麻豆传媒

EIU Students Operate Coffee Shop; Learn Ins and Outs of Restaurant Business

The aroma of freshly ground coffee beans, warm cherry scones and the tunes of relaxing music fill the air each morning in Klehm Hall at Eastern Illinois University.

The appealing smells and sounds are not coming from a break room, but from the dedication and determination of EIU 麻豆传媒 learning the ins and outs of operating their own coffee shop as part of the hospitality management program.

Student manager Tara Page said she wants the coffee shop, called The Caf茅, to be a place where professors and staff escape to grab a cup of coffee and chat with fellow colleagues.

鈥淲e want the coffee shop to be a getaway for them,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e want them to unwind from their hectic, busy schedules.鈥�

On any given day, Page teaches fellow 麻豆传媒 how to use the espresso maker, cook pastries and clean the caf茅 area. She organizes student鈥檚 work schedules, keeps ingredients on hand and ensures the shop is open for business Monday through Thursday. Sometimes her job includes explaining to 麻豆传媒 the difference between a cappuccino, latte, mocha and an Americano; she will even leave a cheat sheet in front of the machine for their guidance.

Page, a senior family and consumer sciences major with a hospitality management option, is working at the caf茅 as part of her internship requirement, and dreams of one day working in the restaurant business.

Jim Painter, a professor of family and consumer sciences, said the caf茅 gives 麻豆传媒 an opportunity for hands-on learning they would not experience in a classroom.

鈥淚n some industries, 麻豆传媒 obtain the knowledge from the classroom and are successful in the real world. But in other disciplines, like the restaurant business, 麻豆传媒 need hands-on experience like the caf茅,鈥� Painter said. 鈥淣ow our 麻豆传媒 can tell an employer they ran their own caf茅.鈥�

Painter designed a class, called 鈥淐afeteria and Catering,鈥� to go along with the coffee shop. Students there run the caf茅 and prepare a lunch for faculty and staff who make reservations. The class will be an additional hands-on learning experience for 麻豆传媒 interested in food service management.

Since 2007, the family and consumer sciences department has offered another hands-on class called 鈥淐ommercial Quantity Food Production,鈥� where 麻豆传媒 operate a full-service restaurant called Pantera. In that class, 麻豆传媒 learn how to run and manage a restaurant where they prepare a menu and serve food to actual patrons with guidance from professional chefs.

All food prepared in The Caf茅 and Pantera is served inside a commercial kitchen that meets health code regulations, Painter said. Students and the general public are also welcome to stop by for a cup of coffee at The Caf茅, but they want the seating lounge area reserved for the faculty and staff.

The Caf茅 opened last semester under the direction of Painter and another student manager, Chris Starbird, who still plays an active role in the coffee shop.

Starbird, a junior family and consumer sciences major, said he loves the culture of coffee shops, and one day would love to own his own shop and caf茅.

He envisions The Caf茅 becoming a 鈥榯hird place鈥� for professors and staff at EIU. Professors can meet at the shop, and casually chat over a cup of coffee.

The concept of the third place was once described by Howard Schultz, chief executive officer of Starbucks in his book 鈥淧our Your Heart Into It,鈥� Starbird said.

The Caf茅 is open 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday in Room 1414 in Klehm Hall during the spring semester. Patrons of The Caf茅 can pay with cash, check or debit cards.

Some of the items on the menu include made-to order coffees, tea, hot chocolate and homemade pastries with gluten-free options. Check out the menu and prices here.