By: Emma Seay
It’s an early Monday morning, too early to comprehend any more information in your already fried brain. At this point probably the smartest idea you have had all 30 minutes that you have been awake, is coffee. And not just any coffee—Dr. Jack’s coffee, the famous coffee shop on campus that students continuously flock to any hour of the day. While quietly deciding what drink you would get today, you are greeted with smiles and a sense of familiarity radiating from the two wonderful sisters, Amy and Becca Curran, who have worked behind the counter of Dr. Jack’s for longer than some of us have attended Ouachita.
“I was introduced to Dr. Jack’s through my sister since she already had a job here,” Becca said. “I have been here for around two years now and Amy has been here for three.”
Amy first got her job at Dr. Jack’s through a friend from church that worked here when the on campus coffee was Starbucks, long before Dr. Jack’s was established. Ever since the sister duo started working on campus, they have really enjoyed forming relationships with the students and the faculty while also being in the really easy-going environment that Ouachita has to offer.
With coffee combinations and flavors spread all along the board, the sisters have their favorite coffee drinks just like all coffee addicts.
“I would have to say that my favorite would be the white chocolate mocha,” Becca said. “It is also very much a favorite among the student and faculty body and more people still are trying it for the first time and are loving it.”
“For me, it would have to be the regular mocha. It is just a generic and easy drink to order and still has a great taste to it that never gets old,” Amy said.
Even though they love having the recurring drink choices, the ladies both talked to great extents about how much they love doing the “creation drinks” also known as the “limited time offer” (LTO) drinks that gives them and their team the chance to be creative and experimental.
“I am the one that oversees the LTO drinks and really get to experiment and try to create different drinks that we think the customers would really enjoy,” Amy said. “Sometimes they end up tasting very good but sometimes they taste really bad.”
One recent drink creation that they spoke highly of was the Pink Starburst Frapjack. “It was made up of raspberry, white chocolate mocha and lemonade and was an instant hit mainly because people were curious what it was and were feeling adventurous and wanted to give it a shot,” Becca said.
“One thing that distinguishes us from another coffee shop like Starbucks is that yes, we have our drink list but if you want to try something different, I will go out of my way to make a drink even if it means experimenting,” Amy said.
If there was one main thing the sisters really loved about working on a college campus like Ouachita, it was the loving and friendly atmosphere that this campus brings alive. The Curran girls love that they get to serve college student for the significant purpose that friendships are started.
“We love having the students involved in our working atmosphere. It really is what makes this job so fun. Getting to start and formulate those relationships is one of our favorite things about working at Dr. Jack’s,” Becca said.
While working and connecting with the students and faculty is something Becca and Amy really respect about their jobs, connecting with their work staff makes for excellent memories that make busy days or slow days go by easier.
“I think around the first year I worked here, at around Christmas, we wore Christmas hats every day of the month of December that we were here. And let me tell you, it started out being fun but it got to a point where it was uncomfortable because the hats were so itchy,” Becca said. “But even so, we made a lot of fun memories together with our team and really bonded with one another.”
So the next time you are in need of a coffee and caffeine boost, and the next time you set foot in the Evans Student Center, go ahead and strike up a conversation with the ladies behind the counter. You never know, it could turn into a friendship that will really influence your time here at Ouachita.
