This letter was not written out of ill-intent. It was not written to showcase jealousy. It was not written out of spite. Instead, it was written to call attention to a company so dedicated to customers, that along the way you forgot to look out for your employees.

I have worked for three different stands, two different franchises, in two different states. I’ve seen this company adapt, grow, and thrive and I am so proud to have been a part of such a remarkable movement. But with growth comes growing pains, and right now I know that myself and others are feeling this pain.

Don’t get me wrong, in some ways we are treated above and beyond. We’re given a company-branded shirt once a month (as we are required to wear “Dutchwear” clothing while working). With the exception of a few drinks, coffee is free and unlimited within our “home stand.” We are mostly surrounded by upbeat and positive people while on shift. You are there for us in some ways.

In other ways we are being neglected by stand managers, regional managers, franchise owners, and corporate itself.

Dutch Bros is an extremely young company. But when I say young, I mean that the vast majority of employees I’ve seen are under the age of 30. While this adds to our upbeat, fun-loving company culture, there are times that we are not lead correctly and with purpose. When I was first hired, the words “Dutch Culture” got thrown around and I was excited that this company would be like family. I quickly came to learn that this phrase – “Dutch Culture” would be used both positively and negatively.

Now you may read this and ask, “Why are you publicly addressing issues in a letter instead of personally speaking with a manager or your franchise owner?”

In some circumstances it is not easy to stand up. In the past I have tried to do so and I have been told to sit down and try not to “ruffle any feathers.” I have even been told that “This is just Dutch Bros – get used to it”. We are told that a problem will be addressed but it instead gets swept under the rug, the issue is ignored, and the situation worsens. As a leader of this company I know that I cannot sit back and refuse to acknowledge these issues.

If working for Dutch Bros has taught me anything (other than how to make a killer cup of coffee) is that sometimes making mistakes can bring about opportunities for us to learn and grow. I believe that this is not a setback in any way, but instead an opportunity to fix these issues instead of dismissing them as “Dutch Culture.”

Being a leader is difficult. When I say that, I’m not talking about being a shift lead or even a manager. The strongest, kindest leaders I have seen throughout my time at Dutch Bros didn’t and don’t necessarily have the management title. They are the people who stay during a rush to help out, they are the ones truly dedicated to bettering the stand, and even more importantly, their coworkers. I have seen countless natural-born leaders be passed up for promotions due to managers and even franchise owners playing favorites. I have seen more mature 18 year olds be passed up due to their age and given to a 24 year old with little motivation. Within this “Dutch Culture” I have realized that it is more important to be well-liked. The company has to be aware of the extremely high turnover rate. While it’s expected that people come and go, I have seen countless people leave due to poor leadership. Since working at Dutch Bros I have never been asked to review my management. We need to implement a 360 degree performance review where feedback and evaluations are mandatory and then later reviewed by franchise owners and corporate. I understand that this wouldn’t be an easy task, but Dutch Bros desperately needs transparency.

Each stand makes thousands of drinks every day. The amount of wear and tear that I have seen on blenders, espresso machines, portafilters, etc. is insane. We are not being set up for success when we do not have adequate working equipment. iPads shatter (it happens), measuring spoons go missing (a lot, for reasons we’ll never know), and we are expected to “make-do” with a glitchy iPad or share mix cups. When this happens we are directly compromising what we promise – our speed, quality, and service. In the past I have directly informed a manager about a broken blender or credit card readers. In response, I had been told that they were “nonessential,” that we could share and would not be a priority. Whether it’s a $6 spoon or a $1,000 hot water machine, we should never be compromising our value of speed, ever. Our culture is to “say yes” to customers. Our culture should be to “say yes” to employees as well.

I wrote this letter to push you, Dutch Bros, to be better. I wrote this letter to be a voice for those too scared to stand up. I wrote this letter to a company that I love, admire, and consider family.