Gorilla Coffee Reopens, With New Workers
It was not until about 9:45 the morning of its reopening that the Gorilla coffee shop in Park Slope, Brooklyn, began to look a little like its old self: a few patrons lined up at the cash register, waiting for lattes and Balthazar pastries; several others sitting at red Formica tables, drinking coffee and tapping away at their laptops.
It may not have been the usual mob scene: every table full, a line out the door, a frenzy of grinding and tamping and brewing behind the counter. but it was not bad for the return to business after being shut down for two weeks over — of all things in a neighborhood that is practically ground zero for lefty political correctness — a labor dispute.
The entire (and nonunionized) staff resigned April 10, citing a “perpetually malicious, hostile and demeaning work environment” under Carol McLaughlin, one of the two owners, and leaving the seven-year-old business with a public-relations headache and the necessity of hiring and training new workers.
But Monday morning, most patrons either seemed surprised to learn that there had been complaints about the management or took the position that since both sides probably had merit, they would let the coffee win out.
“It’s good coffee — the best coffee I’ve ever had,” said Chris Mapp, who had been in the habit of coming over for a latte every day over the last year, adding that he had never seen the kind of staff grumbling he would expect in a place with troubles. “They seem so nice!”
A co-owner, Darleen Scherer, who got a warm greeting from the staff — new employees except for the manager, Caitlin Geoghan — as she came in, was reluctant to discuss the staff walkout, which she said was, “totally unexpected.”
“We’ve gotten a lot of support from our neighbors and other business owners who were, like, ‘Please reopen,’ ” she said, noting that they had refinished the floors, painted and fine-tuned the machines during the hiatus.
“From a business owner’s standpoint, we feel like we’re doing everything right: paying everyone well, and setting up health benefits and encouraging learning in coffee and sending people places and paying in full. So now we’re kind of just getting back to basics. I said to everybody, ‘Let’s learn about coffee and do a good job and be happy.’ “
Gorilla Coffee Reopens, With new Workers
