Brewbike is an on-campus food run establishment led entirely by university students with a mission to provide coffee for students made by students.

Tucked away in FAU’s College of Business Sean Stein Pallion, Brewbike opened in Nov. 2021 and offered a variety of assorted pastries and coffee beverages for students to purchase.

According to senior communications major and franchise CEO Anna Griffiths, Brewbike at the university allows for opportunities for management to provide an expanded menu that ranges from food options to seasonal drinks. The leadership team is composed of students gives management insight into what other students want, enabling them to cater the menu to students’ needs.

Lucas Philips founded Brewbike in 2015 at Northwestern University as a mobile coffee bike which later blossomed into indoor coffee shops on other college campuses. FAU’s location is just one of the latest to open as a standalone coffee shop.

Janna Shamp, freshman nursing major and chief operation officer, says that working at Brewbike has taught her to prioritize honesty and respect, especially in a professional business setting.

“It taught me lots of life skills like communication and organization. Knowing in a job setting, it’s important to know who to go to for what role,” Shamp said.

Brewbike’s management is in charge of tasks such as ordering inventory, making schedules, and promoting their coffee shop. Jason Filler, freshman medical biology major and the chief marketing officer, meets with the vice president of Brewbike brand marketing, David Silverman, twice a month to discuss plans on shop promotions. 

“It’s cool having the exposure to real life as a college student and like it’s really preparing me for the real world,” Filler said.

Brewbike has provided freshman business management major and front of the house manager Adam Cox with an opportunity to work closely with the baristas.  

“The best thing about Brewbike is the experience because I am a business management major. Having that on my resume that I already have been a front of the house manager is going to be extremely helpful,” Cox said.

Communicating with the baristas has been a learning experience for Cox as he has further improved his business management skills and made advancements in his career by taking on a leadership role.

Although not everyone on the management team plans to go into business as a career, the Brewbike team believes that the skills they have developed will help them wherever they go.

While Filler plans to pursue a career in the medical field, he believes that the professionalism he has learned in his position at Brewbike will help him in the future.

“Whatever you’re doing. It could be medical school, it could be a marine biologist. [Working at Brewbike] will help you out, “ Filler said.

For freshman chief procurement officer Elizabeth Thompson, the value of interacting and working with others has been one of the most important factors at the beginning of her career.

“I actually have no plans on going into any kind of business, people always ask me why I got this job. I just like working with people, I like the experience,” said Thompson.

The management team noted how it has been difficult to compete with Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts on campus. As the newest option on campus, the Brewbike team believes they have to work hard at gaining a loyal customer base. 

“It’s hard to get people to come here when we’re so far from everything else such as Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts,” Filler said. 

The location inside the College of Business has resulted in fewer customers than what the leadership team anticipated. 

However, Griffiths said she can see a difference between when Brewbike opened back in the fall 2021 semester in comparison to the current semester. She believes that learning through the process has helped them grow better as a team and as a business. 

With Brewbike expecting some changes such as expanding their menu to energy drinks in the near future, the management team only hopes that the establishment can continue to grow and gain success.

Melanie Gomez is a contributing writer for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories email her at [email protected].