DECA has been brewing up a new business idea. A student run coffee shop will be opening later this semester at GHS. DECA members and other student participants are grinding to construct the cafe for the enjoyment of students and staff.
“The inspiration behind the coffee shop is for supporting DECA. There is a competition where we can submit our coffee shop designs. A lot of other schools like Carmel and Whiteland also have coffee shops,” senior Nishtha Miyani, DECA member, said.
DECA is a program that prepares students for real life skills, such as business management. Most DECA members are a part of the business program. Last year, DECA competed in downtown Indianapolis at the state convention. If the DECA program does not have enough money to pay for the expenses, convention costs come out of pocket for participants.
“The coffee shop profits will help us for our DECA competitions and to compete with other schools. If we travel to SCDC, which is the state competition, or ICDC, which is international, there is a membership fee. If the coffee shop makes a profit, we don’t have to pay out of pocket for it. It also gives us hands-on business practice,” Miyani said.
The idea originated last year. Not only does the cafe give DECA members real life business management skills, but it will also combat these expensive costs.
“It is completely student-run. We have a specific class for the coffee shop with Mrs. Waters. She normally just listens to our ideas and supports us. The class is mostly DECA members, but there are also some other people who are helping with new ideas. Senior Adelyn Burcham is really helping us out with this coffee shop. She has been helping us with the menu, and I do not think that we could get this far without her,” Miyani said.
Burcham has worked at Starbucks for almost a year, giving her experience making coffee and taking orders. Her experience has been beneficial to the participants who have not worked in a cafe.
“My experience working at Starbucks helped the team finalize their menu that they originally had. My favorite part of helping the DECA members with the coffee shop is showing them my work experience while I am in a different environment. It is fun to teach everyone how a coffee shop works, and we hope that it will make a good business for students to enjoy,” Burcham said.
DECA will be building the shop on their own. They hope to be done with construction and all things cafe-related before Fall Break. This includes constructing the area where it will be run, decorating the area, and purchasing supplies for the cafe.
“The coffee shop will be run downstairs by the cafeteria in the old teachers lounge. The cafe will have mochas, vanilla and caramel lattes, strawberry refreshers, and other drinks. Drink prices will range from $4-$7. The times that students will be able to come in are in the morning and then during PowerHour and lunch. We will accept cash and tap to pay. We are hoping that this will be open to students by October or November,” senior Watipa Mtawali said.
The administration sees the positivity in the idea and hopes students will be more motivated to show up to school on time to appreciate the shop and all of DECA’s hard work.
“I think that students need to leave themselves enough time to get here to enjoy the coffee shop. Other than that, I think that it is an excellent idea. It helps our students learn job skills and builds community within the school,” Mrs. Robyn Witty, assistant principal, said.
