By Dominic DeGrinney, Staff Writer

Better Blend Xavier, a new student-run smoothie shop, officially opened in Smith Hall on Aug. 24. 

Taking over the vacant space previously occupied by Bull Market, Better Blend is located on the first floor of Smith Hall. The student-run restaurant serves a variety of smoothies (called blends) and smoothie bowls, providing another campus dining option for the Xavier community. 

Better Blend Xavier offers a rotating assortment of blends mimicking several popular flavors, ranging from Cinnamon Toast Crunch to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup to birthday cake. The blends also provide the option for various booster add-ins, which allow the customer to customize their drink, make the product sweeter and add in supplements advertised to improve gut or increase protein intake.

Better Blend Xavier itself is more than just a new dining option. For many involved it is also an educational experience in small business operation, allowing students to get first- hand experience working with an outside franchise, as well as working closely with Xavier University.

Supported by the Sedler Center for Experiential Learning, junior management and marketing double major Jackson Fry and senior marketing major Caleb Smith have been able to see their idea become a reality. 

“We’re literally learning every aspect of how a business is run. Jackson and I spent our summer working with the general contractor, working with architects, the health department, Cincinnati’s Metropolitan Sewer District, the directors and heads of departments around Xavier. It’s just something that I don’t think I could have experienced in an internship,” Smith said.

From painting the walls and designing the shop to interviewing and narrowing down a list of 100 applicants to 18 crew members, the two were immersed in learning opportunities that expanded beyond the classroom. 

“I could have taken an internship where it was more marketing or more management focused… but I wasn’t branching out in all aspects of business. This has truly allowed me to not only grow in marketing, in leadership and in my emotional intelligence, but also grow in the operations side of things, learn inventory, learn ordering and learn the back end of things that I needed to understand,” Fry said.

This opportunity for experiential learning is not just limited to students in the business school. The crew of Better Blend Xavier ranges from marketing to nursing to exploratory majors. The two general managers admire the effort that their crew has put in, learning how to function and work together in the first week of operation after just a few summer Zoom calls. 

In addition to the day-to-day operations, the crew of Better Blend has also taken initiative in weekly meetings where they have divided themselves into departments such as analytics and outreach. The goal of the outreach team is to expand the patronage of Better Blend Xavier beyond the business school and embed itself into every aspect of the Xavier community. 

“I remember the first couple meetings from day one, we decided as a team that we’re not going to be another restaurant on campus. We want to be Xavier. We want to be part of the community. And I think so far, we are doing that,” Fry said.