For the past three years, DECA has been serving frappuccinos, Italian sodas and coffee to students through the Carmel Café and Market. A small but well respected part of CHS, the Café has suffered from many issues in the past, ranging from long lines and wait times to the lack of space in the Café. However, after renovations made over the summer, the Carmel Café and Market has reopened as a place where students can buy drinks and work with friends in a more inviting environment, all within CHS.

Richard Reid, DECA’s Carmel Café adviser and IB Business and Management teacher, said the new café has a variety of new features to it, but the one he is most excited about is the more professional feeling.

“We are now viewed by the state as a legitimate restaurant, so we have Board of Health inspections, six managers and two teachers Servsafe-certified, and there is lots of protocol to be followed,” Reid said. “It also has been giving students many more (leadership opportunities) via management, because of how much larger operations are now.”

Another feature that has been added to the café is the workspace provided for students and groups to use to study or chat during the day.

Hannah Radde, chief manager of the Carmel Café and Market and senior, said, “the expanded café has so much more space than from before for people to sit and enjoy. It adds a new opportunity to connect with our customers because now they have a place where they can sit and study or collaborate with friends.”

Though praised the for the renovation, some believe there are still some improvements to be made.

Hayden White, Carmel Café customer and senior, said, “After they renovated the café it looks similar to a Starbucks, very nice, very homey appeal. One thing I would change is the wait times because one last SRT, it took 25 minutes to get a drink.”

On the criticism, Reid said, “Having to have our drinks under 60 calories does restrict how we make drinks. It’s hard to compete with the major cafés when their drinks contain upwards of 400 to 500 calories and ours only have 60. However, I feel that we have a drink that is competitive considering the recipes and pricing, though perfecting it is a point of focus in the future.”

Future alterations to the café will include a larger variety of drinks and food, TV’s attached to the tables, similar to the library’s multimedia lab, and the option of reserving the Café for a class’s collaborative work time.

To learn more about the new Carmel Café, read this article published in the April print publication: goo.gl/zAHgqw

Gallery • 4 Photos

Café staff brewing coffee for customers during SRT. Richard Reid, DECA’s Carmel Café advisor and IB Business teacher, said that the 60 calorie limit of these drinks is a challenge for the Café to overcome.