Student-run coffee shops coming next fall to Cathedral, Hillman Library

Coffee shops in the Cathedral of Learning and Hillman Library will soon be under new management, but not from the person you might expect.

Pitt’s College of Business Administration will partner with Philadelphia-based Saxbys to create two student-run coffee shops this fall, according to a press release.

CBA will select two undergraduate business students each semester to become Student Cafe Executive Officers, which will exclusively run and manage all aspects of their respective cafes, which will also be staffed entirely by students. The SCEOs will earn competitive wages, bonus opportunities and one semester of college credit, as well as gain on-the-job experience as a manager.

The Pitt cafes, to be located on the Cathedral’s ground floor and in the current space occupied by Hillman’s Cup & Chaucer Cafe, will join Saxbys’ network of other student-run cafes. The company operates 10 student-run stores located across Pennsylvania and Maryland, including on the campuses of Penn State, Temple and Drexel universities.

Nick Bayer, founder and CEO of Saxbys, said in the press release that the program’s launch at Pitt fits into the University’s long-standing position as a leader in higher education.

“It’s a tremendous honor to partner with the University of Pittsburgh to bring our innovative Experiential Learning Program to campus and add to the long tradition of academic excellence,” Bayer said.

CBA Dean Arjang Assad said in the release that the program fits with CBA’s motto of taking students from the classroom to the city to the world, in an effort to further their education with real-world experiences.

“The Saxbys partnership is a great way to enable students to put what they learn in classrooms into practice in an integrative context,” Assad said. “The two Pitt Business Student Cafe Executive Officers will work together with their peers from various majors to develop skills and promote teamwork to help them succeed in the future.”

Pitt and Saxbys will announce in the coming weeks the two CBA students who will begin leading the cafes this fall, according to the release.