According to the Director of Coffee Operations at Cal Poly Monique Huirton, the Starbucks at the University Union receives between 600 to 1200 orders a day.
With 45 student employees and 3 nonstudents, not including Huirton and Assistant Director of Coffee Operations Lori Raissipour, Starbucks is currently open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m on weekends.
Huitron said spring quarter has traditionally been the busiest season, but they did see more traffic last fall quarter.
“The busiest time of day is between late morning and early afternoon and if it does slow down, it’s in the late afternoon/evening,” Huitron wrote in an email to Mustang News.
According to Starbucks student employee and animal science freshman Ariana Anaya, during her shifts, each person is working a different station: the hot bar, cold bar, the window for Grubhub orders and pickup, the cashier and the warming station.
Anaya said they rotate through different stations so everyone is doing a little bit of everything and to help people not get overwhelmed with one task.
Animal science senior and Starbucks student employee Abbey Brown said in general, people work four-hour shifts, but the time can vary. The schedule changes each quarter with class schedules.
Anaya said she chose to work at Starbucks because of the flexible schedule. She works three to four days a week and around four hours each shift. Being involved in animal science and owning a horse, she believes it is important to have that flexibility.
Associates’ benefits include a drink and meal per shift, cell phone stipend, flexible hours, Instapay and academic breaks off, according to Huitron.
“It saves me lots of money and I love doing that,” Anaya said. “I feel like it is a good reward every time I finish my job.”
The Starbucks in the University Union does not receive any tips because Campus Dining does not accept monetary tips, according to Huitron. She said students’ salaries start at $16 an hour.
Brown said she started working at Starbucks because she has loved coffee since high school, so she wanted to be a barista and learn how to make drinks. Brown started working her junior year of college in Sept. 2022 and has stayed because it is convenient and flexible for her.
“It’s on campus, so it’s like really convenient because I can work shifts up until I have class. For example, this quarter I’m working till 9:30. I have class at 9:40, so it just saves time,” Brown said.
Anaya said she thinks that the working environment is very friendly and energetic.
“I really like it because I feel like I’m friends with everyone and I feel like I’m just working with my friend group, but sometimes it does get pretty hectic because it’s, you know, a really busy Starbucks,” Anaya said. “Overall, it’s a really good experience and a really good energy.”