I'm recording now. What is your name and what pronouns?
And yen see? And I use she her pronouns. So how did you start about TC? And how long have you? I have been working here since last January. So like 10 months. Um, I got started there because I just gotten back from doing tests in Madrid last winter and I needed a job. So I went and asked Patrick, I was like, Hey, I'm a student mentioning getting a job. And he was like, okay, um, think about it and just submit an application. And then actually, one of my friends had gone abroad with went to high school with Patrick. And so Patrick was like joking with his friend being like, isn't this a funny name? Because I have a double first name. And he was like, this girl's name is Anne Yancey. Have you ever heard of something like that? And his friend was like, that's one of my friends from abroad, like, you should interview her. And he had hired some tufts one or two testings in the past, but didn't typically hire tough students. But because, yeah, but because I had this friend, he was like, Okay, well, I guess I'll give her an interview. So he did. And then he hired me. Um, and yeah, I'm working there, since I didn't take like a couple of months off for the summer. But yes, that's awesome.
What is your favorite part about working at tasty cafe and why?
I'm okay, to not prepare for this. I think that my favorite part is, I actually really liked the fact that there aren't a ton of tough students who work there, there are now three of us who work regularly. Um, but when I started, I was like, the only one who was working. And I really like that it's not like a totally student, like oriented cafe in terms of the employees because I feel like I'm like, part of a community that's outside of Tufts. And I love all my coworkers. But then I still get to see tough students because they are our most popular clients. So it's really nice to just like, be working the cash register and like be a part of this team kind of behind the counter, but then also, like, see people who I like from tests come in, and it gives me the opportunity to see people that I don't necessarily like see in my classes and stuff, too, which is really nice. Yeah.
What do you think tasty Cafe represents to talk to. A lot of,
um, I think that tasty Cafe is like a good place for people to go to just like, get off campus, but somewhere that's close, and it still takes jumbo cash, which is nice. Just to go and like, socialize more, some people come into work, but I would say that, like, tamper, for example, or DPH are probably more like, quiet, like work vibes. And I think that tastes you like why you can come and work there during the weekend stuff. It's more of like a social gathering place, I would say like, people go there to, like, meet with friends or maybe like, have a meeting with a professor or colleague or something. And Patrick, always, like, I don't know, just kind of describes it as like a place to gather and stuff. And I think with like the blenders running and like, the espresso machine and like the music, it's always just like, there's a ton going on in there. And I think there's just like a lot of energy. So I think it's a place where people go to just like get off campus and kind of hang out with friends.
In what ways does the environment in tasty Cafe fostering community building? I think you were kind of touching.
Yeah. Like, do you mean among the client, like, the
more like the space itself? Because what I noticed is like, super bright, like, everything is like it's like white and like, clean and like, but also very much like there's stuff going on. So it's like, I don't know, what do you think about that?
Yeah, um, I think that it definitely fosters community in the sense that like, in addition to people coming there to hang out and socialize and stuff, I do think that, um, like Patrick also helps create this like, space where it's very much a community and then he doesn't explicitly tell employees that they need to like, mimic that behavior, but then you just kind of do because that's what other employees are doing. Like. I think that the fact that it's kind of like several people from his family work at tasty so that already kind of creates a community behind the scenes and then, like his sister, Nicole, who works there and stuff like I've noticed during my time working there that there are regular customers who come in a lot and people will, like, show greet them, or Patrick will greet them by name and like start putting in their order before they even say it. Because to show them that they like remember them and know them. And I think that that makes people feel like comfortable and tasty and like, they're remembered and like, they come there enough that like people recognize them and stuff. And then also, I think that like, in the same way that tasty for me allows me to interact with tough students that I don't always get to see like other tough students come and get to see other tough students that they might not see in their classes and stuff. Like a lot of times, when someone comes up to the counter, I'll see them like, be looking at the menu and then look and like spot a friend out of the corner of their eye and then like jump out of line to go and see them or something. Yeah.
And employees, where do you see TC
um, I think they're like different from missing or like, the Starbucks in the coming center, or like, Hong Kong or something like that, like, tasty, provides a space to just get off campus. And all of the people who have authority and tasty like the owners, and the managers and stuff, like none of them are affiliated with test whatsoever, which I think is like, it's refreshing for tough students, because people are very driven here and like doing the most all the time, it feels like. So I think that it can be kind of like, while still convenient, cuz it's literally like a few steps from Tufts campus. It's still technically like off campus. And you can tell that right away, because the owners aren't tufts people. So I think it provides people just like breathing room to get off campus. I also think it's like, great place to go for people when they're hungover on the weekend. Like the type of food that we serve. And it's good and it's convenient. Like we'll come on the way to class like call something in and be like asked to be in class at nine Do you think it'd be ready in time and stuff like that? So just like convenience and getting off campus? Is there anything else that you think is important about tasty cafe?
Think that like, probably, I've definitely talked a lot about like, the ways that tasty kind of creates community amongst the like customers, I think and like for tough students in general, just coming as a place to, like, hang out, but I definitely think that yeah, and I've touched on this, but like, that culture and environment definitely carries over to the employees as well. Or maybe it carries over for the employees to the customers. Like I think it's like a symbiotic relationship, but like, I love going to work because like I love my coworkers and Patrick also, like, really gasses us up, like at the end of each week, he like really, really appreciates our work that we do, and like shows and like, makes a point of affirming that like with his words and stuff. And I do definitely feel like a part of a community there, which like, makes it a fun place to work, which then in turn, like, makes it a fun place to be because like, you know, if an employee is in a bad mood or customers in a bad mood, then it's not really going to be like a positive experience for either of them. But if you're both in a positive mood and you can, like, play off each other's positive mood, then it's, it's good. So I think it's a great like community amongst the employees as well.
Yeah, definitely. Yeah, I definitely like what you were saying earlier, like the energy like I feel like the energy that you guys probably have an energy that the customers show like in the song like they feed off of each other and like like, yeah, like you could be having a bad day, right? Like it's just yeah. Last question. Is there anything else that you think I should contact to get our information?
Um, is your article like would you want anyone who would you want to prospective anyone who is a student but like, doesn't go to Tufts
I was like, maybe that one like somebody who
a student who goes there a lot okay, yes, I can definitely yes, I definitely know students who go there a lot. There was one who was literally as I was walking in to do this, like one of the like, most frequent customers was sitting there in line to the sink, but I can definitely put you in contact with some people.
Thank you so much. I'll be great because I was wanting to get like owner perspectives student Cafe frequently.
Yeah. yeah I could definitely do that okay great thank you yeah I think that's it