Few brands in the beverage space have grown as quickly, or as intentionally, as Black Rock Coffee Bar. With over 162 locations and seven more opening this month, the company is scaling across the country while holding tightly to something many high-growth brands lose along the way: the human heartbeat behind the business.
On this episode of Behind the Numbers, hosts Marc Cohen and Rich Sweeney sit down with Heather Kulzak, Vice President of Learning and Operations Services, to talk about how Black Rock doubled its footprint since 2020, how it trains thousands of baristas with scientific precision, and why the company still believes the most important part of its operation isn’t the product—it’s the people.
Heather begins with a simple truth: “The systems are only as good as the people executing them.” At Black Rock, that translates into an unwavering investment in training, storytelling, and daily connection. With over 2,500 employees, the brand leans heavily into development—both in leadership and in craft.
A young barista becoming a store lead isn’t unusual. In fact, Heather just interviewed one who confidently walked her through his sales trends, labor management, and inventory variance—skills he attributes to Black Rock’s intentional training approach. “They want to learn,” Heather says. “We show them why it matters, and they take ownership from there.”
Growth at this scale demands operational rigor. Black Rock now moves more than 26,000 pounds of coffee beans per week, just to retail stores. And because every drink is handcrafted to order, consistency becomes a science.
Across every store, the espresso dosage tolerance is extremely tight, water temperature is dialed in, and pressure has to be perfect. Whether a guest visits Phoenix, San Diego, or the Pacific Northwest, the cup should taste identical.
That consistency, Heather notes, comes from repetition, engagement, and modern training content, not from handing someone a paper recipe sheet.
Black Rock’s adoption of Restaurant365 marked a major operational shift:
The impact?
Weekly counting has become a muscle. And in Heather’s words, business acumen has “gone way up.”
It also directly connects to compensation. Store leaders participate in profit-sharing, rewarding tight labor management and controlled expenses.
With growth accelerating, Heather’s team supports store openings across California, Arizona, Dallas, Houston, and Colorado, sometimes launching five stores in a single week.
A dedicated new store opening manager leads the process, supplemented by strong operators flown in from around the company.
Despite the complexity, leaders entering new stores are already trained and already using Restaurant365, meaning day one starts with correct inventory, correct invoices, and immediate operational visibility.
Founded in 2008 in Beaverton, Oregon, Black Rock built its brand around one mission:
Fuel people’s stories.
Whether it’s a barista recognizing a regular, a meaningful drive-thru interaction, or a lobby filled with students, card players, or remote workers, community is still central.
Heather shares a moment when she overheard a barista casually telling a guest what time she got off work—something that once would have shocked her. But today? “They’re friends. They’re neighbors. They see each other every day.”
It’s analog magic in an increasingly digital world.
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