From making lattes to running a whole coffee shop, Daphne Lovelace’s story demonstrates courage, flexibility, and a commitment to customer service.
“I am 62 years old and have two children and one grandchild. I have been a barista for 19 years. I started in Las Vegas and ended up here. But now I am the manager,” said Lovelace.
Daphne Lovelace at Work, Photo Credit: Esperance Amuri
Lovelace was born here in Dayton, but due to her stepfather’s service in the Air Force, she has been traveling since she was 13 and later joined the Military herself.
“I worked as a barista in Vegas. I started as a barista and became a manager there; then, I moved back here for my grandchild and came to this one. I was here for about a week and a half and became a manager. But I worked in factories and other stuff before I got here; I worked in PNG,” said Lovelace.
Lovelace’s journey to becoming Sinclair’s coffee shop manager was due to a lack of other job prospects after quitting her previous job. Since she was already a barista, she decided to give it another try and applied for a position here at Sinclair. She was hired on the same day she came in for an interview.
“What I like most about Sinclair are the people because they are so nice, sweet, and respectful. I’ve never had anybody disrespectful or anything. It’s been a really good experience with all the different people here,” said Lovelace.
According to Lovelace, she manages Sinclair’s Coffee shop and helps in the cafeteria as cashier when needed. So, when it comes to what a typical day looks like to Lovelace, this is what she had to say:
“It is sometimes very busy, sometimes exhausting because you have to unload trucks with all your product on it. Put it on a cart, bring it downstairs, put it in the store room, stock everything, date everything,” said Lovelace.
While she manages all these, she must also be available to guide her team, answer their questions, and provide them with the necessary essential knowledge. She must also keep her phone handy to stay connected with her team if they want her help while helping in the cafeteria.
When it comes to how Lovelace balances managing a coffee shop and stepping in to help the cafeteria, she says just to take it slow. She highlights the importance of being present where needed.
If her team requires assistance downstairs, she stays there; if they need her upstairs, she goes up as long as everything runs smoothly downstairs. She believes her team can run the coffee shop without her, which allows her to step in and help in the cafeteria without worrying.
According to Lovelace, Sinclair Coffee Shop fosters a sense of community on campus by serving as a central gathering place where students and staff can meet, reconnect, and socialize.
She noted that it acts as a melting pot where people from different nationalities meet, making it a place where everyone is treated equally and with respect. She contributes to this community- building side through her management style, ensuring that her team treats all customs respectfully and kindly.
“I run Starbucks the way I want to be treated. If I go to a coffee shop or whatever type of shop, if I go to a donut shop, whatever it is, I want to be treated with respect and talked to with respect, not just like, ‘Ok, well, thank you.’ And then as soon as you turn your back, they’re snickering or talking about you, so I treat everybody how I like to be treated,” said Lovelace.
Lovelace receives feedback from students and staff about their experience at Sinclair Coffee. Some are good; some are bad, but mostly good. Sometimes, the input is negative because certain products that the customs need are away from the shop due to delivery issues.
“The only problem I have is trying to get my trucks in here and get them on time. But when it’s like a holiday, then it’s like I have to order double orders two weeks before the holiday comes so that it comes early,” said Lovelace.
Stepping in as a cashier in the cafeteria has helped to expand Lovelace’s perspective on food services at Sinclair by pointing out the importance of treating every customer with respect and ensuring they are happy. Ensuring that customers get everything they want quickly and have a good and unique experience every time they come.
To Lovelace, caramel frappuccinos and caramel macchiatos are the two favorite drinks most students get from the Coffee Shop. They make many of these drinks daily, estimating 50 caramel frappuccinos and caramel macchiatos on busy days.
The one aspect of Lovelace’s job that students and staff might be surprised to learn about is the amount of work required to maintain the Sinclair Coffee shop because it is not just making coffee. There’s a whole lot more to it.
Meeting various people and interacting with many different personalities have been the most rewarding experiences for Lovalace’s role as a manager. She expressed that she genuinely enjoys connecting with the various individuals who come through the Coffee Shop, which highlights the positive impact these interactions have on her experience.
“I guess the only way for my position to evolve is if I get promoted to something else besides what I am doing right now. As you said, and I want to be the district manager, I want to ensure that every coffee shop I oversee serves people with the same respect they want. I want to ensure everybody gets good customer service,” said Lovelace.
According to Lovelace, the collaboration between the coffee shop and the dining services benefits the campus community by allowing students and staff to get food, drinks, and coffee without leaving the campus; the cafeteria has guest restaurants that come to the campus Monday through Thursday. It also serves the campus community well because students can still stay on campus and study, pick up something to eat or drink, and be right here; the library, computers, everything is right here. It is just like a one-stop shop.
“I try to make sure that my girls who work for me are all on the same page regarding what to do if we don’t have a product. I want to ensure that everybody knows. Because if only one person knows and the other person is up there and somebody comes and asks for it, we don’t have it. I don’t want them standing there looking like an idiot.”
“I need everybody to know and be on board that this is the product that we don’t have. I need everybody to be on board, as this is how we treat our customers. Do not treat them differently because I will not stand for that. I want everything consistent,” said Lovelace
Lovelace advises Sinclair students to consider the benefits of working on campus. Having a job on campus enables them to study and work without driving to their workplace outside of campus. It also helps students manage their time effectively, balancing work and academic Responsibilities.
To all students and Sinclair attendees, Lovelace has this to say:
“I would tell them that it depends on what job or what they wanted to do because a lot of people might not want to make coffee; they may want to go upstairs and be a cashier or be on the grill or something, but there’s always an opportunity because they’re always hiring.
“There’s always an opportunity for you to grow or at least have a job so you can have some income to help you supplement whatever bills you have. This work would be nice and easy, and you could still study and complete everything. Because you never know, you might end up liking your job when it may change your major, and you have no idea,” said Lovelace.
Esperance Amuri, Staff Writer