Coffee shop plans special delivery
CHARLOTTE -- A south Charlotte coffee shop brewed up 1,200 cups of coffee Friday morning to deliver to Charlotte-Mecklenburg school teachers.
Dilworth Coffee House, at the Quail Corners shopping center, began the tradition last year. They started making the donations Thursday, the first day back for teachers.
The coffee will be served to teachers at 10 different schools.
"This is the first day back for a lot of teachers and we just want to welcome them back with a cup of coffee and say 'hey, we're here for you,'" said coffee shop owner Peter Glunt.
While many teachers will have a bright start to their day, some district officials will be in a Raleigh courtroom to meet with Judge Howard Manning, who has been critical of CMS in the past. He has threatened to shut down four high schools -- West Charlotte, West Mecklenburg, Garinger and E.E. Waddell -- and is pushing the school system to improve test scores and bring in more qualified teachers and administrators.
Superintendent Peter Gorman is not expected to testify at that hearing.
Coffee shop vandalized two days after opening
It's been a bumpy start in business for local entrepreneur Kelvin Behrens, who opened Cuppy's Coffee on Van Horne Street Monday only to see his gleaming new franchise vandalized by Wednesday. "After being in business for only three days, I never expected anything like this. It was like an attack," said the disappointed businessman.
The vandal, a male in his mid 20's who was caught on the drive-through coffee shop's video surveillance system, left blood splattered all over one of the half-dozen windows he broke in the shop. The attack took place at 4:30 a.m. and the vandal in heavy winter clothing and a baseball cap worn sideways was brandishing a wooden-handled snow clearing brush to break the windows. Behrens recovered the brush and turned it over to police.
His wife Darlene was the first to discover the vandalism when she came to open the shop around 5:45 a.m. Wednesday. "I was very upset and called my husband right away and told him to get his butt over here and then I just cried." Behrens said the vandalism didn't appear to be the random, spur-of-the-moment kind but deliberate with no attempt to take money. "It was an attack. There's no other way to describe it."
He said he's unaware of any motive for the attack, but added he's had problems over the years with people illegally parking on his narrow piece of property at 357 Van Horne Street. And now that he has a business operating on the property, it may have brought the situation to a head, he says. Despite this, many drivers have been stopping at the new shop for freshly made cappuccinos, lattes and fresh fruit smoothies. And Behrens is determined to carry on. "We're still very excited and enthusiastic about the business and proud of the product we sell.
This is a setback, but we didn't lose a lot of business and we've still got momentum." Officially known as "Cuppy's Coffee, Smoothies and More," the franchise in Cranbrook is the first to be opened outside the U.S. and the entire organization is proud of Behrens for establishing the chain's first international outlet, said Rachel Clark, vice president of marketing for the company based in Florida. "He's a good guy and that's why I hate to see something like this happening to him. He's worked so hard and overcame so many obstacles to open his business." Clark said Behrens bought his franchise in May 2005 and had to deal with numerous difficulties before he could open it.
"There were problems with location, the Building Code taxes, customs regulations and simply being the first international Cuppy's Coffee Store to open." One of the biggest problems was parking with the City of Cranbrook requiring Behrens to have seven parking spaces even though he's essentially operating a drive-through business. To make matters worse, his property is often used as a parking lot by people going to other businesses in the nearby area.
Despite the problems, Behrens remains undeterred. He says there's more than 250 successful Cuppy's outlets in the U.S. and there's no reason why one can't succeed here. "And I'd like to be that one."
Cuppy’s offers advanced education with coffee college
Cuppy's Coffee, Smoothies & More is stepping above the competition by offering franchisees more than just basic training. The national franchise company is now offering progressive education through its Coffee College.
Cuppy's franchisees spend three days at Cuppy's Coffee College facilities in Fort Walton Beach, FL learning everything from store operations to drink preparation and customer service. At Coffee College, franchisees have the opportunity to network with other Cuppy's franchisees, share experiences and learn from top industry experts. Participants also graduate and receive a diploma complete with a corporate-wide ceremony.
Coffee College graduates spend a full day in basic barista training learning how to prepare perfect espresso based specialty drinks and smoothies in a hands-on environment that resembles one of Cuppy's Coffee Cafes and includes the same equipment found in Cuppy's coffee and smoothie shops.
'Learning about the business in this environment and helps the franchisees to feel more comfortable with their ability to succeed in their own store,' said Janice Baker, Director of Corporate Training, Cuppy's Coffee & More.
Coffee College also teaches franchisees the basics of the Cuppy's 'Coffee in Under a Minute' system. 'Our franchisees also receive three days of on-site training when their store opens, but Coffee College is the perfect opportunity for them to learn the basics,' said Baker.
Cuppy's Coffee College courses include: Barista Training, Customer Service, Drink Preparation, Sales Techniques, Goal Setting, Operational Budgets, Marketing, Menus, Employee Reviews, Management Reviews, and so much more!