At first glance the little coffee stand tucked away in Lane Hall seems somewhat unnecessary. If viewed during class time, the little shop may even appear to be a waste of space.
Then comes the 10:55 a.m. rush.
The halls fill with people. Professors and students alike crowd around the kiosk, getting that in-between or pre-class caffeine fix that makes the next hour of wakefulness possible. And therein lies the root of the community surrounding Jitters coffee cart.
“The busy time begins about 10 minutes before the hour at 9:55 and 10:55 and ends about a minute before class starts. We get especially busy on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2:30,” junior Sally Nelson, a student manager at Jitters and design editor for The Collegian, said. “It seems like a really weird time, but it is late afternoon and everyone is tired. SAGA begins to hit your stomach and everyone wants coffee at the exact same time.”
One of the keys to Jitters’ appeal is the speed and efficiency of service.
“Jitters was made because [students] wanted another option to have coffee without having to cross campus and to be closer to the classrooms,” AJ’s and Jitters Manager Lisa Beasley said. “Jitters employees have to be faster because their rush is just before classes, so their espresso machine is more efficient because Jitters has to be very efficient.”
The employees can do more than predict the rush; they know the orders of many students and professors even as they are approaching the line. By the time they pay, the drink is often waiting.
“Right before class, Dr. Moye always gets a grande London Fog. She is really consistent. Dr. Coupland and Dr. Smith are compulsive coffee re-fillers — if I don’t see them, I wonder what’s up,” Nelson said. “Dr. Pytell always stops by and gets her drink, and by now we all have her ID number memorized. It gets really easy to remember.”
It has gotten to the point that when Nelson doesn’t see regulars at Jitters, she wonders if something is wrong. She attributed it to the sense of community that the little coffee stand fosters.
“I really enjoy spending time at Jitters because everyone who works there is one of my friends or has become one of my friends,” senior Nick O’Donnell said. “It comes from the commonality of coffee. We are a semi-elitist group that has formed based on a love of good coffee.”
Not only does Jitters attract customers and friends, but also the employees themselves tend to hang out in the alcove even when they are not working.
“Very often there will be more than four Jitters employees working or hanging out at a time. It is a lot of fun and makes for a good work environment, but it can be difficult during rushes. We are cutting it back somewhat,” Nelson said. “Also, Katie McNiel tends to be here. Always.”
One product of the community and fun atmosphere in Jitters is the development of unique drinks concocted during downtime, both in and out of work.
“That is one of the most interesting parts of Jitters. Sometimes we get bored because not many people come by during classes and it’s easy to keep Jitters clean. So we make up drinks,” Nelson said. “One of the drinks we have been marketing lately pretty successfully is the ‘Dirty Turkey,’ which is a pumpkin spice latte with espresso. It has been very popular.”
“Some of my favorites are ‘The Ghost of Tricky-Nicky Past,’ and the ‘New Jersey Turnpike Chai’ and the ‘50/50 50/50 50/50,’ which is basically an Americano without much water and a lot of half and half,” junior Carl Vennerstom said. “We basically just put the specials up on the signs and usually people ask what they are and if it sounds good, they get it. It is good for someone who just doesn’t know what to order.”
