By: Nathan Stearns
LANSING, Mich—For Tarek Chawick, opening Chateau Coffee was a culmination of his upbringing in Lebanon.
“Coffee really runs through the streets there,” Chawick said
Chawick, a 24-year-old graduate student at Michigan State, also runs Chateau Coffee full time as the sole owner. The shop celebrated its grand opening on Feb. 1 and is located at 1701 South Waverly Road in Lansing.
Chawick isn’t alone in running the shop, however, he employs a team of baristas who also happen to either be in school or recent graduates.
“The job opening just seemed a bit too good to be true,” barista Tayor Thrush said.
Thrush herself recently graduated from Ferris State with a degree in small business entrepreneurship.
In addition to offering traditional coffee shop goodies, Chateau also offers a wide collection of assorted desserts including muffins, lady fingers and baklava. The shop was previously a Bigby before Tarek bought it; Chateau was designed by MSU interior design freshman Adrienne Wright.
After majoring in Supply Chain Management during his undergraduate studies, Tarek is now studying Marketing Research. He often runs between classes and the shop several times a day.
Chateau Coffee is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. It also offers a 10% student discount.