Service With a Smile

Lauren Jones, 19, is a Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management (HRTM) major at New Mexico State University. In her time off from classes and her sorority, Chi Omega, she works at her older sister’s café, The Bean, located in Mesilla, New Mexico. A typical workday consists of an early morning—coffee drinkers are ready for their breakfast and cup of joe as early at 7 a.m., so Jones and her other coworkers start their day at 6 a.m. to prepare the café for the day’s business. With early mornings, breakfast takes second priority to customer service. Employees are often seen grabbing bites of breakfast between filling customer orders.

I chose to photograph Lauren after visiting The Bean with a friend for coffee one Sunday morning. The atmosphere of the café displayed a hip, upbeat vibe, and the employees clearly had build friendships working together and enjoyed their shifts. For this assignment, I chose to photograph Lauren in particular because she greeted each customer she helped by name as they walked in. During our visit, Lauren served us our drinks and chatted happily amongst the customers in the cafe, which stuck out with me. She made a point to greet everyone with a smile and showed genuine interest in each customer she served. At only 19, she has the customer service skills and enthusiasm needed in the food service industry. Her charisma and happy-go-lucky attitude are only an added bonus!