When walking through Colorado State University’s Gifford Building on a Wednesday or Thursday morning, visitors may have noticed an open sign for a cafe they probably have never seen before. The difference is that this cafe is student-run.

Starting in 2019, Assistant Professor for the hospitality and event management program Eric Milholland first began the Gifford Cafe as a catering company with four of his graduating seniors.

“We started this whole thing as a catering business in 2019,” Milholland said. “We started that, and we were thinking, ‘Well this would be a cool thing that we could do and have students take a course.’”

Milholland said he wanted to teach his students how a business operates and how decisions are made.

“We are not trying to teach how to serve food or how to just make coffee,” Milholland said. “The whole point of this is how to help people understand management decisions.”

After they tested the waters with their catering business, Milholland thought of a pop-up idea for the Gifford Cafe. While waiting to get permission and the space they needed, he sat down with his four students for a conversation he said he’ll never forget.

“(The students) were sitting down there, and they were talking about where we would put the counter and how would we have people order,” Milholland said. “What would that look like? So the first semester we started, that was four days we were open. It was four days during dead week.”

Since starting Gifford Cafe, Milholland said he has experienced some formative moments, such as when custodial staff inquired about the opening date.

“We had one of the custodial staff, and she asked, ‘When do you open?’ and I said, ‘We’re going to be open next week.'” Milholland said. “She then said, ‘People ask me every day, when is the cafe going to open?'”

Milholland said it stuck out as a moment that made the cafe real.

“This was somebody who interacts with people all around the building,” Milholland said. “But it showed to me that people were, like, clamoring for this thing, and it was ready to go.”

Alondra Haro is a manager of Gifford Cafe and a senior in the hospitality and event management program.

What makes the Gifford Cafe different from other campus coffee shops, Haro said, is that students are in charge of the whole operation.

“The Gifford Cafe is run by students,” Haro said. “The students get to decide the menu, the students get to decide any drinks and specials and the HEM students have a creativity where they do just learn what it’s like to own a business and run a business.”

Alongside being a hands-on learning experience, students are also able to earn class credit through working at the cafe.

“It’s very hands-on; that’s one of the things that I really like about the cafe, (is) that it’s not lectured-based,” Haro said. “You go to any other class and they can teach you how to run a business, but you’re not really hands-on learning.”

Haro said the educational experience comes with social perks as well.

“(One of the best parts is) getting to meet students within the program,” Haro said. “Obviously the program is small, but you see familiar faces even if you’re in a different grade.”

Student Anthony Dolce is an employee of the cafe and said he appreciates the atmosphere the cafe provides.

“(It’s) a space for interacting and for everybody to hang out; come grab a drink, stay to do your homework, and you’re probably going to meet some cool people that you’re talking to,” Dolce said.

A big part of the learning portion is the challenges that are faced, Dolce said.

“I think the challenges (are) what makes it,” Dolce said. “That’s so much about what the learning is: the challenge of learning how to interact with people, how to be stressed out under pressure with eight people looking at you making coffee — you have to keep your cool.”

Despite the challenges, Dolce said that’s what makes it worthwhile and ultimately supports the learning process.

“I think the challenge is the fact that it is a student-run cafe and we’re learning and doing these things while it’s going on,” Dolce said.

Reach Jolynn Montiel at life@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.