{"id":3573,"date":"2017-09-09T13:44:13","date_gmt":"2017-09-09T12:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/blog\/ub\/2017\/09\/insights-from-the-iron-triangle\/"},"modified":"2022-01-14T10:38:40","modified_gmt":"2022-01-14T10:38:40","slug":"insights-from-the-iron-triangle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/articles\/insights\/insights-from-the-iron-triangle\/","title":{"rendered":"Insights from the Iron Triangle"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div><div class=\"seriesmeta archive\"><i class=\"fa-solid fa-layer-group\"><\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/articles\/series\/coffee-shop-viability\/\" class=\"series-1781\" title=\"Coffee Shop Commercial Viability\">Coffee Shop Commercial Viability<\/a> series<\/div>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why coffee shops can only pick two of fast, quality and&nbsp;cheap<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>Earlier in the summer we wrote an article positing that the coffee industry had made a mistake linking the price of a cup of coffee with the perceived cost of coffee beans and espresso machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right advance-link-arrow\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/blog\/insights\/2017\/06\/the-true-cost-of-espresso\/\">Read The True Cost of Espresso<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many baristas liked it and it sparked conversation about how the industry could add greater value to specialty coffee. Others, however, have communicated their reluctance to charge more for a cup fearing that they might loose customers or reduce accessibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We can appreciate those concerns, so before exploring ways to charge more in future articles, we\u2019ve taken a side-step to see what alternatives there are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Our hands are bound in iron handcuffs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>No-one seems to know where the <em>Iron Triangle <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Project_management_triangle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">concept<\/a> originated, but many people will be familiar with the phrase<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>You can have it fast, cheap, or high quality \u2013 but you can only pick&nbsp;two.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The concept is that there is a tension between speed, cost and quality, and that it is difficult \u2013 nay, almost impossible \u2013 to reconcile this tension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image size-medium wp-image-3819\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/The-Iron-Triangle.png\" alt=\"The Iron\u00a0Triangle\" class=\"wp-image-3819\" srcset=\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/The-Iron-Triangle.png 1200w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/The-Iron-Triangle-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/The-Iron-Triangle-600x400.png 600w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/The-Iron-Triangle-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/The-Iron-Triangle-416x277.png 416w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption>The Iron&nbsp;Triangle<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Exploring the Iron Triangle with Coffee Equipment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It almost goes without saying that this tension exists at most levels of the coffee industry. For example, take the relationship between equipment and cup quality:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Coffee machines that make coffee quickly generally produce lower cup quality than would be desirable for many specialty coffee businesses and they are quite often expensive<\/li><li>Many cheaper coffee machines struggle to achieve the desired quality for many specialty coffee businesses. They are also no faster.<\/li><li>Many quality coffee machines are more expensive, and comparatively slower (or the right amount of time if using specialty coffee\u2019s standards) and are also more expensive to operate as they are less automated<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>So when buying a new machine, the decision is based on finding an appropriate compromise between these factors. If you take all the available hospitality equipment, most specialty coffee shops prioritise <em>quality<\/em> when choosing an espresso machine and <em>price<\/em> or <em>speed <\/em>when choosing a dishwasher \u2013 with the remaining factors playing secondary and tertiary importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are now about to get a wave of emails from coffee equipment manufacturers telling us that their new machine is fast<em>er<\/em>, cheap<em>er<\/em> and of <em>better<\/em> quality. And it may well be, but it still won\u2019t be the holy trinity of all three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Lanark-Coffee-Hackney-800x800.jpeg\" alt=\"Lanark Coffee in London uses a decades-old Victoria Arduino Leva which the proprietor refurbished himself\" class=\"wp-image-3820\"\/><figcaption>Lanark Coffee in London uses a decades-old Victoria Arduino Leva which the proprietor refurbished himself<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Because of this, coffee equipment manufacturers position their products and brands by prioritising one or two of these factors \u2013 and the market segments around them. That is, no one product (or even a brand) serves all tiers of the coffee industry. This is completely normal, and similar segmentation occurs in cars, electronics and most other things we consume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Innovation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Over time things change. With each new product launch we move closer to a coffee machine that is fast, cheap, and of quality. But also over time our perception and judgement changes. Take <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/PID_controller\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PIDs<\/a>, for example. For a small cost, they have significantly increased quality with no impediment to speed. PIDs were at first an aftermarket extra, now they are so widely implemented that they barely make the features list for many commercial espresso machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, when choosing equipment, we now judge equipment using the standards of quality, price and speed that this technological improvement set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While often innovations are technological, it\u2019s important to note that they can also be financial, changes in the supply chain, as a result of restructuring operations, the creation of a new business model etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-image-3818\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Redroaster-Brighton-800x800.jpeg\" alt=\"Redroaster in Brighton. Is this one of the UK\u2019s most beautiful coffee\u00a0shops?\" class=\"wp-image-3818\" srcset=\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Redroaster-Brighton-800x800.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Redroaster-Brighton-400x400.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Redroaster-Brighton-768x768.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Redroaster-Brighton-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Redroaster-Brighton-912x912.jpeg 912w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Redroaster-Brighton-550x550.jpeg 550w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Redroaster-Brighton-470x470.jpeg 470w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Redroaster-Brighton-416x416.jpeg 416w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Redroaster-Brighton-100x100.jpeg 100w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Redroaster-Brighton.jpeg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption>Redroaster in Brighton. Is this one of the UK\u2019s most beautiful coffee&nbsp;shops?<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Exploring the Iron Triangle with Staff&nbsp;Costs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.unitedbaristas.com\/the-true-cost-of-espresso-937da0860aba\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">previous post<\/a> we pointed out that the key driver of a cup of coffee\u2019s retail price is staff costs, so it seems prudent to explore the relationship between staffing and the price of a cup of coffee in the context of the iron triangle:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fast<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>If not implementing additional automation (which in most cases currently results in lower quality) fast service is dependent on many, skilled baristas working in an operationally well configured set up which adds cost<\/li><li>The other option is to be less diligent, for example about dosing or shot length, and forego quality for speed<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cheap<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Cheaper coffee usually comes at the expense of quality. Fast and cheap coffee can go together in some scenarios (thinking of some vending machines) but this often not financially possible with specialty coffee\u2019s ingredient and capex costs, particularly in shops with counter and floor staff.<\/li><li>The iron triangle concept is constrained on this point by government legislation. Cup prices don\u2019t have any real room to decrease as their price is largely set by costs of staffing, to which the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/national-minimum-wage-rates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">minimum wage<\/a> currently sets a floor of \u00a37.50 per hour. So it\u2019s difficult to imagine a scenario where the cup price of specialty coffee goes down.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quality<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Skilled staff have the capacity to lift cup quality, but are usually more expensive<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-image-3821\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Origin-Coffee-Shoreditch-800x800.jpeg\" alt=\"Origin Coffee in Shoreditch has a customised black La Marzocco Strada. The shop is partly a showcase for their wholesale clients.\" class=\"wp-image-3821\" srcset=\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Origin-Coffee-Shoreditch.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Origin-Coffee-Shoreditch-400x400.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Origin-Coffee-Shoreditch-768x768.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Origin-Coffee-Shoreditch-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Origin-Coffee-Shoreditch-550x550.jpeg 550w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Origin-Coffee-Shoreditch-470x470.jpeg 470w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Origin-Coffee-Shoreditch-416x416.jpeg 416w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Origin-Coffee-Shoreditch-100x100.jpeg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption>Origin Coffee in Shoreditch has a customised black La Marzocco Strada. The shop is partly a showcase for their wholesale clients.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Being an entrepreneur<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Now businesses need to offer a proposition that is some combination of perceived greater quality, faster or cheaper than their competitors. And businesses often thrive when they work out how to offer two of these factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many coffee shop make the mistake of offering all three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of you believe that one should offer all three, and at a theoretical level I would have some sympathy with you as its a noble aspiration and a great starting point for working out where to take your business. But when it comes to the nuts and bolts of running an operation and, importantly, when you wish to trade at a profit, you can\u2019t just offer speed, low pricing and quality to your customers without financial consequences.*<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you do, the resources required to deliver this proposition will eat up your profit. And this is pretty much where a good portion of the industry is right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stop benchmarking and return to core viable propositions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It is, of course, competition that has got us to this point, but we\u2019re not sure that it is market competition. Opening a coffee shop has relatively low barriers to entry, so many people have been able to do it. Unfortunately a large number of new proprietors seem to have taken an approach of, \u201cThey look busy, I\u2019ll do the same, but sell it a little cheaper\u201d. The same applies to roasters. This is not a good business strategy, and we hope that we\u2019ve now got past this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is currently some discussion about whether the market is large enough to support the number of coffee shops and roasters currently operating in the UK. Nobody has the data necessary to be sure, so I wouldn\u2019t trust the chitter-chatter on this matter. But it does seem highly likely that for all these businesses to survive, and even thrive, they are going to have to focus on distinct market niches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In practise, this means a variety of propositions derived from the permutations of fast, cheap, and of quality:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Fast and cheap (lower quality)<\/li><li>Fast and quality (more expensive)<\/li><li>Cheap and quality (slower)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-image-3804\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Iron-Triangle-Venn.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3804\" srcset=\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Iron-Triangle-Venn.png 1200w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Iron-Triangle-Venn-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Iron-Triangle-Venn-600x400.png 600w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Iron-Triangle-Venn-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Iron-Triangle-Venn-416x277.png 416w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption>The three ways The Iron Triangle concept proposes speciality coffee propositions can develop.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Give yourself \u2013 and your competitors \u2013 a&nbsp;break<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve written this post because it is our current estimation that key constraint to price increases exists inside the competitive culture that exists within the coffee community\u200a\u2014\u200anot consumers\u2019 willingness or ability to pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That cultural pressure makes it difficult for businesses to evolve their propositions into these niches. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>When a business starts buying cheaper coffee the industry rumour-mill starts and an opinion emerges that the establishment is going downhill. The fundamental measure is, of course, whether the quality and pricing is right for their customers, not the industry\u2019s baristas.<\/li><li>Or, when establishments raise prices, other proprietors start making comments like, \u201cI can\u2019t believe that get away with charging that much for <em>x<\/em>\u2019. The appropriate response ought to be a re-evaluation of what the market will yield.<\/li><li>And, when a shop pushes upmarket there is often implied criticism that they think too highly of themselves or an assertion that carries a moral dimension that they lack \u2018 accessibility\u2019. Obviously, we should all be working out how to charge our respective customers more almost all the time.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-image-3822\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Ditta-Florence-1-800x800.jpeg\" alt=\"Cheaper rents and different planning laws have allowed continental coffee businesses to more readily explore a variety of retail formats, like Ditta Artigianale in Florence.\" class=\"wp-image-3822\" srcset=\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Ditta-Florence-1.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Ditta-Florence-1-400x400.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Ditta-Florence-1-768x768.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Ditta-Florence-1-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Ditta-Florence-1-550x550.jpeg 550w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Ditta-Florence-1-470x470.jpeg 470w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Ditta-Florence-1-416x416.jpeg 416w, https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Ditta-Florence-1-100x100.jpeg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption>Cheaper rents and different planning laws have allowed continental coffee businesses to more readily explore a variety of retail formats, like Ditta Artigianale in Florence.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Divide and&nbsp;conquer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Just because we all share the same \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.unitedbaristas.com\/speciality-is-dead-lets-hope-specialty-dies-too-7fdad6d07c4c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">specialty<\/a>\u2019 label it doesn\u2019t mean we need to share the same proposition, or customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, when your competitor nudges their business towards one of these niches, it presents an opportunity for you to (rather than criticising them) push in a different direction. When this happens, businesses can stop fighting for the same customers and hone their operations and proposition to serve a niche of customers more profitably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why we continue to have high hopes for the future of specialty coffee, and are happy that the industry is increasingly becoming a big tent that includes all sorts and styles of coffee businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">* We wrote a draft section on the place of, that horribly overused word, \u2018disruption\u2019. Since this post was already running too long and the investment and experience required to disrupt the coffee industry is a tier too high for many coffee businesses, let us just say it is possible to disrupt the industry with a fast, cheap and quality proposition. If you really want to do this, then don\u2019t let us stand in your way, however, whether it\u2019d be financially worthwhile and provide a sustainable comparative advantage are two separate, but very important, questions.<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"seriesmeta\"><i class=\"fa-solid fa-layer-group\"><\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/articles\/series\/coffee-shop-viability\/\" class=\"series-1781\" title=\"Coffee Shop Commercial Viability\">Coffee Shop Commercial Viability<\/a> series<\/div><p>Why coffee shops can only pick two of fast, quality and\u00a0cheap.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3818,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[80],"tags":[82,121,156,298],"false":[1781],"ppma_author":[1926],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Insights from the Iron Triangle - Insights - United Baristas<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/articles\/insights\/insights-from-the-iron-triangle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Insights from the Iron Triangle - Insights - United Baristas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Why coffee shops can only pick two of fast, quality and\u00a0cheap.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/articles\/insights\/insights-from-the-iron-triangle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"United Baristas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/unitedbaristas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/unitedbaristas.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-09-09T12:44:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-01-14T10:38:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Redroaster-Brighton.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"United Baristas\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@unitedbaristas\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@unitedbaristas\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"United Baristas\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/articles\/insights\/insights-from-the-iron-triangle\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/articles\/insights\/insights-from-the-iron-triangle\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"United Baristas\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/#\/schema\/person\/05b39c7ca1fa7e171b80341a4c7404dd\"},\"headline\":\"Insights from the Iron Triangle\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-09-09T12:44:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-01-14T10:38:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/articles\/insights\/insights-from-the-iron-triangle\/\"},\"wordCount\":1679,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/articles\/insights\/insights-from-the-iron-triangle\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/unitedbaristas.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Redroaster-Brighton.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"Barista Pay\",\"Coffee Shops\",\"Specialty Coffee\",\"Coffee Shop Viability &amp; 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