How to Start a Student-Run Coffee Cart Business
Are you looking for a unique project for your special education students? Here’s another student-run business that you can try!
This coffee cart business can be exciting and rewarding, and it’s the perfect activity for middle school and transition students! I’ll guide you through a simple step-by-step process and show you some examples of resources that will be really helpful as you try this business with your SPED students.
Things to Prepare for Your Coffee Cart Business
The key to a successful student business activity is to be prepared! So, before you begin this project, here are the things that you need to prepare.
Goals or Objectives
I know this student business is a unique and fun activity, but it can’t be the primary reason you’re doing this with your students. You need to set goals and objectives for the coffee cart business. Think of what this activity can do to help your students, whether it’s developing social skills, improving communication, or gaming work experience.
When your goals are clearly defined, you can easily discuss this with your students, the parents, and the school administration.
Admin Approval
Speaking of the school admin, of course, if you’re thinking of doing a project that might involve the school community, you’d need to secure their approval. Considering how easy to do and how beneficial this activity is for your students, getting a go signal from your school admin won’t be hard!
E-mails
Send e-mails to your co-teachers and the parents to inform them about your coffee cart business. You can also take this opportunity to borrow the equipment you need, like a coffee machine. This Coffee Cart Business Bundle includes a sample e-mail that you can use!
Flyers
Prepare your advertisement flyer to spread the word about your coffee cart business. It’s easy to make one on your own, but as a busy teacher, I’m sure a ready-made template would come in handy! Here’s a coffee cart business flyer that you can easily edit and print out, or send out via e-mail.
Weekly Schedule
Create a schedule that works for everyone involved. Consistency works best with special education students, so prepare a weekly schedule starting with sending out order forms up to collecting payments.
Forms
There are a number of forms you need to prepare for this student business:
- An order form that includes a checklist of coffee ingredients, delivery date, and payment method
- A shopping list with pictures
- An order master list
- Invoice form
These are pretty easy to do using Google Forms and Google Slides! Check out these examples:
How to Do the Student-Run Coffee Cart Business
Ready to help your students with the coffee cart business? Here are the easy steps! Be sure to have visual directions ready for each step so your students can easily follow them.
Step 1: Spread the Word
Get the buzz going by sending out flyers and posting advertisements around the school. Let everyone know about your upcoming coffee cart. Make sure to highlight the convenience of having coffee delivered to them and also mention that your special education students are running the business.
Step 2: Collect Orders
Create a simple way for people to place orders. As I’ve mentioned above, you can try a Google form so the customers can specify their preferences and quantities or you can keep it easy and send out printed forms.
Step 3: Organize Orders
Once the orders start pouring in, start organizing them. When I tried this project, our usual day for organizing orders in our weekly schedule was Wednesday.
Print online orders and organize them by type, department, or location to make the delivery process smoother.
Keep a clear record of each order, noting any special requests, and make sure to have your students enter the same data in your master list. Then, be prepared to send out order invoices.
Step 4: Purchase Items
Guide the students in using the shopping list form to gather the items they need, including coffee cups, cream, sugar, and any other extras.
Then, have the assigned students shop for these items in the community supermarket. Take this as a chance for community-based instruction! You can also help them look for deals and discounts in supermarkets to keep costs down.
Step 5: Make Coffee
Now for the fun part – making the coffee! Set up a designated coffee-making station with all the necessary equipment. To help the students who are assigned to this step, prepare clearly written directions and recipes and post them in the area.
The Coffee Cart Business Project also includes a template for recipes and directions!
Step 6: Deliver Coffee
Once the coffee is ready, it’s time to deliver the goods! For this, I find having a delivery script ready is helpful for my special education students. You can try this, as well! Prepare a script and practice your students with the proper way to communicate with the customers.
Step 7: Collect Payment
The last step is collecting payments, which is usually combined with delivering coffee. Have your students use the master list or order form to see the location and amount owed from each customer.
Make it easy for customers to pay by setting up a digital or online payment system or a ready change for cash payments. And remind your students to thank the customers for their support!
Have Fun and Learn!
This coffee cart business is an excellent activity for your special education students! It gives them chances to learn and practice independent living and vocational skills. It also helps develop teamwork since they can work together and complete tasks with excitement!
Try this business with your students and make things easier by using the Coffee Cart Business Project!
Exploring what to teach your transition students, and overwhelmed by the endless ideas?
Remember that your units of focus will depend on your students’ needs; you can build your own curriculum map for the year by using this guide in conjunction with your students’ IEP goals.
Use the free Transition Roadmap Scope & Sequence here!
