Preparing for a lunch hour rush of hungry teenagers takes planning, but the Cool Beans coffee shop is prepped and ready to provide students with a hot meal.
The name Cool Beans comes from a slang term that young adults often use to refer to something hip.
As a contractor, owner Garry Mugridge joked he would name the shop “Accidental Barista” but decided to let his kids choose a name.
“We listed 30 names, we all voted and the kids kept coming up with Cool Beans. So finally, I said let’s call it Cool Beans.”
Cool Beans is located a few blocks away from Vernon Secondary School, so the name is suited for his clientele.
Mugridge has never been in the food industry before, not even in high school.
“I never even worked a summer job at McDonald’s,” he said. “It’s all learning for me.”
His dream was to own an ice cream shop, but he realized that it wasn’t practical to only serve ice cream so he set his mind to owning a coffee shop.
“I’m always excited for challenges,” he said.
Cool Beans is family owned and operate, with his daughters in the midst of their first jobs.
The corner of 15th Street and 25th Avenue has a history of transformation. Donna’s Store was an anchor for many years as were other businesses, and now Cool Beans is there.
After purchasing the building in 2012, Mugridge tried to lease the space.
“I was looking for an investment. A coffee shop wasn’t on my radar,” he said.
Then he noticed that high school students had nowhere to walk for lunch. He decided a coffee shop that offered quick meals for the students was important.
“We’re trying to branch out to the neighbourhood. But we cater to our clientele,” he said, adding that there was a need for something in East Hill.
The menu carries a variety of items from breakfast wraps, to lunch items like pizza and turkey sandwiches.
Preparing for lunch is hard work, but making the food is relatively quick and easy.
During lunch rush, students will be lined up outside the door, says manager Amanda Swanson who recommends the chicken caesar wrap, which consists of chicken strips, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, fresh cheese and dressing all tightly packed together.
“We started really simple with the menu just to get off the ground, but it’ll be expanding as we go,” said Swanson.
Preparing food for teenagers is the biggest challenge, according to Mugridge.
“You have to have food prepped but you don’t know what they’ll choose,” he said.
“It’s a work in process.”
Cool Beans is equipped with an oven, so they make their own pizzas.
“We’ll cook anything from pizzas to a gourmet streak,” Mugridge joked.
As a lover of ice cream, Mugridge recommends the affogato, which is ice cream with espresso, whip cream and a splash of caramel.
Having friendly staff is top priority for Mugridge, who calls it the most important part of being locally owned.
“I think everyone here is pretty nice,” he said with a chuckle. “We’re pretty welcoming.”
The most important thing is to keep the customers happy, he said.
The coffee beans used at Cool Beans are roasted by Cherry Hill Coffee in Kelowna.
