Sweets, Sandwiches, and New Student Orientation

Purple Drank!

           Purple Drank set out on an excursion to two local eateries on Easton Avenue: the sandwich chain Jimmy Johns and the locally owned and delectably delicious Thomas Sweet ice cream shop. Both places may serve different food but both businesses displayed innovation, a comfortable working environment, and good efficient service. 

Innovation is the Key

A delicious Thomas Sweet ice cream.

Every successful business is innovative. Innovation is something new, advanced, forward, creative, or different that makes something unique from its counterparts. Jimmy Johns is a business where you can order your food online and have your gourmet sandwiches delivered to you by bicycle. At Thomas Sweet they make their own ice cream with a large selection of flavors and topping choices. I’ve never heard of a chain sandwich restaurant delivering, not to mention, by bike. Also, many ice cream shops claim to make their own ice cream but Thomas Sweet stands by their homemade ice cream completely. When you walk in you can see the machines that make the ice cream fresh daily and the employees working the machines while you order. As far as summer orientation goes, the innovation that is practiced in these businesses can be used in our experience over the summer. If an orientation leader or team leader has an idea or different creative way to carry out an activity or challenge we should encourage it. By being innovative at orientation we can make the experience for our different populations even more enjoyable and worthwhile. I feel it can be detrimental to the experience for both new students and orientation leaders if we make each orientation completely run the same way and don’t change anything. One example of this could be instead of giving an ordinary tour to new students we can make it a treasure hunt or adventure game. 

Comfort at Work

Both of the atmospheres in Jimmy Johns and Thomas Sweet were positive, fun, and light. When you first walk into Jimmy Johns you notice all of these novelty signs on the walls that have funny jokes and figures of speech. The employees all have smiles on their faces and work together cohesively as a team. Thomas Sweet had the atmosphere you’d expect from a locally owned ice cream shop: upbeat, light, smelling of sweet deliciousness. It was a comfortable and easy going environment. Summer orientation should have the same atmosphere; we should act positive, upbeat, and have fun. I think those are all things that go into making new students feel comfortable. It’s simple: if we act negatively students will have a negative experience but it we act positively, they will no doubt, have a positive experience. 

The Jimmy Johns sandwich assembly line. 

Efficiency is the Mission

Jimmy Johns had no problem when I changed my order slightly from what was on the menu. They got all of our orders correctly and made our sandwiches in practically no time because of their efficient assembly line of employees that each had a specific role in making a sandwich. Likewise, Thomas Sweet had a tremendous amount of patience for all of us that were extremely indecisive about what kind of ice cream, flavor, and toppings we wanted to get. Not to mention, there was only one employee on staff working at the time, and he masterfully made all of our ice creams with no issue. The efficiency displayed at these businesses can be easily applied to new student orientation. In the end, amongst the fun and positive atmosphere of orientation there is still a job and task that needs to be completed. It’s important for orientation leaders and team leaders to inform new students about the resources available to them, the clubs they should be getting involved in, and where everything is on campus. Efficiency also means doing this within the time limits given to us. 

With our excursion to Jimmy Johns and Thomas Sweet right here on campus I learned that a successful organization is innovative, has a fun positive environment, and is efficient. This summer I’m sure that new student orientation will accomplish all three to make it a successful and enjoyable summer.  

An example of a funny sign you'd see at a Jimmy Johns restaurant that adds to the fun and positive atmosphere there.