Business is booming for Giacinta’s at the Bridge
Trending
BRIDGEPORT - Since welcoming Giacinta’s Gelato & Caffe to their new location in the multipurpose Bridge at Bridgeport Exempted Village School District, the place has been a go-to spot for students and community members looking for that morning pick-me-up.
Owner Audrey Brahler made some time between morning rushes of buyers to talk about the success of these first weeks.
"We've been getting some good feedback from the Bridgeport community."
When Brahler learned about plans to construct the Bridge, she saw the perfect opportunity to open a Giacinta's.
"The Bridge itself, the community center that Bridgeport Schools built here is fantastic. We fell in love with the idea of the project," she said. "We wanted to be a part of it."
The school district is a center of community life and the café fills an important niche.
"It'll be really good for Bridgeport and their schools to have somewhere they can come sit, enjoy, get their work done and get a treat."
Brahler said a commitment to quality is among Giacinta's greatest strengths.
"We're more than just our coffee and pastries. People come for our workers, the conversation. It's the feeling of community."
She met that community spirit by hiring students to staff the Bridgeport location and providing them valuable training in customer service and working the register.
Brahler was impressed by Bridgeport's students. They are quickly taking to the job and are eager to learn all the recipes.
"We're doing all our monthly specialty drinks."
She added that with the many different combinations of flavors, students are interested in building the menu.
So far, smoothies and pastries are proving very popular, but Brahler looks forward to adding more options such as "grab and go" food and egg bites and yogurt parfaits.
"So there are some good breakfast foods here for the kids to grab, or anybody to grab before work," she said.
"I think the biggest thing too is making it known that this is open to the public as well," she said. "We're just super thankful to Bridgeport Schools for the opportunity and we're excited to be part of the Bridgeport community."
Trina Kropka, director of the Bridge, said Giacinta's was highly anticipated and has already become a valuable part of the Bridge family.
"The response has been great," she said. "It seems every morning the crowd is growing a little bit more. I've seen a lot of students utilize it. I've seen a lot of parents utilize it and I've also seen community members come in."
Kropka added the Bridge is living up to its mission of becoming a one-stop hub of services encompassing health care, education and training and community events.
"We continue to be open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday for people to come in to use the walking track or the gym. Every evening we're offering either basketball or pickleball, and in the weekends we have hours from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. that's open for free for the public to come in. We're in works to start a couple of other classes and we'll be excited to announce those soon."
Visitors are invited to stop at Giacinta's to say hello and grab a treat.