An evening night in Bixby's after Duluth's first snowfall
By BECKY EDWARDS
DCN Correspondent
The large coffee machine hisses to life as a woman and her young daughter wait for their hot beverages to be ready, both dressed in clothes that would make an Eskimo proud. The coffee pours into the cup held by Alyssa Bethke, who handles the machine with a precision that can only be learned from working at the shop for a year and a half. She proceeds to add the essential ingredients to the drink, adding whipped cream, a shot of espresso and toppings.
The little girl is all smiles as the mother pays for their drinks and they leave the shop, braving the harsh winter weather.
“I didn’t use to be such a big coffee drinker,� Bethke says. “ That definitely changed when I started working here.� Like all the other workers, Bethke gets free coffee during breaks.
It’s the night after the first real snowfall in Duluth and despite the blustery wind and swirling snow outside, the coffee shop still has its fair share of customers.
“I love these bagels!� one of the customers exclaims as she leans back in her chair.
Ever since its grand opening in 1998, the coffee shop called Bixby’s has become a familiar haunt for college students because it’s so close to campus.
Bixby’s is filled with signs of the upcoming holidays with shimmering lights and a fully decorated tree in the corner and even a few special drinks and desserts for the holiday season on the menu.
Bethke moves to the side to avoid another worker who is donning a set of headphones that look like something an air traffic controller would wear.
“Is that all?� she asks as she spreads cream cheese on a bagel, taking the order of a customer waiting patiently in the drive-through lane.
“The drive-through doesn’t stop with the bad weather,� Bethke says, adding that she has noticed a definite decline in overall business when the snow started to pile up and the temperature started to drop in December.
“I heard that about 30 percent of our business comes from the drive-through,� she says.
Bethke pauses to take another order from a shivering customer, who buys a large coffee, momentarily distracted by the loud squawk from one of the birds in a cage that lives in the flower shop connected to Bixby’s. The two stores are connected and aren’t even separated by a door.
“I think Bixby’s is so appealing because of the atmosphere. We get a lot of college students and elderly people because it’s pretty quiet in here. It’s not a library but it’s a good place to study because you can have your own bubble,� Bethke says with a smile.
With one glance at the menu, a customer can see that they have a pretty daunting task of choosing what they want. The menu is split up between hot and frozen drinks, beverages, salads, sandwiches, bagels and wraps.
“We have cheat sheets,� Bethke says, referring to the fact that many of the drinks contain multiple ingredients that need to be measured.
“We have a pretty thorough training program but we like new employees to just try it. We’ll step in if they’re doing something wrong,� she says.
Two more customers walk in, letting in a cold gust of wind and a few flurrying flakes through the door as they walk up to the counter with squeaking shoes. Bethke greets them with a smile as their eyes peruse the menu on the wall.