As the clock nears 8 a.m., senior Allison Lease preps the cups of coffee and donuts before the Bean, Baldwin’s student-run coffee shop, opens for business.
“There’s usually a crowd outside waiting for us to open. I’m glad to see people enjoying our services,” said Lease, one of the shop’s volunteer workers.
When the Baldwin Bean opens every morning, the scent of coffee and pastries fills the halls. Few students know, however, that the Bean workers start preparing for the day an hour before it opens for business at 8 a.m. For the adults who supervise the coffee shop, the day starts even earlier.
“I get here around 6:30 to prep for the day ahead,” Bean worker and paraprofessional Norma Meade said.
The Baldwin Bean, which has been open for seven years, has served as a hub for students to purchase drinks and treats throughout the day. The Bean operates under the cafeteria: Donuts are made by the cafeteria staff each morning, and dirty dishes get sent to the cafeteria to be cleaned.
“After we pick up the donuts from the cafeteria at around 7:45, we get them displayed. We do a last-minute check of everything, and get prepped to open up,” Meade said.
The staff tries to anticipate customer demand each morning.
“If we know we’re going to be busy when we open, we prepare more coffees, make more cookies, and ultimately aim to keep the line moving at checkout,” Lease said.
Workers rotate each block period, every day. Lease works in the Bean during the first block of the day on “A” days.
“I have a release study hall so I’m able to volunteer during that part of my day,” Lease said.
The Bean can be stressful at times, Lease said.
“Sometimes when the line is long things can get hectic. Overall the job itself is not too difficult nor stressful, and I look forward to seeing my friends when they come to buy drinks or snacks,” Lease said.
Some students have made visiting the Bean a part of their daily routine.
“I look forward to getting donuts in the morning from the Bean,” senior Hayden Swanson said.
Running a coffee shop is certainly no easy task. Eric Jankoski, the transition coordinator for special education at Baldwin, plays an important role in maintaining the Bean as well as managing the students and teachers involved.
“The Bean is one of those things that I’m checking in on throughout the day. We schedule workers ahead of time. However, if someone calls off or an adult staff member is out, we have to tweak it,” Jankoski said.
The Bean team seeks to streamline operations wherever possible, he said.
“We only have one size for all of the drinks, which allows for smoother transactions and less stress for the students and employees alike,” Jankoski said.
The hiring process for the Bean’s volunteer staff was open to all students, Jankoski said.
“We put out ‘help wanted’ flyers, and anybody who has a late arrival or early departure in their day could come to the meetings and training that we had during Highlander Time earlier in the year. Ever since then, we’ve had more students who found out they had study halls during the day, and we have fit them into our schedule,” Jankoski said.
For Lease, helping at the Bean has gone well.
“It was fun to make new friends during training and learn how to make the drinks. Overall, it is not very difficult, as most of the drinks are simple combinations, and all of the snacks are simple to prepare as well,” Lease said.
Jankoski said the Bean runs alongside the Best Buddies program, which pairs students of different ability levels.
“Some periods we have members of our Best Buddies program, and some periods we have students who have no correlation to Best Buddies or any other organizations” Jankoski said. “We’re all mixed together here. The Bean is a place where students of varying abilities are able to work and succeed together, which offers a great opportunity to all students.”
Lease agreed.
“I love that the Bean focuses on inclusivity and student life as a whole,” Lease said.
The Bean is open until the end of block two, which is when sales temporarily halt for the lunch periods.The Bean then re-opens at the beginning of block three, but with a few changes in the menu.
The menu switch into the second part of the day includes items like lemonade and chips, which is different from the morning menu. The afternoon menu is less coffee shop oriented, but it still offers morning items if they are available.
“Sometimes we have lattes or cinnamon rolls left over from the morning,” Jankoski said.
In the last few minutes of the Bean’s daily operations, students come to get their end of day snacks. Sophomore Kellen Carter uses the Bean as a good way to end the day.
“At the end of the day, the Bean is a great spot to get fueled up before going to basketball practice,” Carter said.
As the last customers come in for the day, workers wipe off tables and countertops. They then send everything back to the cafeteria in a cart. Later, it will be cleaned and brought back to the Bean for another day of business.
After everything is cleaned, put away, and thrown out, the Bean is officially closed down for the day.
The Bean did not always operate on this full-day schedule, Jankoski said.
“Before Covid, we used to prepare for the first period and then we were open for periods two and three. Last year there was a big push to be open all day, and we incorporated that into this school year. The reason for this change is because it allows for more structure for both the teachers and students operating it,” Jankoski said.
The change brought its fair share of challenges as well, Jankoski said.
“One of the biggest things we’ve experienced this year is whenever we sell out of a certain item. Sometimes the shipments can take two to three days to come in, so until then that item will be unavailable,” Jankoski said.
As an extension of the cafeteria, the Bean follows the smart snack guidelines, federal cafeteria guidelines, Jankoski said.
“They set the prices and provide us with the items, and we are the ones selling it to the students. They get all of the funds, and at the end of the day, it works out for the both of us,” he said.
