The Tartan

Capital Grains is the first dining location at Carnegie Mellon to be entirely student-run and student-operated. Located in the Rohr Commons in the Tepper Quad, Capital Grains serves healthy grain and salad bowls, and is exclusively open on the weekends. The establishment opened in the Spring 2023 semester and has welcomed student employees throughout the Carnegie Mellon community.

The Tartan spoke to one such employee, Makayla McCreary, to learn more about the inner workings of the restaurant, the benefits of working at the establishment, and what lies ahead for Capital Grains.

During her sophomore year in the Fall of 2023, McCreary was in search of an on campus job and when Capital Grains began hiring new employees, McCreary applied in the hopes of earning some money. “I figured that might be a fun community. Plus, I’d worked in food service before and knew I enjoyed it,” McCreary said.

Since working at Capital Grains, McCreary has learned about the inner workings of restaurant management through observation and firsthand experience. While McCreary has learned a lot from working at Capital Grains, others have benefited from the food she and her colleagues prepare at Capital Grains. “I think our business fills a real need for weekend dining options that underclassmen especially benefit from. I also love hearing all the positive commentary from customers around campus,” McCreary said.

While working at Capital Grains may seem like a lot of work, the work environment there is something McCreary enjoys. “Everyone is hard working and friendly, which reduces stress in busy moments and gives me confidence during operations. It also makes down time or prep work more fun.”

Capital Grains doesn’t just provide a friendly work environment, it also provides a teaching experience for the students working there. Since the restaurant is entirely student run, students working there learn how to operate and manage a business in the food industry. “It’s not just a dining location, it’s a platform for students to learn about the industry by making it run. I definitely saw inspired coworkers in my first semester there who talked about restaurant ideas they would love to make happen on campus.”

Capital Grains thus provides food and career benefits for students in the Carnegie Mellon community. Positions held by students include the chief executive officer, the chief operations officer, the chief marketing officer, the chief financial officer, and the team leads. They work together to train associates, divide work, manage problems, improve profit margins, connect with patrons, foster a healthy work environment, and ensure materials and supplies needed are obtained each weekend.

“Associates make it all possible by showing up to prep food Friday afternoons and before we open on Saturday and Sunday,” McCreary said, “cleaning up after service, and serving customers during operating hours. There are also people during service hours that are constantly preparing and restocking items to support the crew on the line. Those people are very important to keep things running smoothly.”

McCreary will serve as the co-CEO of Capital Grains next semester alongside another student, Mia Michel. Since several associates at Capital Grains are graduate students set to graduate soon, Capital Grains is once again hiring. Available positions at the restaurant are associates, a chief operations officer and a chief financial officer. “It’s a great gig, so I’d encourage anyone interested to apply.”