Saxbys Coffee Partners With Drexel University to
Open Nation’s First 100% Student-Run Café for Co-Op Credit
Saxbys CEO and Drexel University President Celebrate Grand Opening
Philadelphia, Pa. (April 20, 2015) – Saxbys Coffee celebrated the grand opening of its newest café on Monday, April 13, located at 34th Street and Lancaster Avenue, on Drexel University’s campus in Philadelphia, Pa. The product of a partnership between Saxbys and Drexel’s Close School of Entrepreneurship, the café is the nation’s first entirely student-run café where students earn credit through a University cooperative education (co-op) program.
Through this unprecedented partnership, co-op managers will oversee the entire operation. The Saxbys co-op will provide Drexel students with real-life, hands-on management experience unlike any other program in existence and will offer a unique opportunity to learn all aspects of how a successful business is run.
Saxbys Chief Executive Officer and Founder Nick Bayer will play a crucial role in the co-op experience, serving as a mentor to the students and offering them one-on-one guidance and support. Bayer will also join the Drexel faculty as an Adjunct Professor and teach a course on franchising for the Close School in the fall of 2015.
“We’re so thrilled to officially open the doors of our new Saxbys café and kick off our partnership with Drexel’s Close School of Entrepreneurship,” said Bayer. “We have already been privileged to have two extraordinary Drexel students participate in the Saxbys co-op, and we can’t wait to continue the shared experience of teaching and learning from Close School students for many years to come.”
Bayer was joined at the café’s opening by Drexel University President John Fry, 11-term U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah and Dean of Drexel’s Close School of Entrepreneurship Donna De Carolis, who joined Bayer in pulling the café’s first espresso shots.
Also in attendance was co-op café manager Kelsey Goslin, a Drexel University junior who has assumed full responsibility for operations, as well as Drexel University student Meghan Regan, the café’s inaugural co-op manager who had a key role in hiring and developing the café’s 25+ student team.
The café, which aims to become a mainstay in the University City and Drexel communities, features several tables and chairs that were reclaimed from the former University City High School on 3601 Filbert Street in Philadelphia. The café’s tables were sealed and mounted on steel frames by Oat Foundry, a Bensalem-based company founded by recent Drexel graduates who also hand-created the café’s wood signage. Drexel University Drexel University’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design students also provided all of the art displayed in the café, including the hand-painted coffee bar.
ABOUT SAXBYS COFFEE
Since its founding in 2005, Philadelphia-based Saxbys Coffee has prioritized people and hospitality in all 30 cafés. Saxbys enjoys a strong presence in the Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Southern Ohio, North Carolina and Dallas markets, as well as a distinct profile on college campuses. Known for perfectly roasted coffee, espresso drinks, and made-to-order breakfast and lunch, Saxbys’ something-for-everyone menu is complemented by superior guest engagement and a welcoming, reliable atmosphere. For more information, visit SaxbysCoffee.com.
ABOUT DREXEL’S CLOSE SCHOOL OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND CO-OP PROGRAM
The Close School is the nation’s first freestanding school of entrepreneurship to offer degrees. Building on an outstanding foundation of curriculum, programming and thought leadership at Drexel, the Close School is the engine driving the expanded culture of entrepreneurship envisioned by the University’s strategic plan. Students from every college and school at Drexel are able to connect through the Close School to curricular, extracurricular and experiential programs that support entrepreneurial efforts. Close also serves the regional entrepreneurial and business community through thought leadership in entrepreneurship research.
Drexel has been a pioneer in cooperative education since 1919 – operating one of the largest cooperative education programs in the nation. Over 1650 business, industrial, governmental, and other institutions “cooperate” with Drexel in offering students the opportunity to acquire practical experience in employment related to their college studies.
