Compass Coffee

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Compass Coffee
TypePrivately held company
IndustryCoffee roaster
FoundedJuly 2014; 7 years ago (July 2014)
Shaw, Washington, D.C., United States
FounderMichael Haft and Harrison Suarez
WebsiteOfficial website

Compass Coffee is an American coffee roaster based in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 2014 and currently has twelve[1] branches in Washington, D.C. and Virginia.[2][3][4]

History[]

Store in Shaw, Washington, DC

Compass Coffee was founded by Michael Haft and Harrison Suarez in 2014.[5] Following the Shaw neighborhood store, a second store was opened in the same neighborhood in September 2015.[6] Over the next few years, other stores were opened in Washington DC and Arlington, Virginia.[7][8]

Compass was served in the White House during the Veterans Day Commemoration Speech in 2015.[9]

On October 20, 2017, Compass Coffee founders Haft and Suarez received the District of Columbia Chamber of Commerce's Community Impact Award at the 2017 Chamber's Choice Gala.[10]

The Washington Post reported that Compass is building a roasting facility in the Ivy City neighborhood of DC.[11]

As of February 2020, Compass had 12 locations in DC and Virginia.[1]

Covid-19 lay off and elimination of tipping[]

Compass closed 6 of its locations in mid-March 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19 (now open). Compass laid off 150 of its 189 employees, 80 percent of its staff in March 2020.[12] To support the lay-off employees, Compass provided training and sent employees who agreed to work in the construction of the roaster facility it is building.[13]

Towards the beginning of 2020, Compass Coffee eliminated the option for patrons to tip workers, but offered a base pay increase to offset "lost wages." Workers at the company’s different locations compiled their hourly wages in a shared spreadsheet to determine whether the pay change coupled with the elimination of tips actually constituted a pay raise. They found that, in nearly every case, loss of tips was greater than the hourly pay increase.[14]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Behold Compass Coffee's Beautiful 10th Cafe Now Open in Georgetown". PoPville. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  2. ^ Judkis, Maura (September 17, 2014). "From the Ground Up: Legacy and legwork". The Washington Post.
  3. ^ Ravindranath, Mohana (December 28, 2014). "At Compass Coffee, data is the secret ingredient". The Washington Post.
  4. ^ "Compass Coffee". compasscoffee.com. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  5. ^ "Real Good Coffee, Made in D.C." Compass Coffee. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  6. ^ Bethune, Meredith (November 3, 2015). "Compass Coffee's Second Location Is Now Open". Eater DC.
  7. ^ Carman, Tim (April 5, 2017). "Starbucks is all over downtown Washington. These coffee shops are much better". The Washington Post.
  8. ^ "Compass Coffee Set to Open New Location in Ballston Next Month". ARLnow.com - Arlington, Va. Local News. January 22, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  9. ^ "Remarks by the President at Veterans Day Commemoration Ceremony". whitehouse.gov. November 11, 2015. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  10. ^ "DC Chamber Recognizes Compass Coffee". MidCity DC News. November 10, 2017.
  11. ^ culture, Maura Judkis closeMaura JudkisReporter covering; food; artsEmailEmailBioBioFollowFollowReporter, the. "Compass Coffee is expanding with a new roastery and coffee shop in Ivy City". Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  12. ^ "Coronavirus Is Causing Industry-Wide Layoffs In D.C., Hitting Service Workers Particularly Hard". DCist. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  13. ^ Berg, Nate (July 9, 2021). "Why this coffee shop turned its baristas into construction workers during COVID-19". Fast Company. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  14. ^ "Here's What Happened After Compass Coffee Eliminated Tips". WAMU. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
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