and couldn't wait to start doing.”

If you have made a similar change in your career or know of someone who has made an interesting career transition, contact Andy Chapelle, managing editor at Crain's Detroit Business, at achapelle@crain.com.

Go to the original CRAIN'S

Guest Blog from twitter handle @Justacogitating #6

Are you getting the most out of your local Biggby?

One might think that delicious coffee, smiling baristas, and daily trivia is all there is to their Biggby home (or homes); however, that "one" would be highly mistaken.

Did you run out the door without breakfast but are still shunning the greasy drive-through with what is left of your New Year's will power? You're in luck! Stop by your local Biggby and grab a bagel, granola with milk, or yogurt parfait ... along with your favorite brew.

Are you running late for that lunch meeting? Again, you're in luck! Stop by your Biggby and grab an oh-so-tasty bagel/turkey/havarti (nom nom nom) sandwich and you're on your way. [I like mine heated up in the microwave. Honestly, I can count on my hand those things that trump melted havarti cheese.]

More importantly for my current dilemma, do you need a public, non-threatening, don't-even-think-about-it-buster locale for that first real life meet and greet with a mysterious guy you met online? That's right, I'm saying it: Biggby is my "first meet" go-to place. My home court advantage in the world of online dating. My Biggby is public, bright, and comfortable with the added chocolaty goodness of skinny skinny mocha latticinos. Perfect. Blog boy (since he contacted me through my blog) won't know what hit him.

Ooh, bonus --> I can get instant feedback from my baristas. And let's face it, if your barista doesn't like the guy, there's a red flag being thrown somewhere in dating land.

Biggby: Be happy, drink good coffee, and listen to your baristas.

~Kimberly

BIGGBY enters Birmingham - The Oakland Press Business: The best place for news in and around Oakland County

Biggby hits Birmingham - The Oakland Press Business: The best place for news in and around Oakland County

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Biggby Coffee celebrates 15th birthday

By Jeremy Warnemuende
Original State News Article

When Bob Fish and Mary Roszel decided to open a coffee shop in East Lansing 15 years ago, many people wondered if it would be a profitable business endeavor.

“When we first started, there were many other coffee shops in the area,” Roszel said. “People would come up, put their hand on my shoulder and ask, ‘Are you sure it’s going to be OK? Are you going to make it?’”

On Monday, Roszel and Fish proved their doubters wrong by celebrating Biggby Coffee’s 15th anniversary and offering free tall drinks to Biggby E-ward members at any participating store. In addition, a birthday party was held at the original Biggby shop at 270 W. Grand River Ave.

Roszel, Fish and several of their business partners attended the party, and customers could receive a free drink of any size from 8 a.m. to noon.

Customers went in and out of the original Biggby all morning to receive a free coffee and help celebrate the occasion.

“We definitely expected a lot of people, we just didn’t know how busy it would be,” said Jessica Belen, a corporate trainer and barista at the original Biggby. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many people here. It’s really cool and exciting.”

The turnout could not have been better, said Fish. He was excited to see so many people he remembered from when Biggby first started.

“For me, it’s awesome to be at the original store,” said Fish. “What I liked is being able to hang out and see people that I served drinks to between ’95 and ’97, say hello and talk about Biggby stories.”

Roszel agreed that coming back to where it all began for Biggby was important to her, but her favorite part was showing those who doubted her that she knew what she was doing the whole time.

“I never lost confidence that we would be successful, and it’s nice to come back and see those people that didn’t believe me again,” she said with a smile.

Since opening in 1995, Biggby Coffee has expanded from one shop in East Lansing to 107 in five states. Although some coffee chains are forced to close shops, Biggby is opening three more in the next 45 days, Fish said.

Fish attributes his company’s success and ability to reach the 15-year milestone to its simplicity.

“One of the things we did differently when we opened was we tended to make coffee less intimidating than most places,” he said. “A lot of people do this whole Euro chic and fancy-pants names. We call things caramel marbles and teddy bears, and our business is much more approachable.”

Along with making it easy for customers to order, Roszel said Biggby prides itself on customer service. She said the baristas at Biggby are taught to be friendly and get to know their customers.

Ben Newman, a senior at East Lansing High School, said friendliness brings him to Biggby on a regular basis, and Biggby giving away free coffee to customers mirrors the coffee chain’s typical customer service.

“It’s awesome,” Newman said. “It’s kind of like it’s my birthday. I love it.”

Originally Published: 6 hours ago