POQUOSON, Va. – At the Cool Beans Cafe, a dollar buys a teacher or school staff member a freshly made cup of hot coffee, tea or cocoa — and gets it delivered to their door.
That dollar also has a big benefit for the seventh-grade students with special needs who run the cafe at Poquoson Middle School. They get experience with job skills and social interactions outside a typical classroom environment.
"They really get a lot out of this," said Heather Hopkins, the teacher who started the cafe and helps run it. The five students who run the cafe all have a specific job.
When the cafe started, Hopkins was hands-on helping the students learn the job. Now, she floats around, offering occasional instructions.
"They can do this," she said. "It was kind of a sad day when they didn't need me anymore," she said with a laugh.
Teachers order online in advance, and Jake Mann, the supply manager, looks for the letters that identify the drink they want. He takes the proper K-Cup for a Keurig machine and puts it on a tray with a paper coffee cup, lid and drink sleeve with the full order on it.
Braden Jobst, the barista, brews the coffee in one of the shop's two Keurigs, often juggling multiple orders at a time. Alex Sarber, the barista assistant, adds the creamer, sugar, honey or whatever add-in the customer wants.
The finished drinks are dropped off to a cart piloted by delivery driver J.J. Shibuya, who likes to go, "beep, beep, beep," when he backs up. Jasmine Baker, the cashier, goes on deliveries with J.J. and collects money and tips — cash and candy — from the customers. She also keeps track of punch cards some customers have purchased, which gives them 11 drinks for $10.
