Where Work Meets Laughter

Staff morale is crucial to our operations at Crown Street—so we laugh. Some believe that the only duty businesses have to their staff is to provide a safe work environment where employees show up and go home, but I disagree.

People spend a large portion of their lives working, and we have the unique opportunity to make it not only safe but enjoyable. We have high standards for our staff, and we hold each other to them, but I wholeheartedly believe that can coexist with laughter.

So how do we create this environment? It starts with our leadership. Our cafe manager is a beacon of light. She has empathy and the ability to make mundane tasks fun. That attitude is contagious and creates a work environment where we can laugh together. It also helps that we have incredible human beings on our staff who radiate positivity and bring their own unique sense of humor. A half-gallon of coffee spills on the floor during a rush, the baseboards need bleaching, we have 10 food tickets and a line out the door. It’s stressful, but we laugh about it later as we recount getting through it in one piece.

No matter what line of work you are in, it’s hard. Being a business owner is difficult, but so is being a barista or working in the kitchen. Add to that the fact that we are human and bring our personal struggles with us, just trying to get through the day at times. Ultimately, though, we ride the wave of emotions, comfort each other, tell corny jokes, make cringy TikToks, and find comfort in laughter—but more importantly, in one another.