SAXBYS

[saxbys]

Rainier Foley-Defiore Takes the Reigns as Student Cafe Executive Officer at our Saxbys Penn State Cafe

For Rainier Foley-Defiore, cafes are his go-to environment. For years, he’s spent his free time drinking coffee while reading or writing at a local cafe. It’s kind of his thing.

He’s also got the entrepreneurial spirit we love here at Saxbys. Rainier ran his own landscaping, yardwork, handyman business as a teenager. His combination of entrepreneurship, dedication to hard work — and love of cafes — made Rainier the perfect person to run Saxbys Penn State. In that role, he’s doing everything from team development to community leadership to financial management. It’s a tall order for a 19-year-old but Rainier is up for the challenge.

We sat down with Rainier to chat about his plans for the cafe, and why he thinks it’ll help him develop a successful career in supply chain management.

Overview

What do you hope to achieve by taking the SCEO position?

I’m really looking for a challenge. There is an incredible amount of open-ended responsibility that comes with the role. This leadership position brings a lot of opportunities for self discovery — figuring out your different skills and talents in terms of working with peers developing team members, fixing operational problems, and managing your time and schedule. I’m looking to be challenged as a leader and managing an operation of this scale and size will be a great challenge.

What kind of a career do you want after college?

I want to develop a career in supply chain. Straight out of college I want to find a job at a company that has a wide reach, and their own developed complex supply chain, and work my way into a management or leadership position. I’d like to trigger a push toward sustainable standards.

How does this program prepare you for your eventual career?

There are certain life skills that are not only taught but challenged, rehashed and developed through the SCEO program — managing time, managing stress levels, managing people you work with, understanding what motivates peers and helping them succeed in their own right. These skills help establish me as a leader among peers and help me offer guidance, advice, and instruction.

Team Development

How do you plan to build a cafe culture based off your leadership style?

Having a certain level of trust and comfort developed with your team while having clear, specific standards set and upheld from the beginning. The culture I want to develop is one that enjoys the peer-friendly environment of working with similar-aged students and having a good time at a cafe — but also having a real commitment to being very efficient to certain operational standards that can really drive success.

Community Leadership

What ideas do you have to work with the Penn State community?

This is part of the program I’ve been most excited about. I want to work with certain organizations based in the business building, like business fraternities who have a lot of outreach. I also would love to develop new marketing strategies through the Penn State Marketing Association, a group of highly skilled marketing strategists and graphic designers who are full of lots of good ideas to drive brand presence.

How will becoming a community leader impact your cafe?

I’m hoping that being an interactive, communicatie leader in the community increases the awareness of the Saxbys brand among the community. The first step is business students — and they’re already well aware of our brand. They do work in the cafe, the cafe is run by their peers. The second step is reaching to broader business school community — faculty, staff, and the different organizations who hold events here.

Financial Management

How did you achieve mastery to manage and understand your P&L?

I’m focused on getting a solid system of inventory rotation in place. It’s a great way to cut down on things you’re wasting or the amount of goods you have held up in inventory too long. Also, I want to figure out what sells well and what sells on a good margin — and then do whatever we can to drive those sales. I’ll also be looking at different ways we can market within the cafe or outside the cafe.

Final Thoughts

What advice did you get from the outgoing SCEO Ben Yan?

His biggest pieces of advice were on time management and the importance of being empathetic with your team members. Ben cared greatly about this team and it showed in how people felt about him as a leader. He also worked his butt off to have his schedule be super specific — so he knew hour-by-hour where he was going to be and what he was going to be doing.

[saxbys]

Our Inaugural Penn State University Student Cafe Executive Officer, Ben Yan, Looks Back on a Life-Changing 6 Months

After the past six months, Ben Yan is ready for anything. He’s become a better leader, better communicator, and an expert at time management. It’s all due to his time as Student Cafe Executive Officer (SCEO) at Saxbys Penn State, where he earned college credit and a competitive wage while running all aspects of the cafe — from team development to community leadership to financial management. Leading people was so powerful to Ben that he created his own major (called workplace happiness) where he’s studying ways to keep team member engaged and retained.

Now that he’s finished, Ben is returning to his studies, tinkering with the idea of starting an on-campus food delivery business at Penn State, and starting his own podcast.

We spoke with Ben shortly after he finished his tenure with Saxbys to learn why the experience was so impactful to him.

Overview

How would you briefly describe your experience as SCEO?

I would not recognize the person I was six months ago. My mental strength, physical capacity to do things, time management, and communication skills all improved tremendously through the experience. Being SCEO was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done but now everything else in life seems so much easier. Now I’m dedicating a lot of time to passion projects like starting a business and starting a podcast.

Tell us about the new career path you’ve chosen after working with Saxbys as SCEO.

By far my favorite part of the Saxbys experience was working with the team. I really cared about people being happy at work. I wanted to keep learning about that because if I’m able to have a positive impact on the people working with me, there’s nothing that makes me happier. Doing it on a professional level would be really interesting.

Team Development

How did you build a cafe culture based off your leadership style?

It’s not about making a bunch of rules, it’s about leading by example. I wanted us to be more of a family or community rather just a place to make money for rent or eating out on the weekends. I wanted this place to be a second home for my team members. If you like the people you work with, chances are that you’re going to enjoy the job a lot more — and perform better.

What was the most rewarding aspect of developing your team?

Seeing them grow. People that started off with no experience working at a Saxbys are now taking charge. They’ve earned the respect of other people in cafe.

What was a major obstacle you had to overcome when it came to developing a team member?

The hardest moments came at the beginning. The cafe was brand new. Getting through that initial first month where everyone was still figuring out how to use the machines, and how to make sandwiches. After first month things got much easier because I didn’t have to be looking over their shoulders answering questions because they had the system down.

Community Leadership

How did you balance the best interest of your team while also contributing to the community that your cafe served?

I got my entire team involved. I asked the team what they were passionate about. THON was a big one. A lot of people were interested in music, so we brought in artists to play in the cafe, mostly acoustic guitar players.

How did becoming a community leader impact your cafe?

By being engaged in the community it not only brought more people into the cafe, it made it a friendlier environment. It’s not just another place to get coffee. It’s a place to connect, a space where people want to come and stay.

You opened a brand-new cafe. How did you analyze the financial numbers to make strategic decisions?

I kept track of sales numbers and hour-by-hour sales to make sure we weren’t overstaffed or understaffed. I would look at the previous week’s sales numbers to determine how many people I wanted to schedule for the next week. I could also see from data the exact times when we’d get a rush. It took about a month for me to get the flow of how much food to order without wasting things, or running out of things.  

Final Thoughts

What advice do you have for Rainier, our SCEO for the Spring 2019 semester?

Prioritize the people over the numbers. You have to treat your team members as fellow peers. They’ll thank you for it.

[saxbys]

Passing the Latte: Caitlin Hoos is Ready to Lead our Saxbys West Chester University Cafe

Caitlin Hoos has studied business management in the classroom. Now she’s getting hands-on experience that’s crucial to taking her career to the next level. The junior at West Chester University will spend the next six months leading Saxbys West Chester, where she’ll not only get real-life business experience but also earn college credit and competitive pay.

Caitlin is the latest Student Cafe Executive Officer (SCEO) at Saxbys, responsible for team development, community leadership and financial management. We caught up with Caitlin shortly after she began her tenure to find out what she has planned for the cafe.

Overview

Are you excited for the position?

Of course! I love the idea that it’s my cafe! I have a lot of say in what goes on. I’m only 20 yrs old and I’m running a cafe. It’s crazy. I have yet to wrap my mind around it.

Did you get any advice from Kelly Ingram, the previous SCEO?

She trained me in so many ways. She even gave me a list of common questions to expect. She also told me that I can’t always say “yes” to folks in the community or team members — and that’s okay. She told me to stay calm, don’t stress out and everything will be okay.

Team Development

What are your thoughts on the team you’re inheriting?

I’m lucky because my team feels like a family. I have five team members who are not working right now but are still sitting in the cafe hanging out. On the business side, everyone knows what they’re doing and many have been with the cafe from the start. I’m pretty set.

How do you plan to build a culture based off your leadership style at your cafe?

I’m going to try to work on communications between team members — especially between the folks who open the cafe and the ones who close. I’d love to have the night and morning staffs switch shifts once or twice so they can better understand the issues each team faces day-to-day. Overall, we have more than 30 team members and they all don’t know each other yet. I want to make sure people are interacting with one another regardless of when they’re scheduled to work.

What obstacles are you preparing for?

Scheduling. Everyone wants more hours but I can’t always give it to them. So I try to make sure everyone is sharing and I’m fair in that process and alternating between team members.

Community Leadership

Do you have any community initiatives planned? 

We have an exciting event in March benefitting the student recreation center and nutrition department. They’ll be promoting our smoothie the Daily Grind because it’s nutrition month. Some of our proceeds are going to the West Chester food pantry. Personally in the cafe, I’m going to invest in a bulletin board and put it in a prominent place so people can post flyers or business cards about events, groups or meetings around town. We also have plenty of events planned with groups on campus, from marching band to crew.

What kind of impact do you think your community leadership will make?

I think it’s going to be a game-changer. Starbucks is our main competition on campus and a lot of guests tell me that our cafe feels more welcoming because team members are happy and committed to working with the community. The events will enhance that even further and make the university community aware of us even more.

Financial Management

How do you plan you manage and understand your profit/loss statement (P&L)?

I’m not really great on financial stuff just yet. Kelly even left me a “things to do” list to get me on track. I love looking at the reports, I watch our labor costs vs sales all day. I also like analyzing the differences from month-to-month. Since we’ve only been open for less than a year, we still have some benchmarking to do. So I like to see if our ticket sales are higher or more people are coming to the cafe.

Final Thoughts

Do you have any other initiatives planned?

I made a suggestion box so team members can get more involved and offer their opinions. They know more than me, and I would never neglect that. We also have a board with a list of items we need to order, so I tell them that if they notice anything we need, just put it right on the board. People have really good suggestions.

[saxbys]

Passing the Latte: Kelly Ingram Brings Saxbys West Chester University From Idea to Reality

Kelly Ingram has had a busy six months.

As the very first Student Cafe Executive Officer (SCEO) at Saxbys West Chester, Kelly managed 36 team members, and helped create dynamic cafe culture where team members frequently hang out on their off time. She also worked hard to get the word out on campus and find community groups to partner with for philanthropic projects. If that weren’t enough, Kelly set baselines for sales and product order.

It was all part of the Saxbys Experiential Learning Program, where we empower undergraduate students like Kelly to lead all aspects of a cafe while earning college credit and a competitive salary.

It was a huge job but the 22-year-old was up for the task. Shortly after Kelly finished her tenure with Saxbys, we sat down with her to discuss her experience.

Overview

How would you briefly describe your experience as a SCEO?

It was extremely exciting and I grew a lot. I also got to watch my team grow, which was incredibly rewarding. I still pop into the cafe and say hello to the team.

Did being the very first SCEO at Saxbys West Chester bring any unique challenges?

I had to be a brand ambassador in the area to get people to start coming to the cafe, but also working out the kinks of a brand new team, and making sure they feel supported. In the beginning, it was very hands-on, but by end, the cafe was self-sustaining because my team grew a lot, took charge and knew what to do.

What are your career aspirations and how does this program prepare you for your eventual career?

I’m thinking along lines of strategic development and consulting in finance. I like planning, seeing things through and achieving growth. Working with Saxbys showed me the importance of developing a strong team dynamic. That’s something that will help me in any job I have in the future. It also taught me to be comfortable juggling a lot of projects at once and that time management is crucial.

What was the biggest surprise?

I’ve never had a job where people like to hang out when they’re not on shift. That was really cool. You can go into the cafe at any point and there’s a handful of team members studying or hanging out with friends during their free time.

Team Development

How did you build a culture based off your leadership style at your cafe within six months?

I’m definitely a people person. I love having one-on-ones with team members. It’s important to invest in your team and empower them to make decisions. If they see an issue or have an idea to make the cafe better, I want to hear about it. Being open to that feedback made team members more empowered to offer ideas.

What was the most rewarding aspect of developing your team?

Seeing the friendships they developed with one another. Also their growth. Many on the team didn’t know much about the finer points of coffee and hospitality before we opened. Now, they’re pros. It’s cool to see them develop not only professionally but personally.

What was a major obstacle you had to overcome when it came to developing your team?

Trying to make as much time as possible for team development was a challenge. Some days, I had a long list of business-related tasks to finish, meaning I couldn’t be as present as I would have liked to be.

Community Leadership

What community related events were you particularly proud of?

We did a Pay As You Wish event on November 27. My team jumped on board, were super-excited about it and we raised money for the Charles A. Melton Arts and Education Center in West Chester. It was amazing to see the community of West Chester University, the community of Saxbys and the borough of West Chester come together for that event. I also got to be on TV!

Did you do anything else to get the word out?

We would drop brew boxes around campus. We handed out free drink cards. My team would wear their Saxbys shirts to class. Also during finals week, we dropped coffee at different places where people were studying. We knew that’s a time when people needed some caffeine and it helped them learn about our brand.

Financial Management

How did you achieve mastery of managing your profit/loss statement (P&L)?

Being a senior in college helped because I had a lot of training in class. It was cool to look at the P&L and see how my decisions affect the numbers. Am I over-ordering? Can I find any patterns? It was a challenge because I can’t compare with the previous semesters to see the ebbs and flows so I just analyzed the numbers week-to-week. I notice we have an increase in the beginning of the semester when students are flush with cash, then there was a decrease towards the end of the semester when students are running out of money. So the end of the semester is a good time to host events or run special deals to bring the numbers up.

How did you keep your cafe accountable to the day-to-day responsibilities of managing costs?

I would print out a weekly waste log and post it to our board. I also had meetings with the team to go through the waste log and educate the team. It’s hard to understand waste unless you see it quantified and see how much it adds up over the course of a semester. Empowering team leads to implement cost-savings ideas helped them buy in much more.

What advice do you have for the incoming SCEO?

Find balance from beginning. Be strategic in the use of your time. Now that there are team leads who are developed and strong, let them handle important things. 

[saxbys]

Pressed For Time? Order Ahead With the Saxbys App

Got to have your Saxbys fix but short on time? Now you can use the Order Ahead function on the new-and-improved Saxbys app to receive your order within moments of walking in the door.

It’s incredibly simple to use: Open the Saxbys app, choose your Saxbys cafe, pick the menu items you want to order, choose your payment method, and place your order. That’s it! And it won’t ruin the repour you’ve built with your favorite Saxbys barista, because we’re committed to having an outgoing, passionate team member present you with your order no matter what. It’s just part of our Mission Statement to “Make Life Better” — saving you time without compromising the experience, quality, or a sense of community you’re used to from Saxbys.  

“Our guests move fast. We knew we needed an app that could keep pace with their lifestyle and needs,” said Saxbys Founder and CEO Nick Bayer. “While we want to enhance their experience and make sure their time spent with us seamlessly fits into their routine, we’re not willing to sacrifice caring personally and communicating openly with our guests. We worked really hard with this new app and with the programs within it to ensure we are striking a balance between being tech-forward and still staying true to our roots as a hospitality company.”

Order Ahead is available in the vast majority of Saxbys cafes so hop on the Saxbys app and get started.

At Saxbys we’re always striving for perfection. Do you have suggestions on how to make our mobile app better? Hit us up at [email protected].

[saxbys]

#TreatYoSelf This Valentine’s Day With the Saxbys X Dottie’s Limited Edition Donut

Whether you’re in puppy love or living the single life, everyone is entitled to something sweet on Valentine’s Day. That’s why Saxbys partnered with Dottie’s Donuts to offer the limited edition Saxbys X Dotties #TreatYoSelf donut. It’s got champagne cream, raspberry glaze, chocolate drizzle and topped with a heart-shaped cookie. It’ll be available exclusively on the Saxbys app new and existing users.

Did we mention it’s completely vegan?

“Valentine’s Day is about freely giving and receiving love. That includes self-love, so we wanted to spark a collaboration that was centered on treating yourself” said Saxbys Founder and CEO Nick Bayer. “We’ve been big fans of Dotties for quite some time — they’re a Philly company serving vegan, high-integrity, rave-worthy donuts — what’s not to love?”

Matt Quinn, co-founder of Dottie’s Donuts, agrees that whether cupid is shooting an arrow in your direction or not, our new donut can make your day.

“Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day with a loved one or giving yourself a little love on your daily commute, we’re excited to offer guests a Saxbys exclusive treat!” said Matt.

Dottie’s Donuts started in 2014 while Matt and co-founder Jeff Poleon worked at a vegan pizza shop called Blackbird Pizzeria in South Philly. So why not make vegan donuts? What started as a side project with Matt and Jeff spending hours in their kitchens and doing late-night deliveries, blossomed into a full-scale operation with locations in West Philly and South Philly.

They certainly got our attention after the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl last season, creating the “Tom Brady’s Butterfinger” donut to celebrate the quarterback’s dropped pass and crucial fumble, and the “Greased Pole” a fun take on how Philadelphia police greased the city’s lamp posts so excited fans don’t climb them (even though they still did.)

Now they’re working with us, and Matt is pumped about the collaboration.

“Like Dottie’s, Saxbys takes great pride in serving Philadelphians,” he said. “We’re excited to collaborate with a local company who values Philly and the people who make up this great city.”

The special donut will be available via the Saxbys app through our Order Ahead functionality at select Philly locations while supplies last. Swinging by a Saxbys cafe to grab one? Make sure to snap a photo for the Gram and tag @Saxbys and @DottiesDonuts. 

[saxbys]

Passing the Latte: After Booking Heavy Metal Concerts, Chris DiCriscio is Ready for the Saxbys Challenge

When picking a new Student Cafe Executive Officer, we couldn’t pass up the chance to work with Chris DiCriscio. Not only does the 21-year-old marketing major from Cherry Hill, N.J. exude positivity and obvious leadership skills, she has a truly unique work history. In fact, Chris ran a local music website and, at the tender age of 16, booked a show with some local bands. After that, she was hooked, booking shows and tours with indie bands, rock bands, spoken word poets and even went on tour with a metal band.

These days, she’s putting her management skills to work at Saxbys, running all aspects of the Saxbys La Salle cafe. She’ll spend the next six months earning college credit and a competitive salary while becoming a leader in team development, community leadership and financial management.

It’s a major step for Chris but she’s up for the challenge. She chatted with us shortly after starting the SCEO program and explained why she already loves her team, how she aspires to work at a record label one day, and why she couldn’t wait for her turn to run a Saxbys cafe.

Overview

How did you get the gig?

I was an external hire and when I applied to be just a little barista, Sydney from recruiting encouraged me to apply for SCEO. Once I learned about the company mission and values I was obsessed.

What do you hope to achieve as SCEO?

The cafe was just established last year so my main goal is to spread Saxbys throughout the La Salle campus and become a part of the La Salle community.

Are you excited?

I’m so excited. I feel like I have more ideas everyday. I want to run a lot of fun events. I’ve talked to a few clubs and I’m trying to get them to have their meetings with us.

What are your career aspirations?

My overall goal is to become a marketing officer for an art or music based company. Maybe that’s doing marketing for a record label or something in art industry. That’s where I’m heading.

How does this role at Saxbys prepare you for your eventual career?

The role at Saxbys is preparing me for any career. It’s teaching me so much about not only operational standards but how to build a team. It’s teaching me so many life skills I’m going to use eventually in the future.

Team Development

What are your thoughts on the team you’re inheriting?

I love my team so much. They make me laugh. They teach me so much about the cafe. It’s really great to hear their perspective on things because I can look at it from a higher level, operational point, then get their advice and learn how my ideas can make things more efficient for them.

How do you plan to build a culture based off your leadership style?

My leadership style is very caring. It’s a mix between a mom and a boss. I want to make sure the team and community feels welcome. Instead of it just being a business, I want to become a quintessential part of a community — not just a place to buy coffee and leave. To get to that point, I will continue living by the core values, and care personally and communicate openly.

How do you plan to manage people the same age?

That’s a very interesting dynamic. I still consider myself a team member rather than someone who works above them. I find that by working alongside my team and being hands-on breaks down that weirdness. Plus, it makes them more comfortable with me. Overall, I want my team to trust me. I want my team to know I’m there for them and there with them.

Community Leadership

What ideas do you have to become a community leader?

Throwing open mic nights. Given my past in music that’s something I really want to do. I’d also love to get clubs and organizations, maybe fraternities and sororities, linked up with Saxbys. On the philanthropic side, I’m still working on ideas but I’d love to have some kind of event where guests can round up their bill and donate to charity.

How will becoming a community leader impact your cafe?

It will affect the cafe in good way. It’s not just a business. It’s a part of the community that will be contributing time, making donations and running events. By being a community leader I am confident that I will be able to foster a positive environment and make positive changes in and around La Salle.

Financial Management

How did you plan to manage and understand your P&L?

When I was a manager at Hot Topic, I did financial management tasks so this isn’t totally new to me. Doing it on a much larger level and doing it at my own cafe is different. I absolutely love the challenge. As I keep working at it, it’ll become easier.

How will you keep your team members accountable for managing costs day-to-day?

Honestly having team members understand the bigger picture helps them stay on their own track. If they understand why I’m making a certain initiative — like focusing on less waste for example — it’ll make more sense to them and they’ll follow my lead.

Final Thoughts

How excited are you to get started?

I am beyond pumped. I was counting down the days until this semester began waiting for my chance to get started as SCEO. Now that I’m here, it feels amazing. It feels like home.

[saxbys]

Passing the Latte: From a Backyard Blueberry Business to Running Our Saxbys La Salle University Cafe

Emma Schweigert has always been entrepreneurial. As a kid growing up in Schuylkill Haven, Pa., she had the bright idea to pick blueberries from her backyard and sell them to passersby. Soon she put a sign up, got neighbors to help, and developed a truly impressive business — for a kid or an adult.

Now a 22-year-old senior at La Salle, Emma has just finished putting her entrepreneurial spirit to work as the Student Cafe Executive Officer (SCEO) at Saxbys La Salle. For six months, she ran all aspects of the cafe, from team development to community leadership to financial management. It’s all part of the Saxbys Experiential Learning Program (ELP) where college students like Emma earn college credit and competitive pay while getting real-life experience.

We spoke to Emma soon after finished leading our Saxbys La Salle University cafe to learn her thoughts on the ELP program.

Overview

Describe your experience as SCEO and how it’ll help prepare you for your future career.

I think it touches a lot of different categories. I feel confident that if an interviewer asked me any type of question, I have some knowledge, experience or story I can tell. Working with Saxbys gave me experience not in just one area of study but several. Marketing finance, management, sales, accounting — it touches everything.

What surprised you about this program?

Originally, I thought managing the financials would be super challenging but you can get the hang of that pretty quickly. More of the challenge is managing your team and helping to develop them. Trying to get to know everyone, making the schedule, keeping everyone happy — managing people is really tough and I didn’t realize that until I started this opportunity.

What are your career aspirations?

I’d like to either find a marketing job — maybe in advertising. Or be a financial advisor. I’m applying to a bunch of different places and keeping my options open.

Team Development

How did you build a culture based off your leadership style at your cafe within six months?

In the beginning, I gave them a lot of freedom. I would get to know how they ran the cafe before I was around and let them feel comfortable. Once I established trust with them, it helped me feel empowered to change things up. As long as you explain why you’re doing things, people are receptive and respectful. It’s all about building trust.

What was the most rewarding aspect of developing your team?

Watching them grow into leaders themselves. Once I developed leaders amongst the team, I didn’t need to direct or coach people all the time. I had other people I trusted to do that for me when I wasn’t around. It made the cafe run a lot better.

What was a major obstacle you had to overcome when it came to developing a team member?

Some team members pushed back a little bit or were resistant to change, so I had to keep reminding them to keep moving forward so the entire team is on the same page. We have monthly meetings called O3s (aka one-on-ones). That was a great time to address any issues or concerns. Keeping the line of communication open is very important.

Community Leadership

Name some community events that made you particularly proud.

We had a Pay as You Wish event. Guests could order anything from the menu and pay as much or little as they wanted. Saxbys matched that number and the money was donated to the La Salle Crisis Fund helping students who are food insecure or housing insecure. We raised $5,800 which goes a long way for an organization like that.

Any others?

Throughout the semester we donated all our wasted bagels, pastries and coffee to Face to Face Germantown which provides meals for people in need. There was also a place in Kensington where we donated lots of food items throughout semester. We also partnered with Philanthropos allowing guests to round up the change in their orders. All that money got donated to an organization called Team Up Philly, an afterschool program for girls, teaching them to play sports and helping them with homework.

How did you balance the best interest of your team while also contributing to the community you served?

A lot of team members were super pumped and excited to work on this stuff so it was easy. They gave me a bunch of suggestions on different ways the cafe could get involved.

How did becoming a community leader impact your cafe?

It helps morale. It made team members enjoy coming to work because they knew we’re not only serving coffee to our guests but trying to make a difference.

Financial Management

How did you achieve mastery of your P&L?

It took me a while to get the hang of it. My coaches were there to help me and walk me through it step-by-step, line-by-line. I give all credit to my coaches.

How did you keep your cafe accountable to the day-to-day responsibilities in order to manage your costs?

I would post our weekly financial reports in the back of the house so team members could see how we were doing. They were more receptive to the changes I wanted to make because they could see the reasoning behind them.

Final Thoughts

Are there any other ways the program helped you grow?

I think this internship really helped me get to know the La Salle community more. I know a lot more faculty on campus. It opened up my network more, which is really great now that I’m trying to find a job.

What advice do you have for the incoming SCEO?

Get to know your team as much as possible early so you can build trust a little bit sooner. The first month I was a little overwhelmed. I wish I just slowed down and got to know my team a little better in those times. Also, time management is huge. Make lists and set goals for yourself everyday.

How do you feel now that it’s over?

I’m still working part time with Saxbys. I’m helping to train the new SCEO and working on some marketing initiatives. So it’s not like I’m totally done. But it stinks leaving. I spent so much time with my team members over the past six months, it’s weird not seeing them everyday but it’s nice to step back and let someone else take over.

[saxbys]

Passing the Latte: Doug Szilagyi is Ready for the Challenge of Saxbys Saint Joseph’s University

Doug Szilagyi is pumped to be the latest Student Cafe Executive Officer at St. Joe’s. He came to Philly all the way from Richmond, Va. and has some big plans for this cafe — from open-mic nights to community-service initiatives. And of course, great guest engagement and great coffee are at the top of his agenda.

Doug is a sophomore food marketing major and has a hands-on management style. You’re more likely to see him working side-by-side with his team than observing from afar. It’s just Doug’s way of telling them: “I got your back.”

He hopes the whole experience will help him kickstart a career in brand marketing. So if you see Doug around the cafe, say hi!

Shortly before he got started, we spoke to Doug for a quick interview.

Overview

Are you excited to get started?

I’m pumped. I can’t wait to put some ideas into action and see how I can grow the cafe to be a lot more successful.

What new ideas are you hoping to bring to the cafe?

New ways to market so I can get people from all sides of campus to come and trying to build up more ways to communicate with people and spread the word on campus. We’ll want to have more events. We had our first open-mic night before winter break, so just throwing more events like that will bring more people in cafe. We also want to do more sampling on other parts of campus. There are plenty of coffee option on campus but I feel like if people tried Saxbys once, they’d be more inclined to get another one.  

What are your career aspirations?

I want to work to market a brand. I really want to see how my marketing efforts can make an impact. I’ll still have other co-ops after this, so all these experiences combined will help give me a better idea of what I want to do for my career.

Team Development

What are your thoughts on the team you’re inheriting?

I think it’s a strong team. There are a lot of good leaders and there’s a lot of room for them to develop a lot further. They’re all enthusiastic and believe in the mission of Saxbys and they all want to make life better.

How do you plan on managing team members who are essentially the same age?

At the beginning you have to lay out the expectations for everyone and then make sure those are met. As long as everyone does their job, everyone’s going to be happier. If people start slacking, that’s going to impact other areas of the cafe. I want to make sure everyone is aware of what’s expected.

How do you plan to build a culture based off your leadership style within six months?

By being more collaborative and making sure everyone knows I’m not above working side-by-side with them. I want them to know I’m putting in just as much effort as they are. Having a lot of open communication and being very clear with team in regards to what needs to get done is crucial too. We should treat every team member like a guest. People will be happier to come to work if they’re treated nicely.

Community Leadership

Any ideas for community leadership initiatives this semester?

I want to talk to the team and see if there are some organizations they are passionate about. I also want to pair with organizations on campus to see if there’s a fit. I want to make sure we’re working with the surrounding community and making them feel welcome in our cafe even though they might not always venture on to campus to get a coffee. I definitely want to help clean up campus and the city. There are inner city gardens in Philadelphia that are beyond disrepair. I volunteered to help weed and clean up those spaces and it was very rewarding. I think that would be a good experience for our team and make an impact in the surrounding community.

Financial Management

How can you attract more guests?

We have very short peak times then it’s quiet. I’d like to find the people who are available during our slower times like faculty and professors. That will definitely help create more traffic during those quiet times.

How do you plan to keep your cafe accountable to the day-to-day responsibilities in order to manage costs?

We’ve got to continue making sure we don’t overuse product. For example, making sure no one is wasting milk. We also have to make sure we’re ordering the right amounts. By now we have a pretty good idea of what we’re using and not using, but we’ll keep adapting our plan as things change.

Final Thoughts

What advice did you receive from Maddie Dierolf, the previous SCEO?

She told me to step up my game, be on top of everything and be open to learning new things and learning from my mistakes.

What are you most excited about?

I’m most excited about developing new skills and moving into a leadership role at Saxbys. I really identify with the company’s mission and core values. It’ll be a great opportunity for me to grow not only as a person but in my future career.

[saxbys]

Passing the Latte: Maddie Dierolf on Being Inaugural SCEO at Saint Joseph’s University and “Mom of the Cafe”

After two years working with the Saxbys team, Maddie Dierolf proved herself as a rockstar team member. So we gave her a monumental task we knew she’d be up for — opening the brand-new Saxbys Saint Joseph’’s cafe. That meant Maddie had to develop a new group of team members, help create a positive and unique cafe culture, become a community leader, and master financial management. She also developed baselines for sales, scheduling, food ordering and everything else associated with running the cafe day-to-day.

It’s all part of the Saxbys Experiential Learning Program (ELP) where college students like Maddie run all aspects of a cafe while earning college credit and competitive pay.

As we suspected, Maddie mastered her experience as a SCEO. In fact her team presented Maddie with flowers on her last day and some tears were definitely flowing. Now that it’s over, Maddie took a few minutes to reflect on her experience.

Overview

How would you briefly describe your experience as a SCEO?

It was so rewarding. It went by so fast. The people on my team are amazing. They made me excited to come to work everyday. There was stress and at times I was overwhelmed but I’m so happy to have done it. I learned so much about myself personally and professionally.

What are some lessons you learned?

I learned how to talk to vendors, how to interact with guests on a professional level, and figured out the line between being a boss and being a friend.

What specific challenges did you face opening a new Saxbys ELP cafe?

Everything from training team members to marketing and advertising. You pretty much have your hand in a million different bowls to make sure it’s a successful opening. We also wrote different quotes and fun things on the chalkboard everyday which let students know it was a fun environment.

Team Development

How did you build a culture based off your leadership style in just 2-and-a-half months?

The week before the cafe opened, my team was in the cafe everyday getting trained. I made it a point to be there too and show them how excited I was to have the job. I wanted to know everything about them. I wanted to know their interests, majors, what they want to do with their lives. That helped build bonds.

What are your thoughts on your team?

My team made me so happy to come to work everyday. Every single person on my team was so kind, so respectful, so motivated and happy to be part of brand-new cafe.

What was the most rewarding aspect of developing your team?

To see everybody grow. It’s so rewarding that they want to grow within the company. Part of SCEO’s job is pushing them through tiers. It was so awesome when a team member would come to me and say “I’m host trained but I really want be a barista, can you help me get there?” That would always make me take a step back and realize they want to work hard.

What was a major obstacle you had to overcome when it came to developing a team member?

I was so hands on and I wanted to make sure I was there for my team no matter what. But I realized that if I’m constantly helping them, they’re not going to grow and learn to do tasks on their own. I had to remind myself that it’s okay for them to fail every once in awhile — that’s how they learn. Towards end of co-op I forced myself to stand on sidelines far more often.

Community Leadership

What were favorite community initiatives?

We catered for a club called Agape Latte twice and they brought in guest speakers. We provided gift cards for a lot of professors in the business school so they could host meetings with their students. We also hosted an open-mic night which was such a nice atmosphere. People were really into it and it provided something mellow for finals week.

Were there any philanthropic initiatives you think went particularly well?

We had a rounding up initiative with Philanthropos. We would ask guests to round up to the nearest dollar to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters. St. Joe’s is a huge service school so it was a big hit. It got to the point where we didn’t even have to ask, guests would just say “can I have a small coffee and you can round me up?”

How did you balance the best interest of your team while also contributing to the community that your cafe served?

A lot of my team members were involved in some kind of service so I made sure not to make any decisions on community leadership efforts without checking with them first. I wanted it to be a group effort so I’m not saying “we’re doing an open mic night whether you like it or not.” Instead I’d ask “do you think this is a good idea? How can we make it better?” That got them passionate and excited.

How did becoming a community leader impact your cafe?

It showed that we were interested in being more than just a cafe on campus. It showed we wanted to make a real impact wanted to be involved on campus as much as any other student club or organization.

Financial Management:

How did you achieve mastery to manage and understand your P&L?

I think I did have a really good understanding of the administrative tasks because I worked with Saxbys for so long and received excellent training. It took the first week or so see what sales and foot traffic would be like to help us determine how to order product, how to schedule my team. For me, setting a baseline was really important.

How did you keep your cafe accountable to the day-to-day responsibilities in order to manage your costs?

I tried to make sure everyone was on the same page. I was very open with my team, explaining what I was doing and why. I communicated with them a lot. It was helpful for me and helpful for them to know how the process works.

How were you able to step outside of the day-to-day management of your cafe to strategically plan for your P&L?

Stepping out of cafe was really hard for me. On most days, I planted myself there and never left. They all called me the mom of the cafe. But I knew I had to set time aside from work to analyze those things and that helped us succeed.

Final Thoughts

What was it like to leave?

I was emotional leaving because I worked for Saxbys so long. Starting out as a barista and ending as SCEO was really emotional. The connections I made with my team were amazing. On my last day, they brought me flowers and a really nice card. That was so meaningful for me that I was able to make an impact on my team’s lives.

What advice do you have for Doug Szilagyi, the incoming SCEO?

Stay positive and don’t stress about the small stuff. Everything works out one way or another. Don’t fill your headspace with things that aren’t worth the stress.

How does this experience prepare you for your eventual career?

This will help me immensely. I carry myself in a different way than when I entered this position. I know how to hold myself in a professional environment. I’m really excited about new opportunities and to put the skills I gained to test and see how it helps me in long run. Communication skills my confident skills and my overall leadership skills so I’m excited to see that play out in my next job experience.

[saxbys]

Passing the Latte: Meghan Tezik, Incoming SCEO at Millersville University is Focused on Helping Team Members Build Careers

Meghan Tezik knows the next six months will be challenging. After working with Saxbys for the past year and really working hard to develop her leadership skills, Meghan is ready to take on the job of Student Cafe Executive Officer at the Saxbys cafe at Millersville University. It’s part of our Experiential Learning Program, and Meghan will be responsible for achieving mastery in our Three Pillars of Leadership: Team Development, Community Leadership, and Financial Management.

It’s a big job, but the junior from Philadelphia is up for the adventure. She hopes to create an inclusive work environment at the cafe and keep team members engaged with exciting community projects, like making peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches to feeding the homeless. She also wants to help team members prepare for their careers, and plans resume-writing workshops and professor visits after hours.

We sat down the Meghan before she began her SCEO journey to get her thoughts on the six months to come.

Overview

Are you excited to get started?

I’m so excited, so jazzed. During trainings, I’ve met a lot of other incoming CEOs and it’s been amazing to bounce ideas off each other. I think we’re all just really excited to get going.

How do your personal values align with Saxbys values?

Growing up, I was very involved with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America because my mom worked there. I saw the impact I can make with community cleanups or selling baked goods to raise money. Seeing a larger company like Saxbys being a “community serving a community” shows me that if enough people get involved you can really make a difference.

Did you receive any advice from Bryana Weston-Wyatt, the previous SCEO at Millersville?

She said “I have a list of things I did that you should not do” which is incredibly helpful. A lot of other CEOs have told me that sometimes it’s going to get overwhelming and that’s okay because of how big the position is.

Any thoughts on the team you’re inheriting?

The team is phenomenal. They’re such an energetic squad. I come in to open at 6 a.m. and they’re dancing to music and ready to go. I also love how they’re willing to develop. They always ask questions about what happened during a training at headquarters, if I’d learned anything new, and any new items are coming to the menu. Everybody is just so willing to work and grow. They all have the same goal in mind, which is to be one of the best dining services on campus.  

Team Development

How do you plan to build a culture based on your leadership style within 6 months?

As a team lead on shifts, I’ve always made it my priority to be approachable. I also don’t immediately go to punishments but instead use alternate routes like coaching sessions where we talk things out. When I found out I got the job as SCEO, I made it a point to ask everyone what they expected from me. I learned that people have ideas to improve the cafe but think they can’t speak up because they’re only a host or barista — not a team lead. I want them to feel as though no matter what position they’re in, their ideas count.

Any plans to help the team gel?

College students tend to work the same shifts with same people because their schedules coincide. It would be nice to have some kind of rotation so different team members have the chance to interact with one another. Maybe we’ll do a monthly kickball or dodgeball game — something outside of Saxbys so we can all relax and communicate with each other to build friendships and trust.

How do you plan to help team members develop as professionals?

I would love to have team resume workshops. We can get a local professor come into the cafe after closing and work on resumes with the team.

Community Leadership

What fresh ideas do you have for community leadership initiatives for the coming semester?

What if we had an event called “Jam with Saxbys” and we invited guests and our entire team to make peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches and then donate them to local food or homeless shelters? It would be a great way to bond with the team too because when we hang out it’s usually in the cafe going through rushes. But in this case we could talk about other things, hang out as a team and do good for the community at the same time.

How will becoming a community leader impact your cafe?

I think it’ll put Saxbys name out there. Community outreach helps Saxbys improve our image and leads people to reach out and see what we’re all about. I think we’ll recruit more and I think it’ll lead to more catering orders because people want to align with themselves with businesses that would give peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches to a homeless shelter or host an open mic night.

Financial Management

How do you plan to be fiscally responsible at the cafe to ensure your profit/loss (P&L) statement is a winner?

There can be a lot of waste if you’re not careful. Whether it’s portioning our milk correctly for each latte or handling our muffins or cookies so none drop on the floor or break. I’ll make sure we’re following the first-in, first-out method with food and drinks. Also, we have to make sure we’re not over prepping or under-prepping. During Common Hour, where everyone on campus gets a break, we’ll prep more. So it’s really just analyzing all our supplies, seeing where the rushes are, making sure we don’t overprep for breaks, and making sure we don’t underprep for the busiest times.

Final Thoughts

What are your career aspirations?

I have a few different things in mind. I’m definitely thinking about grad school at one of the local universities in Philadelphia. Maybe I’ll get a job in community relations or a non-profit. The community aspect of large companies is something that really interests me.

[saxbys]

Passing the Latte: Bryana Weston-Wyatt Looks Back on Being SCEO at Millersville University

Bryana Weston-Wyatt spent the past six months running Saxbys Millersville, which serves hundreds of students a day. From her “bagel of the day” promotion to setting new inventory baselines after the amount of guests her team served this year saw big increases, Bryana’s innovative solutions and forward thinking helped propel the cafe to new heights.

Not bad for a senior in college.

Bryana worked as Student Cafe Executive officer as part of our Experiential Learning Program. While earning college credit and a minor in Entrepreneurship, Bryana learned valuable lessons about developing a strong team, ingraining the cafe into the wider community, and managing the financials of her cafe. Shortly after she finished her tenure on December 31, she sat down with us to discuss her thoughts on the program.

Overview

How would you briefly describe your experience as SCEO?

Challenging but worth it. As stressful as it was, it was fun. I love Saxbys. I always went to Saxbys before I joined the company but to work there gave me so much respect for my team members and all the past CEOs because, wow, they do a lot. As a guest you don’t see all that.

How does this program prepare you for your eventual career?

It gave me a glimpse into the real world. It showed me how much it takes to run your own cafe or business. It also showed me which parts of hospitality I like best, which were interacting with guests and building a solid team. I just loved going into work everyday and seeing our people happy and having a good time under my responsibility.

Team Development

How did you build a culture based off your leadership style within six months?

Since I was an external hire, I didn’t know the team before I started as SCEO. So I took time to get to know everyone. I’d just say “tell me about yourself. I literally want to hear your life story.” There were 50 team members and I wanted to connect with them all in some way. That really helped me because when issues came up, they trusted me. That was my foundation and it helped establish the culture in my cafe.

Is it difficult to manage people your own age?

Absolutely. It was challenging but I built trust and respect by making genuine connections with team members.

What was the most rewarding aspect of developing your team?

Knowing that the new people I brought in were great hires. Knowing that I introduced them to the culture of Saxbys and then hearing them say things like “there’s no place I’d rather be right now.” They thoroughly enjoy coming to work everyday.

What was a major obstacle you had to overcome when it came to developing a team member?

Trying to figure out if a team member needed extra help, or if working at Saxbys just wasn’t a fit for them. Letting people go is so hard but some people consistently didn’t show up for shifts and we had to make a tough decision. I’d tell them “you’re a great person but you’re hurting other team members who had to cover for you.”

Community Leadership

How did you balance the best interest of your team while also contributing to the community you served?

My COO (Cafe Operating Officer), Paige Robbins focused on that and did an amazing job. We did “coffee with cops.” We had slam poetry. We had people come in and sing. We got other clubs involved too. We opened our space to other organizations to do what they love in the space that we love.

What was your favorite community event?

My favorite was slam poetry. It was inspiring to see so many people in the cafe listening to people telling their stories. Slam poetry can get really personal, and you could feel that everyone was captivated by each poet. It was amazing.

How did becoming a community leader impact your cafe?

It attracted new guests. For people who don’t come in that often, events like this expose them to the cafe. It brings a wider audience to help our cafe grow.

Financial Management

How did you achieve mastery to manage and understand your P&L?

Financials is the probably the hardest thing everyone has to do. I tackled it by learning how every little thing contributes to the bottom line. Millersville Saxbys got busy this semester compared to last year, so I had to redo all my Periodic Automatic Replenishments, developing a new bottom line for how much coffee, food, milk and other inventory to order. That is what I had to master so I didn’t run out of things but also didn’t waste.

How did you keep your cafe accountable to the day-to-day responsibilities in order to manage your costs?

My team members truly care so much about the cafe even when they’re not working, they’re hanging out there. So for me it was really simple, I just told them about our initiatives around not wasting product and fixing simple problems and they were really responsive.

A major part of the job is to be entrepreneurial, which you did with your “bagel of the day” promotion. Tell us about that.

I heard a lot of guests talking about cool bagel flavors like blueberry, french toast. They just wanted something different. I thought maybe we should try something fun, so I talked to our bagel distributor and each week I’d bring in one bagel we didn’t have before. We had asiago, sun dried tomato, chocolate chip, blueberry. We increased our bagels sold by 100 per week. People who normally didn’t get out of bed until 11 a.m. were at the door at 7 a.m. to make sure they didn’t miss the bagels because they would sell out so fast.  

Final Thoughts

How do you feel that it’s over?

Bittersweet. I’m back to work at Saxbys as a Team Lead 3, so I’ll enjoy making coffee without having to worry about doing everything else that needs to be done. I’m ready to go back to being a normal student.

Did you give any advice to Meghan Tezik, the incoming SCEO?

Not yet, we have a dinner coming up where I’ll certainly share my thoughts. I’ll tell her what the old SCEO told me: try not to get overwhelmed at first. There is so much and you’re going to want to do it all by yourself but you have people — lean on them. Take everything one day at a time. And when you need help, don’t be afraid to ask. You got this. Make it your own and kill it.

[saxbys]

Passing the Latte: John Lucas is Ready to Shine As Student Cafe Executive Officer at Temple Fox

John Lucas’ leadership philosophy is simple: Happy, healthy team members can accomplish anything.

He’ll take his team-first mentality to the Saxbys cafe at the Fox School of Business at Temple University where he’ll serve as Student Cafe Executive Officer. It’s hardly his first time at a Saxbys cafe. In fact he’s been working with us for over the past year. But on January 2, we was handed the keys and be tasked with running all aspects of the cafe — from team development to community leadership to financial management.

John is definitely up for the challenge and sat down with us to share his thoughts on the exciting six months to come.

Overview

How are you feeling knowing that you start as SCEO so soon?

Equally excited and nervous. But it’s a good kind of nervous.

Did you get any advice from Talya Gerstl, the previous SCEO?

She’s always teaching me to focus on the team. Put them first. Our team is the reason we’re in business and I never forget that.  

What are some things you’re hoping to learn in your role?

I want more knowledge of back-of-the-house operations. I’ve had a lot of experience in the front of the house but now I want learn the numbers and figures and be able to apply them to Saxbys. Profit/loss statements, invoicing, inventory. All of it. Also, I really want to become better at managing my time. I want to be able to help my team members with that as well. I want to make sure everyone is healthy and happy in the cafe.

Team Development

How do you plan to build a culture at your cafe based off your leadership style within six months?

Saxbys teaches servant leadership, which means that I’m not above my team members and I’m here to help in any way. I’ll be right next to them getting my hands dirty — taking out the trash, helping them with a rush, or sliding into the kitchen and making food. Showing them that we’re all on the same level helps build trust with my team members.

How do you plan to manage people your own age?

If I show them I can care for them, that will create a lot of trust with my team members — and they’ll be honest and up front with me.

What are your thoughts on the team you’re inheriting?

They’re rockstars. If you can work there you can handle any hospitality front-of-the-house job. We turn over something like 200 checks per hour. They’re so focused. From the start of their shift until they end of their shift, they don’t stop moving — whether they’re making drinks, making food, cleaning or prepping. They’re a really impressive group of individuals.

Community Leadership

How do you plan on interacting with the Temple community?

I’m no stranger to the administration, the professors and fellow classmates in that building. I’ve been with them for four years now. Everyday we provide for them, they appreciate it — so we feed off each other. I look forward to giving back to Temple community. They’ve done so much for me. I’m looking at the next six months as a project rather than an internship. I want to create something great that will leave an impact on the Temple community.

Do you any ideas for charitable initiatives?

This upcoming semester is first time we’ll have a chief marketing officer in the cafe so I’m excited to work with her on some new ideas. I know we frequently partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters and AIDS Fund Philly so if we can do some philanthropic work with them, that would be amazing.

Financial Management

How do you plan to achieve mastery to manage and understand your profit/loss statement (P&L)?

I just had training not too long ago and everyone in HQ was really helpful. Past CEOs have reached out to me asking me offering help with P&L and sales reports. I’m a hands-on learner so I plan to dive right in, but I have such a large network to rely on and I feel comfortable reaching out if I need anything.

How do you plan to keep your cafe accountable to the day-to-day responsibilities in order to manage your costs?

Everything ties back to team development. It’s just training and reinforcing the basics. If I can get them to understand food costs, waste, being mindful of ‘first-in-first-out’ philosophy with inventory — things will go really well. I like to think my team respects accountability. I will definitely hold them accountable for these things — and be hard on myself too.

How do you plan to step outside of the day-to-day management of your cafe to strategically plan for your P&L?

I want be at cafe as much as possible but I know when we’ll have down time. I know when we’ll have busy times. I know when I’ll have a chance to step in the back or grab a bite to eat and get some P&L work done. I’m pretty confident I can find time to do that while also maintaining a strong presence in the cafe.

Final Thoughts

What are your career aspirations?

I’d love to do destination marketing where I help attract tourism to a major city. It’s the same sort of work that Visit Philly does in marketing Philadelphia to people in the tri-state area and around the country. I’d work in any major city. I’m young and would definitely want to travel around. I don’t have a problem with that.

[saxbys]

After 6 Months as Student CEO, Talya Gerstl Looks Back

Talya Gerstl is not your typical college student. She was born in the United States but lived in Israel for many years. She even spent time as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces before starting college.

Her experience, passion for life, and open-mindedness led us to choose Talya to lead our Saxbys cafe at the Fox School of Business at Temple University as Student Cafe Executive Officer. She ran all aspects of the cafe including team development, financial management and community leadership. Talya built an incredibly collaborative culture at her cafe, where all team members are asked for input and advice.

The result is a successfully run cafe and a woman who’s poised for a great career in hospitality management after her final day as SCEO on January 2. She sat down with us to discuss her time at Saxbys and offer some advice to the next SCEO.

Overview

How are you feeling knowing that your time as SCEO is coming to an end?

I’m slowly saying goodbye to the team and definitely getting emotional.

How did being SCEO prepare you for a career in hospitality management?

This program teaches you so much about management and leadership. Saxbys gives you training, hands you the keys and says “here you go.” Then I had 46 team members and managed all the ordering, invoices and vendors. I had to understand what all the numbers meant. I had to learn to use labor in the most efficient way and not just give team members hours because they want hours. It helped me determine the best decisions to make to drive the best outcomes for our cafe and our team members.

Team Development

How did you build a culture at your cafe based off your leadership style within 6 months?

Know your team and genuinely care about them. Ask them: How was your weekend? How is that class going? Make sure you’re not just asking those questions to ask them. Show you genuinely care about their interests and their life. A happy worker is a productive worker. Productive workers bring more guest engagement — and happy guests will come back again and again.

What was the most rewarding aspect of developing your team?

To see them grow as leaders and watch them progress in the organization. I had the privilege of developing four team members to a team lead positions. To see the passion in their eyes made it all worth it.

What was a major obstacle you had to overcome when it came to developing team members?

There were a lot of team members who wanted to be team leads, but we only had spots for a few. Knowing they wanted to take on more responsibility was great but we couldn’t accommodate everyone. I just communicated that to everyone, made sure their voices were heard and did what was best for the cafe.

You’re a college student managing other college students. What’s it like managing peers?

I didn’t feel that just because I am a little older, I knew more or could act superior in any way. Instead, I had a very inclusive process and strived to learn from the team members, especially the ones who had been there before me. If I offered a new idea, I’d ask for feedback and try to make sure everyone is included in the process. It helped me immensely — everyday I learned something new and it helped fulfil our mission to make life better for everybody.

Community Leadership

How did you contribute to the community you served?

We worked with Philanthropi to encourage guests to contribute to Big Brothers Big Sisters. We’re competing with other cafes to see who can donate the most. We’re currently in third place. We want to give as much as we can because Big Brothers Big Sisters is an amazing organization. We also donated to a fundraiser for Camp Kesem, an organization supporting kids whose parents have or had cancer.

How did becoming a community leader impact your cafe?

The location of our cafe makes for a really special relationship with our guests. We’re literally inside a Temple building serving students and professors everyday. We’re creating relationships with the community on a daily basis and I loved serving my professors and advisors. We made the cafe a cool place to study, do homework or just hangout. That helped us keep guests coming back.

Financial Management

How did you work to manage and understand your profit/loss statements (P&L)?

My coach was a big help. She helped me learn how much to order do projections based on events like weather, exams and breaks. I also just took my time and focused on sales and labor. I made sure we met projections and didn’t go over budget.

How did you keep your cafe accountable to the day-to-day responsibilities in order to manage your costs?

Because this was first fall semester that the cafe was open, we had to establish a baseline. It was a great opportunity to learn about the preferences of our guests. For example in September and into mid-October, Cold Brew was a big seller but that tapered off as the weather got colder, and people started ordering more hot drinks.

How were you able to step outside of the day-to-day management of your cafe to strategically plan for your P&L?

As a new leader in the cafe, I really wanted to be hands on and at the cafe as much as possible. But I still managed to take a step back, analyze our numbers, learn about inventory ordering and wasted product to help me balance our books.

Final Thoughts

What are your career aspirations and how did this experience prepare you for the future?

I still don’t know the right path for me but I know that working with Saxbys prepared me for a career in hospitality management. It was an amazing experience. I learned about myself, learned about my leadership skills. I’m not exactly sure where my career will take me from here, but I know everything will be okay.

What advice do you have for the incoming SCEO?

You have a lot of responsibility but remember that you have an amazing team that has your back. This team will be there for you no matter what. Continue being willing to learn, and don’t be afraid to put your foot down. I know John and he’s going to be amazing. I can leave knowing the cafe is in good hands.

[saxbys]

U R Welcome: Morissa Jenkins

“U R Welcome” is the brainchild of Reuben “Big Rube” Harley. It’s a series of interviews with black influencers and tastemakers in Philadelphia discussing race, community and how Philly can be a place where everyone is welcome. When Rube came to Saxbys with the idea, we jumped at the chance to work with him to tell these stories.

Morrisa Jenkins knows all about Southern hospitality. She grew up in Mississippi and lived for years in New Orleans — so moving to Philadelphia was a big change. She came here along with her husband, Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins, who helped carry the team to a Super Bowl victory last season. While Philly doesn’t welcome you with waives and chit-chat like down South, the city eventually won her heart with its character and passion.

She’s soon opening Freedom Apothecary in the Northern Liberties neighborhood she’s called home for the past few years. Founded alongside Bonkosi Alyssa, the business is going to carry non-toxic skin care products and serve as a community space.

She sat down with Big Rube to discuss welcoming, inclusion and her new found love of Philly.

How did you find community in Philly?

I love Philly. Philly is home now. People here love you, they just show it differently than down South. Once we made the move to Northern Liberties, I found my community. I found my tribe and I started to get adjusted and liked Philly a lot more. I really began to want to put roots down here.

Tell me about Freedom Apothecary.

We’re offering non-toxic, clean, green beauty products. We also want to create a place for people to have community, a space where they can feel welcome, and not have to worry about judgement or stereotypes. We’re going to host workshops on fertility, finances, inclusion, and diversity — a range of things that affect women and minorities. We want to create a wellness space for people to come, feel welcome and let their hair down.

What kind of philanthropic initiatives are you working on?

Of course, I help with The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation. I also recently started doing work in my home state of Mississippi with social justice.

What does inclusivity mean to you?

I grew up in Mississippi, so for a long time I didn’t know what inclusivity meant. I just knew what things looked like and that’s how they were — whether that was segregation, systemic racism, or “living on the other side of tracks.” Upon moving away from Mississippi, I finally got a look at the the whole picture. So for me, inclusivity means being welcoming, and being empathetic to other people's situations and backgrounds. It really comes down to empathy, and wanting to be inclusive and not discriminate or be divisive because of skin color, cultural differences, and socio-economic statuses.

Is it even more important for you and Malcolm to stand up for inclusivity given his platform as a popular NFL player?

It’s always been important but now it’s imperative. When we moved here, although I wasn’t thrilled in the beginning, I had peace because I knew Malcolm and our family were here for a purpose — be it activism, bringing this city it’s first Super Bowl, the opening of Freedom Apothecary, the first store of its kind in this city, or the work The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation has been able to do in Philly. This was all a part of the plan. We’re living out our purpose and using the platform he’s been given to bring awareness to many important issues.

How does Saxbys fit into your lifestyle?

I think it’s important, given the current climate, to have space for everyone. Saxbys has done a great job at creating a welcoming, inclusive space.

What’s your go-to Saxbys order?

Decaf caramel vanilla latte with almond milk.

[saxbys]

Groothin’ into 2019!

2019 is officially here (crazy!) and we hope you’re as excited as we are! With a new year comes new goals, aspirations & mindsets. And guess what: Resolutions are better with SAXBYS.

Looking for a healthy drink to sip on during your new year grind? Meet the Groothie, our vegan and organic obsession from our friends over at GetRealGetRaw. Pineapple, banana, apple & greens -- yep, and that’s it -- all blended to smoothie perfection.

Resolve to get real and raw right now at any Saxbys cafe today!

[saxbys]

U R Welcome: Deborah Herder

“U R Welcome” is the brainchild of Reuben “Big Rube” Harley. It’s a series of interviews with black influencers and tastemakers in Philadelphia discussing race, community and how Philly can be a place where everyone is welcome. When Rube came to Saxbys with the idea, we jumped at the chance to work with him to tell these stories. 

Deborah Herder seemed destined to be an entrepreneur and salon owner. As a child, she braided everybody’s hair. As a young hair stylist, she learned that salon owners didn’t always treat their team with respect and weren’t as welcoming as they could be to potential clients.

Now Deborah is the owner of Admirations Hair It Iz Salon now located at 1733 South Street after 31 years at 20th and Chestnut Streets. Over the years, Deborah has created an incredibly welcoming, inclusive environment at the salon. She sat down with Big Rube to chat about Philly, salon culture and inclusivity.

How do you coach the stylists that work in your salon?

I try to make them feel like this is their home. This is their business too. I tell them: This is your destiny. You can make it whatever you want. You’re not living my dream, you’re living your own dream. If you apply yourself, work hard and make your clients feel like they’re important, you’ll do a great job.

Why is it so important for you to create a welcoming feeling in your salon?

It’s very important to me that everyone who walks in the door feels like they’re at a place where they can be themselves. When they feel welcome, they tend to be more relaxed and become a part of the family.

Do you think Philly business owners have a welcoming culture?

I think Philly aims to please everyone — no matter what race, color, background you’re from. Without making everyone feel welcome, you’ll put yourself at a standstill. You won’t have longevity. Being in Center City, I feel like every business I walk into, people are welcoming to me — even remembering your name or what you’ve bought before.

What does inclusivity mean to you?

From the time you open the door and walk into Admirations, we aim to make our clients feel welcome — no matter what color they are, what texture of hair they have, young, elderly, male, or female. As soon as you come in, we give you a nice warm welcome and tend to whatever your needs are.

How does Saxbys fit into your lifestyle?

I have a couple clients that also work for Saxbys. One time, they brought pastries from Saxbys into the salon. That caused me to start going to Saxbys for coffee or a quick bite to eat. I like to try a little bit of everything but the danishes and pastries are my favorites.