Alx George
The Commuter
The Hot Shot Coffee House offers students real world experience.
Upon the creation of Hot Shots, management and worker positions opened up. With the aid of the Hot Shot Talent Grant and work-study positions, students have been running the Hot Shot Coffee Cart for about five years
The staff of Hot Shots consists of baristas, who are in a work-study program, and the student manager, who is supported by the Hot Shot Talent Grant. The talent grant presents the opportunity for one business student, with some assistance from staff in the student union building, to run the coffee cart. Andrew Bowder is the current manager of the coffee cart and receiver of the grant.
“It’s a challenge I wanted to take,“ said Bowder.
In the job, Bowder gets to learn general management skills, such as creating proposals, ordering and purchasing supplies and looking for ways to improve the flow at the coffee cart. He is also always looking for students in the work-study programs to be potential baristas.
“Every term is different,” Explained Bowder.
What Bowder really wants students and staff to know about the Hot Shot Coffee Cart is that even though coffee service stops at noon, the Hot Shot is still open until about 4 p.m.
“It’s a cool place to meet new friends. This place is a really relaxing place for homework,“ said student Coddie Marshall.
According to Terry Gordier, department secretary for Student Life and Leadership, there used to be a little recreation area where the Hot Shot is currently located. This recreation area had pool tables, games and activities for students to use, all for a small fee that would go back into the school.
Unfortunately, the funds generated by this student recreation area could not play their part in sustaining LBCC’s activities. So, students in the ASG put their heads together and came up with the idea of changing the recreation area into space for a coffee cart. With that, the Hot Shot Coffee House was created.
Over time, to make it look more like a coffee house, furniture was added, along with the television and computers that are there now to make it more like a coffee house.
“It’s a really just laid-back hangout kind of place," says barista Jamie Butler. "And you don’t have to be into coffee to hang out here. We offer lots of other drinks besides coffee."
