

The Cheese Board Collective - bpolania
http://priceonomics.com/the-cheese-board-collective/

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_nato_
The Cheese Board just kills. Lines around the block. I'd like to think that
their lazer-focus for their product (one type of pizza a day), is aligned with
their great success.

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wutbrodo
It's a big part of the appeal. It's hard to get fresh out of the oven pizza in
thirty seconds anywhere else.

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hn9780470248775
The Cheese Board has reproduced... in the form of Arizmendi Bakery:

"Forty years ago, Berkeley's now-famous cooperative, the Cheeseboard, opened
its doors. In 1997, inspired by their own success, they helped open another
bakery based on cooperative principles. Arizmendi Oakland debuted that year on
Lakeshore Avenue, named after the Basque labor organizer. ￼ The endeavor was a
hit, so what next? They decided to open another bakery, this time in San
Francisco. Once again the group, along with members of the Oakland store,
graciously imparted their knowledge of cooperative business practices and
shared secrets of their recipes.

In October of 2000, Arizmendi Bakery San Francisco was born. The Cheeseboard's
gift to us has become our gift to the neighborhood."

[http://www.arizmendibakery.com/about](http://www.arizmendibakery.com/about)

~~~
wutbrodo
Ah yea, I love Arizmendi but I don't go there as often as I used to
Cheeseboard, probably because SF has many more alternatives than Berkeley did.

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pfooti
I love the cheese board, and not just for the pizza. When I was in grad school
at Berkeley, I knew I could go there and get really good advice about what
kinds of cheeses I should get for whatever dinner I was having or hosting.
Everyone there is super-passionate about their work, and they took plenty of
time to explain and educate about their cheeses.

I don't know if it is a coincidence that these people were employee-owners of
the coop, or if it was a natural outcome of the way the cheese board is
structured. I'd believe it was the latter; as the article mentioned, without
an owning corporate board there's not a big urge to expand like crazy and
extract maximum profits. The goal is for all the employee-owners to make a
living wage doing cool stuff.

Granted, it makes me a socialist or whatever, but I'd love to work in a system
like that- a small worker-owned cooperative doing software. Of course, the
problem with some markets is that you probably need lots of starting capital,
and hence the VC system.

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archagon
I wish more software companies — or, indeed, _any_ software companies —
followed the cooperative model. It just seems like such a healthier and fairer
way to run a business.

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nouveaux
Let me ask you a honest and serious question. Would you start a software
company and when it becomes successful, hire me on to be an equal partner?

If so, I would join your co-op. There is something to be said about being
rewarded for taking a risk, but if you're willing to share that reward, I
would think highly of you and gladly partake.

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erikpukinskis
I'm a huge fan of the cooperative model, and I eat at Arizmendi all the time.
But I think the main reason for their success is they just do one thing: one
pizza per day, and they do it really well. You don't know exactly what you'll
get, but you get the gist of it, and you know it will be good.

Compare to Bakesale Betty down the street in Oakland, which is not a
cooperative, and just sells really good fried chicken (or tofu) sandwiches.
They have a line around the block too. Both of these places have about 10 feet
of standing room between the door and the cash register.

I think people are realizing you don't have to be the Cheesecake Factory and
cook everything under the sun with a huge dining room in order to make money
selling food. It's a resurgence of takeout and small menus and Cheeseboard was
way ahead of the curve on that game.

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elevenfist
Their pizza really isn't all that great--it's salty, oily, with a bland crust.
Love the cooperative model though.

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wookie69
I was earnestly hoping that this comment was satire, and comfortably believed
that until I got to the bit about 'bland crust'. The pizza is indeed well
seasoned and dressed with olive oil. The crust, however, is pretty fantastic.

So, unfortunately, not satire; just sad, uneducated and possibly treasonous.

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elevenfist
Fantastic? Treasonous? I feel sad for you--unless you work there.

EDIT: I guess the truth of California is you can't get good food here, even
for a grand. What you do get is a "great experience." People here don't know
what they're missing...

