Interview with Brandon Kyer, manager of Happy Bean.
Question: What is unique about Happy Bean?
Answer: What’s unique about Happy Bean is we try to make each drink intentionally and with quality. We also have a huge focus on making our things just a little bit different, whether that’s the inspirational quotes on the back of our sleeves or writing the logo and name of our business on our iced cups. We just try to make connections with our customers who come in and try to get to know them.
Q: What do you guys have to offer in terms of the menu?
A: We have a lot of drinks. We have a lot of espressos. We have lattes and that’s what we are really known for. We also have pour-overs. We can do teas. We have lemonades.
We have a partnership with Round Hill Dairy in Mount Vernon. We are doing this fun thing where we have a drink that is ice cream with a double shot of espresso. We are also partnered with Half-Baked bakery in Mount Vernon, so we have some of their baked goods here. We are also partnered with a couple of other local bakers.
Q. How do you guys feel that you serve the community here?
A. One of the big things we do here is providing a space to have community. We have friends who want to come meet up who come here. We also have people who come here who have a quiet space to work. This is a place that can be safe for people to do whatever their business is.
We hope that we give hope and happiness in some way to people. We try to be cheerful in our demeanor. We write inspirational quotes on our drinks just to inspire and bring hope to people and just some kind of joy, especially now during these sad times.
Q. How has COVID-19 impacted your business?
A. It’s been a real learning process. We were closed for some time when things initially kind of shut down. We’ve had to experiment with different signage on tables that lets people know when a table has been sanitized and is ready for use. Also, in the beginning, all of our orders were to-go orders so we could promote the welfare of our customers and help them keep socially distanced. We sanitize the tables, chairs and everything to make sure that they are clean. We also had to figure out how many tables and chairs we could put into the dining room area for a limited number of people who could come into that area.
Q. What do you hope for the future of your business?
A. It’s been a whole learning process. Every couple of weeks it feels like we’ve been trying to do something a little bit better in terms of service and the COVID-19 crisis. We want to make sure that everything is safe and clean for our customers. We want Happy Bean to be an enjoyable experience for people.
Happy Bean Coffee Shop
Location: 221 S. Main St. in Mount Vernon.
Hours:
Monday - Friday: 7am - 6pm
Saturday : 8am - 5pm
Sunday: Closed
Info: happybeancoffeeshop.com or (740) 507-8167
