Redhawk Coffee, a regional coffee roaster and coffee purveyor, celebrated the grand opening of its latest location in the newly-constructed Scaife Hall. Several hundred people came for coffee samples and baked goods, eager to taste the new shop’s brews.
“The grand opening of Redhawk was so much fun,” said junior Ananya Manglik, who attended last week’s celebration. “The staff was lovely and the free coffee was amazing.”
The company has humble beginnings, first selling its espresso from a truck and evolving into a full-scale roasting operation serving the Pittsburgh area since 2017. Redhawk’s operators expressed joy at having the opportunity to open a café at Carnegie Mellon.
“We are incredibly grateful and stoked to caffeinate such an amazing group of brainiacs,” said Braden Walter, cofounder of Redhawk Coffee. “We are certain productivity is going to skyrocket immediately as we open, bringing the best coffee for the best students.”
Jonathan Cagan, head of the Mechanical Engineering department, cut the ribbon alongside Redhawk co-owners and senior Dining staff. Cagan and Dining began work on putting a café in Scaife during the early stages of the building’s development.
Redhawk Coffee reached out to Carnegie Mellon roughly a year ago expressing interest in opportunities to partner on campus, putting them on Dining’s radar during the bid process. The local roaster was selected by Dining and student reviewers, and the new spot opened with classes at the beginning of the semester.
“We really liked their approach as a family-owned business with deep Pittsburgh roots who were really starting to grow,” said Joe Beaman, Director of Dining Services at Carnegie Mellon. Dining strives to “go with the hot hand,” Beaman said, selecting exciting, up-and-coming partners to serve on campus. Redhawk is building on their successful location in Oakland and continues to run a roastery in Sharpsburg, Pa.
The shop is scaling up its operations, employing new TurboChef ovens provided by Dining to turn out fast sandwiches for students. Hot food service will begin Monday as service expansions continue.
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