During second lunch, a line of about three people waited outside the Beast Brew for their orders of various food and drinks. Beast Brew employees hurriedly made the new brewed and iced pumpkin spice coffee and took out pumpkin cake pops from storage.
Junior Alanah Barnett starts off her shift like any other shift at the Beast Brew. She opens the shutter door and waits for any incoming orders.
“We have to stand there for like ten minutes and then we open the metal sliding door,” Barnett said.
With the many new fall themed drinks and food, there were going to be a lot of Beast Brew orders. Orders of pumpkin cake pops and coffee began coming in.
“We do seasonal things. Right now we have pumpkin spice iced coffee and brewed coffee and pumpkin cake pops,” FBLA advisor Mitchell Fischer said. “For winter were planning to do some sort of seasonal Christmas holiday cake pops. Probably something like peppermint mocha, ginger bread type whatever the Beast Brew workers come up with or ideas they have and what flavors we can get from our restaurant distributor.”
People find the food and beverages from the Beast Brew quite enjoyable. Brewed and iced coffee are the most popular in the morning.
“My favorite drink that I’ve ordered from the Beast Brew is probably the iced caramel latte,” junior Samantha Carroll said. “I have a big sweet tooth and I like sweet things and I really like the sweetness of it. Also the caramel is really good and the coffee is really rich. It’s a good way to start my day.”
There’s a lot of new things involving the Beast Brew such as new food, drinks, location, and the way you order, such as in-person and online. This year, the Beast Brew partnered with a restaurant distributor called Cisco which came with various benefits.
“There’s QR codes in each of the teachers classrooms so you can scan and place your order, then go and pick it up,” Fischer said. “There’s a bunch of different payment methods like Apple Pay, Google Pay, Cash App, and Tap to Pay. With our remodel we were able to partner with an actual restaurant distributor which allowed us to be more like an actual Starbucks or Scooters. Cisco delivers all of our products the same way the cafeteria gets their products. That makes it a lot easier for us because they deliver right to the school.”
The majority of the employees working at the Beast Brew are a part of the FBLA program.
“Sign up for the class, have taken a business class before, be a part of FBLA, get permission from Mr. Fischer, and then you get to work at the Beast Brew,” Fischer said.
FBLA, Future Business Leaders of America, is a program that inspires and prepares students to become community minded business leaders through leadership and entrepreneurship. Each year, more than 230,000 members in middle schools, high schools, and colleges participate in the program and are given the chance to go on trips for competitions.
“The money we make from the Beast Brew is to really help FBLA students have opportunities to go on these trips and not worry about the costs,” Fischer said. “Trips to places that are far away can be very expensive and that can be a deterrent for a lot of students. That’s my goal as an advisor. No student in FBLA should have to pay for their trips.”
Spreading awareness about the Beast Brew raising money for FBLA trips can be very important as it goes towards the student body and charity work. Word of mouth and buying products can benefit the Beast Brew and the students themselves.
“I think if more students understood the benefit of the coffee shop it would help them a lot too, “Fischer said. “Maybe them wanting to get more involved in FBLA. None of that is for profit, it all goes back to the students to go on these trips, it all goes back to donations.”
