By Kayleh Waltermire, Olivia W Webster, Izzy Higadera
A new addition is coming to GHS next school year: a coffee shop.
Senior Natalia Orozco is a member of Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA). It is a program for students interested in business careers. Orozco explained the hard work that has gone into the shop.
“We have had to have a lot of collaboration with planning; we had to reach out to the Johnson County Health Department and Administration. Our business plan had to have a lot of attention to detail with the school market and customers that we can expect,” Orozco said.
Junior Nishtha Miyani is also a member of DECA; she talked about the steps. These included business planning, funding, and even the name and menu.
“We have the menu almost finalized. We are currently working on the business plan for the entire thing that we will submit to Johnson County. We’re also working on the promotional side, like social media, and just making sure that everyone knows that the coffee shop exists. We also received a grant. Additionally, we came up with the name ‘Axe and Bean,” Miyani said.
Sophomore Hasan Tefenlili explained that club members have been meeting frequently to make sure that the opening runs smoothly at the end of August. They have even been meeting with local professionals to ensure the business will be great.
“We have been meeting once or twice a week to discuss our roles and responsibilities. We have been working on this for about two months and have been lucky enough to win a grant to help fund the project. We have also been meeting and discussing with real-world professionals about things like the health code and regulations, suppliers, renovations, and more. We hope that we can get the coffee shop up and running by the end of August of the next school year,” Tefenlili said.
According to the student body’s opinion, many people preferred smoothies and refresher drinks over coffee. DECA is also hoping to add pastries.
“We have different types of coffees, refreshers, and smoothies. Surveys showed that a lot of people wanted smoothies or refreshers rather than coffee. And maybe in the future, we will add pastries, but as of now, it will just be drinks,” Miyani said.
Orozco hopes the coffee shop will bring students together and give them something to bond over. As well as the shop improving school culture, the business is hoping to help raise funds for DECA excursions.
“I am all for the coffee shop, and I think it will improve the environment at our school. There’s a lot of opportunity in collaboration with different clubs and classes. As well as improving the student environment, it also helps fund DECA trips,” Orozco said.
Tefenlili explained how the shop will provide the students with real-world experience. He said this shop has the chance to give students a way to socialize with other students, but also a vision of working and how business works after high school.
“I think the coffee shop does belong at school because it’s a good opportunity for students to have some kind of real-world experience and understanding of a business. I also think that it will all around be a great place to meet and hang out with people and provide a new but intimate atmosphere for the students,” Tefenlili said.