Anthony Lee on managing two small coffee shops in the time of COVID-19

Anthony Lee of Hidden House Coffee (Photo/Alyssa Gervacio)

Anthony Lee loves googly eyes, food and dogs. Don't we all? Managing two locations of Hidden House Coffee in Orange County is something we can only think about, Lee lives through it every day. Currently serving at Hidden House Coffee's San Juan Capistrano location, Lee serves customers with a smile behind his mask every day. 

1. How has working during COVID-19 been since Hidden House Coffee is a smaller business?

It was a little rough in the beginning since I worked at a smaller and slower location and because of that, we had to close. The main shop in San Juan started to pick up in business so the owner has me help out there and I eventually started to manage that location! 

2. How do you deal with managing the locations?

Managing is fine honestly. I've been in a leadership position for maybe 4-5 years so I've become accustomed to it. I love building and bringing teams together and making work fun. Because, if you're not having fun at work you're not doing it right."

3. What does a regular workday look like?

My regular workday usually starts with me connecting with everyone there and saying hi! That's something that's important to me because work can become mundane and having that human connection really helps. The rest of my day is cleaning stocking and giving a great customer experience. I also connect with property management, organize and order merchandise through the company and communicate with anyone who wants to do some sort of event at the shop.

4. Why are you working at a coffee shop?

I used to work somewhere that I thought was good for me because it was a larger company with benefits. People thought it was a super cool job at the time and so did I. I realized that sometimes the most 'logical and realistic job' isn't the best one for yourself and your mental health. I left to work at a coffee shop as a normal barista but ended up becoming a manager because if my past work experience. 

5. Have any funny things happened while working here?

Oh for sure. There was a time where someone brought in a giant bag of googly eyes and we started putting them on EVERYTHING. Customers were super confused because they felt like they were constantly being watched by inanimate objects around the store. 

6. What's the best thing about your hob?

The best thing about my job is how much fun I have when I'm there. I love how work doesn't really feel like work because of how much we're always laughing.