The aroma of brewed coffee travels out of the front entrance of The Davenport Coffee Lounge as customers sip their beverages and employees shout their orders. Behind the counter, student employees take orders as they break out in karaoke-style, singing to the music blaring from the speakers. These playful relationships and welcoming smiles sets the tone of Davenport, or Dav, as students have nicknamed it.
Before The Dav became what it is today, it was actually a chapel for community building when the School of International Service building was founded in 1957. It now serves as a utopia for those in dire need of a caffeinated pick–me–up after a long, hard day of work or procrastination.
“We really are a big family, we all got close and it’s adorable because we’re all super different, but we all get along,” said Bianca Concepcion, a sophomore in the School of International Service. Concepcion has worked at The Dav for more than a year now.
The diversity in faculty at the Dav is exhibited through the funky music played in the lounge. The playlists can go from hip-hop and rap to reggaeton, and then switch to indie and pop in an instant.
When Dav employees are not working during the day or going to classes in the evening, they are most likely attending the Dav dinners, where staff gather to grab a bite together.
“I have met my two best friends through The Dav and became great friends with many more,” said Iana Kozelsky, a sophomore in the School of Communication, who has worked at the coffee shop for a year.
But working at The Dav is not all fun and games. The cafe’s laidback atmosphere can instantly become hectic in a matter of seconds. In between classes, the line to the coffee counter extends beyond the front entrance and into the SIS lobby. As massive crowds form, orders are missed, drinks spill and chaos ensues. In an environment where students serve students, sometimes things can get heated.
“Being the only coffee shop on campus put the Dav in high demand,” Concepion said. “When it becomes really busy, there will be like one person making five drinks at a time.”
Regardless, students at AU appreciate The Dav as much as the employees. All day, people filter through the cafe to sit back and relax with friends, or to sit down and do school work.
Brianna Mone, an avid customer, said that ”it really does create a sense of community apart from other cafes near the campus.”
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