On Feb. 21, Wild Coffee, a student-run cafe open during all lunches on B days, opened in the concessions stand for the second year. Wild Coffee is run by ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) business students.
Wild Coffee had several drink options on the menu, including latte, cappuccino, iced coffee, hot chocolate, americano, multiple flavors of tea, and specialty items like mocha frappe and affogato. All drinks ranged in price from $2.50 to $5.
Business students spent twelve weeks preparing before opening, deciding on the menu items, setting prices, analyzing inventory, getting a business loan, designing a logo, and planning advertising. To receive their business loan, they presented a business pitch to Mr. Lehman and Mr. Parker, where their loan was approved. ESOL teacher Mrs. Beach said, “The idea is that they actually become entrepreneurs and start their own business all the way from the bottom. They create everything.”
Along with creating posters, much of their advertising was based on word of mouth. They held a soft opening on their first day, where their drinks were available only to teachers and staff. That day got students curious when they walked by the storefront and saw their teachers with drinks. This method proved successful, with each day getting more business than the day before. Wild Coffee customer Caitlin Goff said she chose to get a drink because she “walked past it.” As of the second lunch on Feb. 29, their most successful day in the two years of Wild Coffee was on Feb. 27.
Creating Wild Coffee not only helped build business skills, it also helped students “practice [their] communication skills and financial skills,” said Darayanna Espinoza, an ESOL business student who helped create the cafe. Espinoza’s favorite part about working at Wild Coffee “is the organization,” she said. “I see my friends run to make the coffees and that’s good, I like it.”
The first priority with the money made from selling coffee is to pay back the school’s business loan. After that, some of the profits are used to reward the class for their hard work. “What I’ve done in previous years is catered lunch and then we also got personalized tumblers,” said Mrs. Beach. The remainder of the profits are used within the ESOL department. Some of these funds may be used to benefit the ESOL Soccer Club, helping to buy new pinnies and balls, as well as other expenses within the department.
Although Wild Coffee was a temporary event, Mrs. Beach says she would “love” to continue Wild Coffee in the future as long as the school district allows it.
