melting pot
'
T
he -Laughing Clowns coffee shop is situated in a rural city of Australia. The population is approximately 25,000, yet this figure fluctuates markedly as a major university is situated in the town. The university has a large contingent of external students who fillthe population g~\Pleft by the internal students when they are on term breaks. There are seven coffee shops in the ll)Wn,,111d each of them has its own special atmosphere.
The Laughing Clowns has been in existe.nce for ten years and has had two owners during this time. Alphonse, the current owner, purchased the business six years ago and is quite contented to keep the business indefinitely. His profits are good, and he enjoys the interaction he has with cu~tomers on a daily basis. Alphonse is 54 years of age, and is somewhat of a 'roving n1anager,' meaning that he tends to wander through the shop most of the day, helping out here and there, and stopping to chat with regular customers. He has a loud voice, is quite rotund, with a headful of black curls and a bushy moustache.
,"-
.
His hair usually has a wild look to it, and seems to suit his personality. Alphonse laughs frequently and can be heard 'calming the troubled waters' when there are problems or staff are becoming; stressed at busy times. He is frequently heard saying that 'Today is all we have; we should wring every lastdropout of it!' He is always open to staff suggestions for improvements, too. The cafe has a 'theme day' around once every two months and the staffis expected not merely to wear the appropriate costUme but also to 'act the part.'
This was a little problematic the last time Alphonse chose a theme..,-he decided on Halloween but got a little carried away decorating the shop to look like the residence of the Addams family' and some customers were put off when he kept standing on his head, legs crossed, with a cigar in his mouth and insisted on mock sword fights with 'Mortida,' his second in command.
T
he -Laughing Clowns coffee shop is situated in a rural city of Australia. The population is approximately 25,000, yet this figure fluctuates markedly as a major university is situated in the town. The university has a large contingent of external students who fillthe population g~\Pleft by the internal students when they are on term breaks. There are seven coffee shops in the ll)Wn,,111d each of them has its own special atmosphere.
The Laughing Clowns has been in existe.nce for ten years and has had two owners during this time. Alphonse, the current owner, purchased the business six years ago and is quite contented to keep the business indefinitely. His profits are good, and he enjoys the interaction he has with cu~tomers on a daily basis. Alphonse is 54 years of age, and is somewhat of a 'roving n1anager,' meaning that he tends to wander through the shop most of the day, helping out here and there, and stopping to chat with regular customers. He has a loud voice, is quite rotund, with a headful of black curls and a bushy moustache.
,"-
.
His hair usually has a wild look to it, and seems to suit his personality. Alphonse laughs frequently and can be heard 'calming the troubled waters' when there are problems or staff are becoming; stressed at busy times. He is frequently heard saying that 'Today is all we have; we should wring every lastdropout of it!' He is always open to staff suggestions for improvements, too. The cafe has a 'theme day' around once every two months and the staffis expected not merely to wear the appropriate costUme but also to 'act the part.'
This was a little problematic the last time Alphonse chose a theme..,-he decided on Halloween but got a little carried away decorating the shop to look like the residence of the Addams family' and some customers were put off when he kept standing on his head, legs crossed, with a cigar in his mouth and insisted on mock sword fights with 'Mortida,' his second in command.