Perk Up: Caffeinating the Community

Madison Weikle, assistant editor

When PVCC’s deli Little Johns moved out of the Main Building, it left an empty room and one question, who would feed the students? Thanks to PVCC’s coffee shop Perk Up, the people of PVCC finally have their answer.

Co-Owner of Perk Up Ellie Beverly said, “We found out earlier this summer that is a was a possibility for us to move into the cafeteria. We didn’t find out officially until much more recently! The process for moving has gone pretty smoothly; the buildings and grounds crew is amazing and willing to help us however they can.”

Beverly founded Perk up with Camille Phillips, owner of Green House Coffee in Crozet, in January 2016. Beverly said, “I worked for Camille for about two and a half years when the Mermaid Express (coffee shop prior to Perk Up) came up for sale. We bought the Mermaid Express and the rest is history!”

Since then, Perk Up has been caffinating and feeding everyone who walks through the halls of PVCC. Sleep deprived students and faculty who need a midday pick-me-up go to Perk Up for a variety of espresso drinks and baked goods.

Beverly says Perk Up’s move into a restaurant is a step towards satisfying and fueling the community more efficiently. She said, “Our plans for the new spot are for it to be as quick and efficient as possible. We are trying to offer the best of both worlds with having healthier options but also comfort foods. We want the PVCC community to choose to eat here at school instead of leaving campus and risk losing their parking spot! We are looking forward to expanding Perk Up into this new space!”

Along with its previous espresso and baked goods menu, Perk up will be introducing new food options. Beverly said, “We will offer a lot of grab and go options, such as fresh made salads, wraps, protein packs, granola parfaits. We will also have a grill with burgers, veggie burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, pizza, greens bowls, grain bowls and wraps! We are trying to cater to everybody’s needs at the school.”

“We are still hiring; currently mostly evening shifts are available,” said Beverly, “We look for all types of employees, experience or not. We look for people with a good attitude and work ethic, people willing to learn.”

Perk Up will be open Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. and on Fridays 8 a.m.-3 p.m..

Beverly said, “We would love to hear feedback from everybody on how we can best serve the PVCC community.”