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When most folks think of “Undercover Boss,”\u00a0they imagine executives donning workplace attire, going incognito, and toiling side-by-side with frontline employees. That’s exactly what happens on the Emmy Award-winning reality series, including a November 2013 episode featuring the beloved Dutch Bros Coffee chain. To get the scoop on what really takes place when the boss isn’t looking, Travis Boersma, co-founder and then-president of Dutch Bros, impersonated a “broista” (the cheeky company name for baristas.) But that isn’t the only shenanigan that occurred \u2014 not by a long shot.<\/p>\n
As part of his undercover assignment, Boersma assumed varying personas and disguises, working as a laborer at an El Salvador coffee plantation, a roaster at the Dutch Bros headquarters in Oregon, and manager as well as barista in various coffee shop locations. To keep him from being recognized by employees, he took on the alias of “Sam Marshall”\u00a0from Texas.\u00a0Trading in his usual board shorts for khakis, and sporting a wig and makeup, Boersma morphed into a\u00a0preppy-style “nerd,” according to a Dutch Bros account of the experience.<\/p>\n
As the episode evolves, this CEO explored many work aspects affecting the then-2,000 employees across more than 200 Dutch Bros locations<\/a>.\u00a0Moving through each job, Boersma got a close look at how operations and employees were performing. Things got personal as he heard from\u00a0baristas struggling with life issues, store managers stretched thin, and a foreman in El Salvador named Alberto who was supporting his disabled, amputee son while ensuring that far-away customers eventually enjoyed steaming or icy cups of Dutch Bros coffee drinks<\/a>.<\/p>\n