Cafeteria Coffee – Steaming with Possibilities!
December 8, 2022
Emerson’s cafeteria sells coffee in the morning from 7:30-10:30 am. Many students and teachers buy and drink it, but is everyone satisfied? Students and teachers alike have ideas to improve the coffee, creamer, and setup situations.
Freshman Lindsey Delarosa said, “ The coffee is ok, but it is normally very watered down, and there are a limited amount of flavors. It’s convenient though, because if I am feeling tired, in between classes, I can just buy a coffee.” Lindsey shares a similar opinion with many other students attending EHS.
Alike Lindsey, freshman Mackenzie McGuinness also drinks the coffee often and explained, “The coffee is easy to get at school – especially if you are running late.” She added, “ I like it, but I feel like it is watered down, and that the ice melts way too quickly, so it is never really ‘iced’ when you get it iced.” Lastly, she stated, “I feel like the flavors are extremely limited, and that it would be better if we had either different flavors of coffee, or even just different flavors of creamer. It’s also kind of difficult to make because it is a very small space, so I feel like it would be better if they did a coffee bar on the other side of the cafeteria – just like they did with the wrap station.”
Physical Education teacher Andrea Graff admitted, “I don’t buy Starbucks or Dunkin’ on a regular basis, only for special events, so it wouldn’t make sense for me to buy the school coffee.” Additionally, she said, “It’s cheaper and easier to just make at home.”
Many people share the same opinion, and think that it is better to make coffee in the comfort of your own home since you have access to any flavors and can add any customization to your coffee that you desire.
But what about when you’re here, and you just need some coffee to perk up your morning? It’s nice that you can easily purchase some here, but it could be even nicer if there were more options.
When cafeteria employees were asked about bringing in new coffee flavors, they said, “Since not many people buy the coffee, it would be difficult to bring new flavors since we would end up with a lot of extra coffee.” They have a point. It’s all about supply and demand, right?
Think about it, though. Adding more coffee flavors to the cafeteria would also positively affect and contribute to people’s enjoyment of it; more flavors being added would make people be more likely to buy the coffee since they would be spending their money on flavors they enjoy, and can not make at home on an everyday basis.
There are millions of coffee flavors, but it just so happens to seem there is one specific flavor that freshman Julia Seretis prefers. She stated many ideas about a sugar-cookie almond-milk flavored coffee. She said,¨If they had that flavor it would be so good, and so many people would drink that.¨ Flavors such as this creative one would catch many people’s attention.
Not only does the flavor of the coffee matter, but the creamer of the coffee is just as important to many students. Coffee can sometimes have a bland or bitter flavor, but an exotic creamer can make it taste better. Having something other than just vanilla creamer would make a major difference to everyone’s coffee. Some flavors such as hazelnut, pecan, and pumpkin could make everyone’s morning just a little tastier.
In order to have all of these coffee elements come together, there must be a space designated for coffee – a Coffee Bar! In the cafeteria, there are two sides to the lunch line. One could be replaced with a coffee line, and the other could remain strictly for lunch only – or at least just for the morning session.
A coffee bar would provide a space for many flavors and all the toppings that you can think of that can make a coffee drink extra special. Having access to different types will encourage more people to drink and experiment and find new favorites. Julia Seretis also stated, ¨If they had a coffee bar, it would be just like Starbucks¨. Relating to flavors, Starbucks has hundreds of flavors, and if Emerson Junior Sr. High School had some fun flavors (not necessarily a hundred), more students would love it, and more money would be spent in our cafeteria.
Isn’t that something that would make everybody just a little happier?
It may not be a perfect set-up right now, but just the idea of installing a coffee bar with all the fixings is just steaming with possibilities!
