Christine Barone runs a $7.5 billion coffee company, yet she recently spent two weeks learning how to pour drinks, take orders, and work the drive-thru window. The chief executive of Dutch Bros completed the same bootcamp that every executive at the chain is required to finish, training alongside the companys 25,000 front-line staffers, known internally as broistas.
Photo: Fortune
A CEO behind the counter
Barone says the experience was humbling and instructive. During six hands-on shifts, she practiced the hospitality routines, drink recipes, and service standards that define the Dutch Bros experience. When she made mistakes, colleagues corrected her, even though they knew she was the chief executive.
That openness is exactly the point, Barone argues. A culture where staff feel comfortable telling the CEO she is doing something wrong, she says, is a culture that cares more about the customer than about hierarchy. The bootcamp is designed to reinforce that mindset at the top of the company.
The Flow test
The training is not ceremonial. Executives must complete six operational shifts covering speed, quality, and service, then pass a comprehensive test called Flow. Questions cover drink recipes, company history, shop operations, and cultural values. Those who fail must retake it.
The standard is meant to ensure that everyone designing programs, marketing campaigns, or new beverages understands the pressure and pace of a real shop. Barone says the company was deliberate about sending headquarters staff, including marketers, through the course so that decisions are made with the front-line environment in mind.
From pushcart to national chain
Dutch Bros began in 1992 when brothers Travis and Dane Boersma sold their struggling dairy cows and started selling espresso from a pushcart along the railroad tracks in Grants Pass, Oregon. Friends, relatives, and loyal customers helped the business grow. By 1994 the brothers had a drive-thru stand, and by 1996 they had six locations. The first franchise opened in 2000.
Today Dutch Bros is the third largest coffee chain in the United States by sales and store count, trailing only Starbucks and Dunkin. It operates 1,273 locations across 27 states, employs 37,000 people systemwide, and reported record revenue of $1.64 billion in 2025, up 27.9% from the previous year. The company aims to reach 2,029 stores by 2029.
Growth without losing the culture
Rapid expansion can dilute the culture that made a brand successful, and Dutch Bros is no exception. One answer has been to make leaders start where front-line staff start. Operators, the store and market leaders who run location operations, typically begin on the coffee line before they move into management or open new markets.
Barone says this creates empathy that runs from the boardroom to the counter. When executives have lived the job themselves, they understand the problems their teams face and can make decisions with the customer experience in mind.
A skill beyond coffee
The bootcamp also reflects a broader belief about career development. Barone says that even if employees eventually leave Dutch Bros, the hospitality skills and empathy they develop will serve them elsewhere. For a company that wants to be known for more than sugary drinks and energetic service, that may be the most valuable product it serves.
