Student CEO to manage new Rider Saxbys cafe

Going all in is Anna Corelli's style. This fall, she will forgo the typical five-class semester to manage Rider's new Saxbys cafe full time as its first student cafe executive officer.

A management and leadership major, Corelli will oversee all cafe operations and its approximately 40-member staff. She will earn a full semester's worth of credits and a wage, while working with Saxbys corporate to determine strategy, inventory and marketing needs for the cafe.

"They want students to have full control over what happens in their cafes," she says. "I want to learn about every aspect of being a manager. I'll be working with my peers but also Saxbys corporate to help mold the cafe to what Rider students want."

Saxbys, a popular Philadelphia-based coffee company, fosters entrepreneurship through its entirely student-run cafes on university campuses. Via Saxbys' Experiential Learning Platform, students combine their classroom learning with real-world experiences, a natural complement to Rider's Engaged Learning Program.

Corelli, a Pennington, N.J., resident, is up for the challenge and accustomed to a demanding schedule. During her first three years at Rider, she maintained a full-time job as a hostess and went to school full time as a commuter. Management is a natural fit for Corelli, who grew up watching her father manage a number of restaurants. 

"I've always said that managing has been in my blood," she says. "I've always found management interesting because it's not just sitting at a desk; you're very hands on. It makes the job not feel like a job, but something you want to go to every day."

She fondly remembers Sundays changing out menus, watching the chefs create an array of dishes and spending time with her father.

"Even if it was a stressful day, he always made it fun," she says.

Corelli wants to carry that attitude throughout her career, which she hopes will lead to a management position after graduation this upcoming May.

"I need something hands on to be able to grow myself," she says. "For me, money is not the overall goal. You want to have fun at your job. You want something you’re going to have fun with and enjoy. I want to work somewhere I can have a smile on my face." 

Rider's Saxbys cafe is set to open Oct. 4 in Sweigart Hall. This summer, Corelli participated in a three-week bootcamp at various Saxbys locations, learning the ins and outs of operations. She has also begun recruiting her staff and begin promotional planning.