Monday, September 20, 2010

Wayne State grad named top BIGGBY barista


By TOMMY HOWE | The South End



Alana Cole (right) receiving the Todd Miles Award from Biggby Coffee co-founder, Bob Fish.





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Alana Cole, a WSU alumnus and Biggby Coffee employee, was voted by both customers and staff as “Barista of the Year”.


On rainy, chilly days there is nothing better than the warmth of coffee or latte as it flows down your throat – unless it is served by a barista like Alana Cole who genuinely wants to know how you are doing.

Cole, who graduated from Wayne State with a degree in psychology and is now a Biggby Coffee barista, was given the Todd Miles Award, the Michigan-based coffee-chain’s award for top barista.

Cole, who had developed a fan base at the Biggby Coffee located at 4501 Woodward Ave., said that her “customer service comes natural” simply because she “loves people.”

“Seven customers wrote in describing their unique and personal experiences with Alana – including med student residents, police officers and students,” Biggby spokeswoman Leslie Peterson said in an email.

Cole grew up in Bloomfield Hills and attended Groves High School before graduating from Wayne State with a bachelor’s in psychology. Cole said she volunteered at a summer camp that teaches Detroit children math while subsequently allotting them time to play games and have fun.

She said she dedicated a lot of hard work to learning everything about the coffee business.

It was this sort of dedication that won the attention of a large group of patrons who voted for Cole to be named the best barista.

The award is a local, regional, and national competition between 1,400 baristas in 109 Biggby locations.




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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congrats Alana, great job!!

TD

Angela said...

What an honor for a barista to win this award - CONGRATS ALANA!

JD said...

She was very humble and gracious at the awards dinner, very surprised at her win. A very nice moment, and well deserved. Congratulations, Alana!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations Alana! Keep up the great work at the Wayne State store!

halfbakedmusings said...

There are a lot of people in organizations with fancy sounding titles and supposedly important jobs. But the most important folks employed by any business are the ones who interact with customers. Congratulations Alana! There is always opportunity in this world for people with your skills.

Unknown said...

Alana,
Irma and myself together with the Cayao Group of stores' staff would like to extend our best wishes for a job well done. Congratulations for winning this prestigious award.