Anisa Kurbanali manages a bustling coffee shop in the heart of Philadelphia. Each day, she wakes up at 4:30 a.m., commutes 45 minutes to the cafe and works from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Kurbanali, while working full-time, is also a junior at Saxbys Community College of Philadelphia studying Secondary Education.
Her cafe job is just another part of her studies — she earns a semester’s worth of academic credit without having to take any additional classes as a Student Cafe Executive Officer, governing all day-to-day operations of her own Saxbys cafe location. Kurbanali’s time as a SCEO will last for six months before the next student takes on the role.
CEO of Saxbys and former entrepreneur-in-residence at the Nolan School of Hotel Administration, Nick Bayer ’00, described Saxbys as “an education company disguised as a coffee company.” What started as a small Philadelphia coffee chain eventually transformed into a collection of 30 cafes across nine states — 26 of them completely run by college students.
In 2012, Bayer was asked to teach entrepreneurship at Cornell as an entrepreneur-in-residence. During his time teaching at Cornell, he noticed that “higher-[education] was really looking for experiential learning,” and on April 13, 2015, Saxbys launched its Experiential Learning Platform with an inaugural cafe at Drexel University.
“[Saxbys was] really the first business of its kind … in which students design and exclusively operate their own campus business, receive academic credit, [are] paid wages and have full profit and loss authority,” Bayer said.
As a first-generation college student who wished he had more opportunities for experiential learning in college, Bayer explained, “This is my way of giving back, in a small way, to the next generation.”
According to Bayer, Saxbys’ educational learning program provides hands-on business experience to college students through cafes that are completely run by student employees. Everything from drink-making and inventory checks to interior design is handled by students.
Bayer said that, on average, former SCEOs get their first leadership position out of college within one year of graduation.
Melody Wozunk, head of area operations of Saxbys cafes in New York and New Jersey and a former SCEO of Saxbys Rowan University, said her experience as an SCEO shaped her work ethic, drive and workplace confidence, and inspired her to join the company headquarters after graduating.
“In addition to perseverance, I gained communication skills, critical thinking [and learned] adaptability — especially when things change unexpectedly or mistakes happen,” Wozunk said. “When you’re managing a team of 30 students who are also your peers, leadership can be tough, especially if you’ve never done it before. Conflict resolution, emotional intelligence — those are skills I’ll always carry with me.”
Bayer said his vision for Saxbys is for it to become “synonymous with experiential learning.” He sees the experiential learning platform, or E.L.P. model, expanding beyond food and beverage operations while remaining committed to its mission of empowering the next generation of leaders.
Wozunk said she experienced firsthand how Saxbys cafes “transform the culture on campus,” and is excited to see how its impact broadens in the future.
“[Saxbys is] creating exciting atmospheres in our cafes, with a welcoming place of great hospitality and great products,” Wozunk said. “I'm excited to share that and continue to be a part of impacting more students … and being able to share that with more people is very exciting.”
Correction, April 4, 10:45 a.m.: The title has been adjusted to more accurately reflect the company name.
Correction, April 4, 10:45 a.m.: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Nick Bayer was the founder of Saxbys. He is the current CEO, not the founder. The article has been adjusted accordingly.
