21 June, 2016: Our order ahead app is about to go beta. We’re going to invite our best customers. So if you want in make friends with the folks at your local Clover. The thing I’m most focused on is making the app fun to use. So we’re going to want all sorts of feedback from you all. Tell us everything!… Read More
16 June, 2016: I’ve been sorely lacking on introducing some of our leaders. I decided that really honest interviews might be the best way to introduce folks and share the ups and downs of life as a Clover manager. Erika is our new manager of the Longwood Medical truck. I sat down with her at Bisq and we talked holes… Read More
16 June, 2016: This photo was taken at CloverFIN, our restaurant at 160 Federal St. (just next to South Station and Dewey Square). We’re set to open in a week. The electrician Brian was finalizing the cloud lights yesterday. I happened to be walking by to check in on the project and saw this. So the unistrut used isn’t what we… Read More
2 October, 2008: It’s no secret that my counter tops take their inspiration from Northampton Coffee. I love that place, and in part the level of care and energy that went into creating an environment that reflects the spirit of the place. Example: no art on the walls because the coffee is meant to be the art. Researching their counters… Read More
13 June, 2016: I was talking to Ethan, who leads our technical development, and he said something that jumped out at me. He said we’re going to do something nobody does: show pictures of our actual food. I didn’t know what he meant. He said the way we’re going about this is that we’re having Brett (some of you may know… Read More
9 June, 2016: OK, I’m in a better mood today. But still posting pictures of trash. Sorry, we’ll get back to edible food soon. But I think part of this effort is sharing the raw reality of building a business, and I think this topic is super important to share with everybody. So many folks have been reaching out regarding… Read More
3 June, 2016: Yes, to take that picture I had to stick my phone in a trashcan, or more specifically a compost bin. I’m trying to keep my cool but I’m not doing a very good job of it. Savethatstuff, our composter, is not composting all of the compost they pick up from our restaurants. And they haven’t been for… Read More
31 May, 2016: Clover is now 6 months into our multi-year effort to adjust pay rates. I started planning this back in November 2015. Low wages in our industry results in lack of stability in the workforce. I’m sick of it. I don’t think it’s a good way to build a sustainable company. It’s not what I want to be a part… Read More
10 February, 2012: We load our trucks every morning. My first day in 2008, I met Ayr at 5am at Nuestra in JP to train on opening the truck. We rolled a green cage packed with prepped food to the loading dock, loaded individual food items by hand, and drove off. The second phase was this crazy picture. We would… Read More
30 May, 2016: Wednesday (June 1) from 11-2 is the grand opening for CloverNEW. This is first electric food truck in Boston, located at Mass Ave and Newbury Street. We’ve been operating for a little over a month, and we’re ready to say hi in a big way. We are donating all the proceeds from Wednesday’s lunch to the Food Project. Last time we… Read More
30 May, 2016: Tomorrow (May 31) at midnight is the deadline to sign up for a farmshare with pickups at Clover. Unlike meal delivery services or farmer’s markets, farmshares directly support farmers (like Dave Jackson in the picture above) with a commitment of money at the beginning of the season that they need to buy seeds, grow food, and hire people. If you join a farmshare,… Read More
24 May, 2016: When we first built a working POS back in 2009 I was already dreaming of order ahead. I thought the way this should work is that (A) people should be able to order how they felt comfortable, phone, email, online, text, tweet, etc., (B) the handshake should be really solid: tells you what we thought you ordered,… Read More
24 May, 2016: YES. Beer is finally approved and ready to start serving at CloverDTX! We’re launching a brand new program where brewers choose the beer we serve. We’ve picked our 6 favorite brewers in New England, and are allowing each of them to program their own tap. This means if Jack at Jack’s Abby is working on a new… Read More
7 July, 2010: We’ve been getting to know our neighbors in the new Dewey Square location. And we’re having a ton of fun. It’s early, but we know this: few of you are willing to tell me what is wrong (come on, I know there are things you don’t like, it’s far from perfect), you’re patient and don’t mind waiting… Read More
23 May, 2016: I remember taking rags every week from the MIT truck to the tiny laundromat underneath Cosi in Kendall Square. The proprietor was Persian so I think he liked me best out of all the employees on the truck. Back then we had a tiny bag of rags to give each week. Fast forward 7 years and we now… Read More