Business & Tech

The Barista: Crowds and $100 Tips

December starts slow at Cafe 1134, but by the week before Christmas it's off to the races.

 

For some people Christmas comes in a mad rush. At , it rises like a wave.

“It sort of builds,” says Pam Aldridge, who has owned the Orange Avenue coffeehouse and eatery for nearly seven years.

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By the week before Christmas, and for two weeks after, she says, things get hectic in the cafe. School's out, college students come home, family is in town and tourists arrive to celebrate New Year's.

“The week after Christmas is like the adult week,” she says. “New Year's is coming. Everybody is having parties and the kids are all out of college.”

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Just in time for the holidays, Aldridge put a painting from a friend up above the counter. It says simply, “Breathe.”

That's good advice for harried holiday shoppers, she says, but if there's too much to do and tired moms, dads and other revelers just need a boost, she recommends a large latte.

“That's a three-shot drink,” she says, of the additional espresso.

Aldridge is thrilled that after having her best business year in 2010, she's about to top it in 2011. Coronadans are loyal not only in supporting the cafe, but in showing love to her workers. This is the time of year when $100 bills end up in the tip jar and candy boxes get dropped off. One woman brought in $20 gift cards for all her counter clerks.

“People – their hearts go out at Christmas,” the Hillcrest resident says. “It's very nice.”

Aldridge is one of Coronado Patch's 12 People of Christmas, business people and celebrants whose work and hobbies give them a unique perspective on the holidays. Watch in the coming days as we talk to more people who offer their take on the holidays and advice for how to make it through this busy time.


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