The high “HQ” at Cobblestones
This is the second installation of “Behind the Counter,” an ongoing series” celebrating Beacon Hill salespeople and the places they work. If you have any suggestions for future pieces, please contact Susanne at [email protected].
Spotify may provide the background tunes at Cobblestones, located at 30 Charles Street. But the real harmony comes from behind the counter, where the café’s staff flow seamlessly, gracefully, like professional orchestra members, moving from order to order, station to station, exchanging roles when needed, to keep their steady line of customers well-fed and hydrated.
Co-owner Jennifer Gallagher (with Dave O’Connell) laughs at the suggestion that her talent in putting together such an ensemble makes her a conductor on par with Keith Lockhart, and quickly turns the spotlight back to her team. “I think kindness is the main ingredient of our secret sauce…and that’s something they all that have.” Among her first hires were undergrads who were part of the same sports team who understand firsthand the adage ‘there is no I in team’. “The biggest compliment was when they [would] tell their friends that it’s a really fun place to work,” Jen says.
Staffer Emilee Anderson (Favorite sandwich to eat: The Reuben; To make: Pear and Gouda Grilled Cheese) – credits the owners with setting that tone. “I think [Jen] attracts the right kind of people…the people who are kind and outgoing and are really just interested in connecting with other people. You attract what you are, and she definitely attracts those kinds of people.”
Emilee says she has worked in the food and hospitality industry before – from pizza joints to more formal Italian restaurants – but nothing has compared with her time at Cobblestones. “I’ve never had such a great experience with everyone being so friendly and becoming friends with the people that I work with,” Emilee exclaims. “We have fun, but we never goof off because we know that this is so important to [Jen and Dave]. We want to do the best that we can.”
Emily MacDougal, another crew member (Favorite sandwich to eat, Pear and Gouda Grilled Cheese; favorite to make, Mediterranean Bowl) agrees, likening the experience of working behind the counter to what she loved as a college theater major. “It’s talking to people. It’s really actively listening. It’s working efficiently, it’s working as part of a team.” She didn’t really expect to take the job, but after she did, she found she couldn’t leave. “My staying has been very intentional because of Jen and Dave and the team.”
Jake Rait (Favorite sandwich to eat and make: The Cali. “Scrambled eggs cheddar pesto aioli bacon and tomato on a brioche bun. Very yummy!”) says much the same as he has come and gone several times, always returning to the other side of the counter between breaks for school and an unexpected teaching assignment in Bueno Aires. “I grew up in the industry, literally across the street,” he explains, as his parents owned the Beacon Hill Inn and Bistro before selling it to the Saunders Group in December 2015. But Jake says he has never felt so in sync with a team the way he has at Cobblestones.
Workmate and manager Rowan Boynton (Favorite sandwich to eat and make: Good Fella, peppered ham, salami, mortadella, provolone, tomatoes, pickles, EVOO and seasonings on focaccia) remembers one time when it was just the two of them on shift swamped with a large influx of in-person and online orders. “We worked effortlessly together. It was fluid… and we didn’t make a single mistake. Everyone’s orders were perfect,” she says with pride. “It was great. And afterwards, you know, me and him had this sense of accomplishment… That was awesome. To be able to work with someone so well that you’re kind of flowing off of each other without even really talking that much.”
Rowan also credits the owners with choosing the right team members. “They’re not just hiring people who think, ‘I just need a job and I’m gonna get this done. Whatever.’ They’re hiring people that genuinely want to make a positive environment, which is really, really awesome.” Not surprisingly, that approach is right in line with the philosophy Jen shares with her industry hero, Shake Shack owner, Danny Meyer, who hires on the basis of what he calls “hospitality quotient…the degree to which someone is happier themselves when they provide happiness for someone else.”
Rowan notes that such an emphasis on positivity creates a welcoming environment for customers, too. “You get that community vibe where people know each other. You watch people grow up or go through life events, things like that. You can create that kind of space for people, which I think is really beautiful.”
Emily chimes in, nodding with her words. “[Cobblestone customers] are so kind. They’re always asking what our names are. The regulars not only know us, but they’ll remember things about us. Alot of people ask me about how school is, or people will talk to me about Texas if they know that I’m from there…People treat us with so much respect and that makes it such a huge difference, even though it feels like so little.”
Which is not to say that every day is easy. Orders can stack up, online and in person, and the growing catering business ensures that there is virtually no downtime for crew members. Some items are more complicated than others, too, including, strangely enough for Emiliee, hot chocolate. “It can be a bit of a tough one during a rush because there’s so many elements going on there,” she laughs.
And while almost all the customers are pleasant and understanding, a few have been less so over the years.
Emilee notes that her graduate work in counseling psychology has come in handy at such times, especially when lines snake out the front door in the summer.
I apologize and tell them I understand that the situation is not ideal and then try to offer them solutions, like taking their food to go. They just want to be heard,” she says with an understanding tone.
Stay in or take out, a visit to the team at Cobblestones, is sure to be memorable for both the customer and the crew with takeaways that go well beyond the food. For Jen, the entire enterprise has been a dream come true. “It’s been the biggest miracle of my life… I put my heart and soul into it, but the benefit is… you make somebody happy.” Emilee cites one lady who is a regular as the perfect example of what the café is all about. “She is probably the sweetest person I have ever met… her energy is just so peaceful and kind. I think she is a little bit of a reminder for everyone: just be happy.”
Susanne Beck is a resident of Beacon Hill.