Central offers morning pick-me-up with Central Perk coffee shop

By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register

On Feb. 26, students at Central Community School were greeted by a new site: a student-run coffee shop aptly named Central Perk, a shout out to the popular show Friends and the school itself. 

The idea behind the student-led entrepreneurial endeavor came a few years ago in Clayton County BEST (CCB), a project-based class where students are able to manage themselves and work on whatever projects they feel most passionate about. Through the class, and under the guidance of Central teacher Ann Gritzner, students formulate ideas, work them out and eventually attempt to bring them to life. Central Perk is the latest. 

Through the class, student learning goes beyond the typical textbook and classroom environment and focuses more on learning life skills rather than book skills. 

According to Central Principal Aaron Reinhart, the class has “provided an entrepreneurial business experience opportunity for our students [and] the work they put in allows them to grow their leadership skills as well as develop their work ethic in ways that a traditional school experience would not.”

The coffee shop was initially the brainchild of former students Bella Moore and Angelica Gonzales. It wasn’t until the appearance of Brayden Finley and Austin Starr that it finally became a reality. 

From the beginning, Finley believed it was a “good idea,” and one that received the support of faculty and the student body alike. Finley said the rationale was simple: “The main idea behind it was that it would be more convenient for students and staff to get a quick pick me up in the morning because it can be a hassle to make your own at home or try to run to one of the local cafes.” 

But the road to realization had a few challenges, namely finding the motivated individuals willing to put action to words. That motivation came from Finley, with a little help from his friends, Starr, Maci Kluesner, Haley Mueller and Allie Mussman. All have helped in one way or another by either volunteering to run the register, stepping in to serve during the shops open hours of 7:40 to 8:10 a.m. or coming up with ideas for products to serve, such as the smoothies. 

Finley is motivated by other factors as well, such as a love of coffee, creating a meeting place for friends to gather and, mostly, a desire to provide fellow students with an affordable alternative and a “positive experience” to start their morning. 

Once this challenge was met, the next was finding a consistent recipe for the latte. Part of the issue revolves around state guidelines, which limit the calorie count to 60 per drink. Some early attempts were either too milky or too strong. 

During this process, Finley and other CCB students actually brought different flavors of the lattes to advisor groups to test. Students who participated filled out survey slips to give their feedback on the flavors and whether or not they would be willing to purchase them. 

After a lot of trial and error, the students managed to find the correct ratio. Then, all that mattered was finding a location and staffing the busy mornings. 

The shop is currently set up in the concession stand next to the cafeteria and offers a variety of drinks, including hot coffee for $1, hot tea (a variety of flavors) for $1, hot chocolate for $2, iced lattes (variety of flavors) for $2 and smoothies for $3. 

“We have a variety of flavored syrups that people can choose to put into whatever drink they choose as long as it still follows the state guidelines, and we charge an extra 50 cents if someone wants an extra shot of syrup in any of their drinks,” Finley added. 

Supplies come mostly from Wilkes, but some were ordered from Amazon or Martin Brothers, all of which is paid for by the CCB class and revenue generated by the shop. Students hope to put profits toward the future of the business and other class activities, such as prom.

The feedback to Central Perk appears to be positive. The venture has the full support of Reinhart, not just because of the coffee, but because of what the class offers students. 

“On top of all of the learning that is taking place, this has also added a benefit to students and staff. Challenges of a cafe of this nature include staffing, hours of operation and meeting federal requirements such as the Healthy Foods Act,” he said. “Again, these challenges are real and not fictitiously incorporated into a lesson that was created for students. Learning to navigate these unexpected challenges was a very real learning opportunity that arose in a ‘lesson’ created by students, for students. It is a win-win-win all around!”

While the class doesn’t focus on the traditional, for students like Finley, it’s no less serious. In fact, when students are able to pick their own projects, Finley believes they are more willing to work on them, as opposed to projects where they have no input. 

“The class is able to throw us into situations that we are more likely to deal with after we leave high school. For example, people my age rarely talk on the phone. We would much rather email or text, but this makes things like that more natural. Other things like scheduling meetings and managing our own time are also critical skills I have learned through this class,” Finley added.

The future of Central Perk looks bright, but as Finley and friends graduate, it will depend on underclassmen to carry the torch. Seeing how “inspirational” the coffee shop has been in his own life, Finley hopes the project finds a new group of friends to continue providing a positive experience, and most importantly, a morning pick-me-up to the staff and students at Central.