“And that is where our baristas hail from!”Įaintchit (Ellie) Popo, a student from Myanmar who is studying to earn her associate degree in Hospitality Management, has worked at the Bistro since January 2022. “Some of the best beans in the world come from locations such as Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar,” Taillon said. The Bistro now has a total of eight student employees and will likely expand again in winter quarter.Īnd because the Bistro offers on-campus, paid positions, Taillon said the jobs are open to international students where the very coffee beans the Bistro provides are grown. 18, 2021.Ĭollins said since the Bistro reopened over a year ago, business has tripled and she’s had to hire more student workers to keep up with the long lines. Taillon became involved in the partnership in May 2021, started enrolling students in the HOST class (for-credit option) in summer 2021 and the Bistro officially reopened on Oct. The school operating its own food and beverage provider, and not being expected to turn a profit, allows us to keep prices very low while training students.” Also, prices would be higher for our campus employees and students. “It is likely Highline College would have no food and beverage on campus or we would be paying money to a food and beverage provider to operate. “It does not make good business sense for a food and beverage provider to exist on campus right now,” Taillon added. “I was purchasing upscale coffee equipment for training in HOST when we realized there was no on-campus food and beverage provider. “This grant was offered as part of the post-pandemic planning within Washington’s college system,” Taillon said. Justin Taillon, HOST department head and instructor, said his longtime passion for coffee led him to earn a grant to build the coffee program at Highline. “I thought it was a natural partnership between the HOST department and Administrative Services to redevelop the Bistro space.”Ĭonference and Event Services is a department within Highline College’s Administrative Services division. “I knew it had always been the interest of the HOST department to have a facility for hands-on training for their students,” Collins said.
Instead of paying a vendor to operate the Bistro, Collins would manage it while students in the HOST program worked as baristas, gaining valuable hands-on experience while getting college credit and pay for their work. Rachel Collins, Highline College’s Conference and Event Services Manager and current Fireside Bistro General Manager, said college leadership approached her in winter 2021 to discuss the possibility of a Fireside Bistro partnership with the college’s Hospitality and Tourism Management (HOST) department. Should the college spend money to bring back a vendor? Or was there a better way to serve students both literally and figuratively? Yet when the pandemic hit and the campus partially closed, the Bistro eventually closed with it.Īs the college planned for more students and employees to return to campus in fall 2021, questions surrounding food services arose.
Until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the cafe was operated by a contracted food service vendor, meaning Highline College paid a third-party company to provide food and service to students. And, if it’s cold enough, a blazing fire in the Bistro’s fireplace will offer a cozy atmosphere.īut the Bistro, like many Highline services in the last three years, has gone through some changes. You’ll probably see Public Safety officers enjoying their breakfast at some of the tables. On any given morning at the Fireside Bistro, you’re likely to find a line of students and employees happily waiting to order their morning coffee, pastries, or a burrito. HOST students earn credits and pay for barista work
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