This past semester at my college I had the amazing opportunity as President of the Hospitality Club to help take the lead in opening our own student run café. It was an absolutely amazing and fun journey which I enjoyed every minute of. I proudly present Java Junction:
What Is Java Junction?
Java Junction was created by a vast team of professors, student leaders (such as myself), college professionals and others. Our goal was to take the vacant space left behind from our colleges old food service company, Canteen, and create a new space where students, professors and the community could all gather, enjoy a nice refreshing beverage and snack. Once our costs are covered, all profits go directly back to the business clubs (Hospitality Club, Business Club, Accounting Club, Legal Club, PBL, etc.), help support scholarships for students, and help support the business department in obtaining resources to further help students succeed.
When students and professors support Java Junction, they are not only supporting the café, they are also helping fellow students. This is where our mission statement For The Students. By The Students was created from. It is the single most important line that helps drive the café and the decisions we make.
Reflections & Reactions:
From the very moment I heard my Professor’s idea to take the old unused café space and turn it into a new café, I was instantly excited and wanted in on it. I will say the entire experience was full of challenges that not only pushed me as a student, it was also very rewarding and well worth the experience. Not only did I gain valuable experience, and grow my skills, I was also able to get college credits while doing so. In order to get credits, us students had to write a brief journal each week about things we learned, insight we gained and reflect on the week.
I remember when we first got approval for the space and the café, there were some interesting discoveries we made. First, the previous operators left the café in a not so clean state and there were many things not up to code. I was honestly surprised by this and shocked with how some of these items went unnoticed and were not addressed promptly. This was good though since I learned certain things I did not know previously.
During week 5 of the experience, the café was in a transition state where we had to deep clean, repair any equipment and update the café so it was up to code and could pass health inspection. It was at this time we didn’t have Ecolab supplies, soap or any basic essentials to clean. I had to “borrow” the Clorox wipes that were in the lobby to clean the café. When I was trying to clean, all I had was cold water and hand soap. I will say it was definitely interesting and reminded me of a challenge I would get as an engineering student where I had limited supplies and had to make something work.
As time moved on, we got our Ecolab supplies, got the necessary updates and FINALLY passed the health inspection. I put such an emphasis on finally since it took us at least 3 or 4 tries to pass.
Progress Photo Gallery:
Grand Opening:
During week 10 of the experience, it was grand opening week and it went very well. It honestly exceeded my expectations of what I thought would happen. Recalling my journal from that week, I wrote the following about the opening:
“This week at Java Junction was both very busy and exciting since it was grand opening week. Prior to the grand opening, there were many steps that had to be completed. First, we had to stock all of our supplies, unpack any foods that were still in storage as well as prepping anything we needed to. After these tasks were done, focus was shifted to completing the POS system set up, setting up all the grand opening décor and getting ready for ribbon cutting. Also this week at Java Junction, I kept up with my marketing and promotional efforts for the café. The designs I created for the loyalty cards for our loyalty program were sent over to the C.R. team for approval, we are in the process of getting a social media account, branded merchandise, QR codes and flyers. (I can’t wait for these items!) Overall all the marketing efforts thus far, and work we have done has paid off tremendously. I can’t wait to keep marketing the cafe and expanding it as it reaches its full potential”.
My Role at Java Junction:
I briefly mentioned this above, however for those who aren’t as familiar with my responsibilities and things I do at college, I want to explain them a little bit more. I currently serve as President of Hospitality Club and sit on the Hospitality & Tourism Management Program Advisory board. As president I am responsible for promoting the club, leading events, assisting professors with club tasks, etc. Being in this role, tied in perfectly with the creation of Java Junction. One of my specialties is marketing and promotion. Let’s take a look at some of the marketing I have done so far for the café:
Lessons Learned:
- Mission & vision statements are a must. A vision statement is what goals or what you want to achieve from your business or operation. The Mission statement on the other hand, is a short statement of why an organization exists, what its overall goal is, identifying the goal of its operations: what kind of product or service it provides, its primary customers or market, and its geographical region of operation. These two statements go hand and hand are key elements to creating your business plan, branding and marketing.
- Always listen to your guests and customers. They are the lifeline of your business and it is crucial to keep guests and have them coming back. One thing I did for Java, was any time a student or Professor made a suggestion, I made sure I wrote it down in a notebook so that way when we did a food order or sat down to discuss things about the cafe, I could do my best to make their suggestions a reality.
- Conduct your research! What do I mean by this? Well, in order to understand your business model or how to operate the best, conduct a survey or collect data on your target market and competitors. Use this data to help yourself out. For our cafe, I sent out a survey to the entire college to get suggestions, input and menu suggestions. This really paid off a lot! I was able to get a lot of helpful points and suggestions that I was able to use to create the cafe.
- Have fun and enjoy yourself! Starting your own business takes a lot of time and effort. You have to enjoy what you’re going to be doing and have a passion for it otherwise what’s the point? My advice to anyone starting their own business is to make sure you enjoy it, have passion and are energetic about it. As the owner, it all stems down from you. If you aren’t into it and are just a wet sock (so to speak), your staff will also be.
- Don’t be afraid to be creative and innovative.
6. Take every opportunity you get! Don’t be afraid to take an opportunity just because you don’t think you’re qualified or are afraid you won’t get it! I always say go for it! What’s the worst that can happen?
Touristician 