Everybody knows and loves our own campus coffee shop, Perkatory. It’s a place to socialize, get homework done, and buy delicious food and drinks; however, not a lot of people know its story and the effort that goes into it.
The man behind the magic, Mr. Dudo, has always had a passion for the world of hospitality. His idea sprouted from his days working in the NAU hospitality program and many years of restaurant work. Before Perkatory came to life, Dudo ran the Home Economics class, but when the new Greenway build happened, he saw an opportunity and ran with it. He wanted to expand his class to be able to teach students a very prominent life skill: how to work in a restaurant. After a talk with the CTE director, he began to draft his plan. It was a long process – with having to fit time and budget constraints – but he decided to project his idea to the school board, and without much hesitation, they took him up on it.
Mr. Dudo explains how he uses Perkatory to train students in their “first job experience” by structuring the cafe as close as he can to a real restaurant but with a more comforting feeling to it.
“Perkatory gives me that same feeling and I get to work with my students in more of a coaching role at the same time,” Mr. Dudo said. Any student who has spent time in Perkatory can tell the how much effort is put in to keep it going, but Mr. Dudo isn’t the only one putting in that effort.
There are many students that also hold a passion for the cafe. Mr. Dudo may be the one prepping the food and running everything behind the scenes, but it also takes effort from students, who are the true face of Perkatory. While working in the coffee shop is a requirement of the Hospitality and Tourism class, there are many kids who continue to spend their mornings and their lunches working simply because they love it.
“Perkatory is a fun and relaxing environment for people to buy their favorite drinks and food while hanging out with their friends. It’s nice seeing so many friendly and familiar faces,” Senior Nova Witt said.
Though just like any other restaurant, Perkatory has had its struggles to stay running, especially during the time of Covid. It wasn’t until last year that they were able to begin selling food again, but they managed to bring back their famous grilled cheese, a student favorite choice. Mr. Dudo has made it a point to not raise their prices, keeping every drink at a steady $3. With the crazy prices of every other coffee shop, Mr. Dudo wants to keep a reliable source for students who may not have a source of income to buy a $7 coffee somewhere else every day.
The next time you go into Perkatory, take a moment to appreciate the work that is put into every cup and every meal that is handed to you.
