MOJO 516

Mojo 516

Photo courtesy of Mojo.516 Instagram

At precisely 7am Francine will unlock the front door and plug in the open sign. Her slicked back pony tale, along with all black uniform shows she means business. The look in her eyes reveals she has been up and busy for a while, as do the fresh stains on her t-shirt. Her early morning work is well appreciated as a line forms in the small business, and the sweet smell of banana chocolate chip muffins mixes with hot drip coffee and hits noses of tired Lafayette students on their way to class. She darts back and forth making breakfast sandwiches, coffees and smoothies until reinforcements come to back her up in the small already steamy kitchen.

In the back kitchen, freezers of fresh frozen fruit surround a small bain-marie where another employee dressed similarly goes through the cycle of cracking and whipping eggs, and the all too familiar act of smearing cream cheese on a toasted bagel. Neon sticky notes with shorthand orders line the microwaves and for every one finished three new ones seem to appear. The hands on the clock continue to move as someone runs orders, battling to call out names over the coffee house station, whirring of blenders, slurping of straws and constant rotation of the door.

The back door swings open to dump dirty dishes in the sink and wipe down tables with damp towels smelling faintly of bleach. The line in the front has changed into the lunch crew and the silent orders of the regulars are put through the system of employees like a well oiled machine: "We work together like a family, we anticipate each others moves and know everyone's strengths and weaknesses. It is all about working together," says Nicole a long time employee and master egg cracker.

One of the customer's favorites, sausage
egg and cheese with avocado on whole
wheat toast.

The rest of the day seems to go by in a blur as employees come and go like substitutes on the side of a football game, slapping each others butts as they gear up for a shift of hustle and bustle. People dash to the back storage area looking for extra pineapple juice and Nutella, trying to restock in preparation for the next wave of customers. They pass the employee entrance and by 4:30 pm on a Friday afternoon, music is blaring from the back porches of fraternity houses, shaking the ground of the little cafe. Daring members will try to park in the employee parking lot, only to be told to leave, and on more than one occasion the party attendants who have had too much to drink will mistake the clearly labeled door as the entrance to the bathroom, and USE the bathroom. Vicky Galanos, co-owner and sister explains, "The majority of Mojo's customers are twenty-something year old college students who don't really fear anything. We deal with the everyday bullshit like people peeing in the back because we honestly work for them." This passion for the customers is what has kept the business running.

The Galanos family has worked on March Street for 5 years as Mojo cafe, serving students and locals just about everyday of the year. Lambros and Kathy, the owners also own Campus Pizza, a shop two buildings down from Mojo, keeping the family close and their history on the block rich. Their daughters Francine and Vicky manage the day to day of the cafe, and employ 6 women. They do not strictly hire females, but when remarked upon Francine rolls her eyes to the sky and remarks, "we had one guy who worked her but he couldn't keep up, he had a breakdown in the middle of a rush and walked out," so the seven ladies run the little store front, making smoothies, coffees, pressed juices, breakfast sandwiches and much more. 

http://www.mojo516cafe.com

Around 5:00pm the ladies of Mojo prepare for closing and Lambros will make his rounds. He passes through the front, greeting every student and customer by name and spreading hugs and greetings as he takes mental note of what needs to be done. He makes himself a strong freddo espresso, whipping his double shot, and in his thick greek accent remarks on what is left to be cleaned and restocked before he saunters down the street to his second establishment and gears up for a night of making pizzas and pouring beers for the same customers who were in Mojo for their coffees earlier.

If the ladies are lucky, at 6:00pm the open sign is unplugged. Without a moment of hesitation, floors are swept and mopped, fruit is cut and the garbage is taken out. Punch cards are signed off by 7:00pm and the workers of Mojo 516 cafe sit on the back stoop and debrief about their days. It is like exhaling the crazy customers, spilled cups and behind the scenes bickering out of their systems.