Saxbys seasonal drinks are typically selected by a group of Saxbys officials, but this year they decided to shake things up: baristas all over the Saxbys map were given the opportunity to submit their drink creations for the chance to have their drink featured on menus nation-wide.

The owner of the Georgetown location, Jim Hilson (COL ’08), speaks positively about the effects of this competition: “Saxbys Georgetown has really valued its role in the Georgetown community and the drink creation contest is a great way for us to actually connect with the customers who are in the store every day and who are the people who make up the Georgetown community and therefore the Saxbys community”.

After several rounds of voting online, two drinks were eventually declared tied winners. One of these drinks was created by Georgetown student and barista, Kaitlin Orr (COL ’16) with her Peanut Butter Cup Latte: espresso, steamed milk, real peanut butter, chocolate sauce and whipped cream.

“I was just playing around with things at work and my boss told me about the competition and said I should enter for it to be on the menu” said Orr.

This contest sparked a major increase in Saxbys social media presence. People were required to “like” Saxbys Facebook page before voting, nearly doubling the number of likes in the process. It also highlighted a lot of what Saxbys is about: from orientation to everyday functions, employees are taught to focus on what CEO and founder Nick Bayer calls “guest engagement”.

“It’s a great way to call attention to everything that Saxbys offers” says Hilson.

Many people in the Georgetown community believe Saxbys to be a local coffee shop or just a small chain, centered around the DC area. Contrary to that popular belief, Saxbys has more than 30 locations and plans to open at least 12 more this year. Each branch has their own specific design to fit that location so that no two Saxbys look alike.

“We like the fact that you don’t necessarily know it’s a big chain. The business that I wanted to be able to create was sort of a crossroads of a really cool, local, authentic coffee shop, meets the high quality consistency of a chain” said Bayer.

So wherever you are, be sure to stop into Saxbys near you when you get a chance to try out Kaitlin’s new drink!