ON FIGHTING LIKE HELL

March 18, 2020

Today, amid headline after headline about store closings and layoffs, I wrote this note to our staff. Yes, we’re opening a new store.

Summit:
I wrote in the journal yesterday about the need to balance reality with optimism. That's how we are approaching every hour at Summit these days -- trying to maintain a stable day-to-day business, while also keeping our focus on building a sustainable business.

I know there have been a rash of business shutdowns and job losses around the country, perhaps disproportionately impacting the service industry. I told the advisory team today that I owe it to Summit, I owe it to YOU, to fight like hell to keep our doors open, keep money coming in so we can keep money going out.

The reality is our sales have dropped, quite precipitously. We are constantly evaluating our business model, and believe we have settled on a new place -- let's call it Phase 2.5 -- that will be sustainable for some time.

We are NOT intending to shut down our cafés, or our roasting business. I know everyone around us is taking this road -- several of our neighbors have made the impossible decision to let employees go because of dwindling revenue. In New York, Danny Meyer just let go of 2,000 people at the Union Square Hospitality Group restaurants. We don't intend to do that, don't want to do that.

Preserving jobs is the primary reason we're trying to stay open, it's our primary focus. It may look weird as all heck for a few weeks or even months, but so long as we can hit some benchmarks and the government lets us, our plan is to keep things operating.

One way we're planning to keep jobs is opening a new store. Yes, that's right. We have gotten a permit to open a temporary pop-up location in Davidson, at the old Wells Fargo Drive Thru down the road. We're collaborating with some special friends to stimulate some new growth and enthusiasm, and hopeful that this will allow folks another convenient way to find our coffee during this crisis. Here's to creating positive headlines.

So, Phase 2.5. What this is going to require is some more creativity, some shorter hours, and it will be steered location-by-location.

I hope you know, above all else, how much we appreciate you, how much we care for you. Summit IS each of you, it's all of us. I am hopeful Phase 2.5 will help us weather this storm, and position us better than ever to accelerate forward once this nightmare is over.

With the utmost gratitude,
@brian