Stephen Kennedy
Owner, Copper + Straw
Addressing and improving the little things that make running and growing your business easier.
Stephen Kennedy left his job in higher education to open the first Copper + Straw coffee shop in the seaside town of Bray in 2018. The second Copper + Straw, in Dublin’s Arran Quay, followed in June 2021. That’s when Elavon joined the team as payment partners.
Knowledge is power
“As we expand, it’s really important to be able to focus on the coffee business. The way for me to focus on the business is to really understand it – and the best way for me to really understand my business is to have access to good quality data,” says Kennedy
“I’m not an accountant and I want to spend my time running a coffee shop, ensuring our customers have an exceptional experience and researching the market for the best guest roasters out there, keeping the focus on coffee.
“I’ll always have to do the financials, of course, but now I can do that in the most efficient way and spend the least amount of time on that side of things.”
The best way for me to really understand my business is to have access to good quality data.
Focusing on customer care
Now, Kennedy is set to open a third speciality coffee shop this summer. “We switched to Elavon for a particular reason – we wanted a payment provider that offered better customer care and heard good things through word of mouth,” says Kennedy.
The company provided Talech™ software through iPad terminals linked to an Ingenico card machine. “The Talech™ experience is exceptional. It’s really user friendly and incredibly fast,” says Kennedy. “From the back end, it is so easy to add and group new products, add new employees, monitor cash management and access a range of reports. “These little things make running a business so much easier.”
