The lobby of Wells East was packed to the brim with excited students Thursday, March 10 due to the popular coffee shop Jitters holding their 25th-anniversary celebration. The large line of students anticipating the event showed that when Jitters is putting together something special, students take notice. The idea behind the party was a look back at how Jitters got to be the place it is today while also being excited about what the future holds.

“A big thing we’ve always been focused on is diversity and inclusion, and just being able to show that we’ve stayed with that all these years. Also that we made it this far, is a really cool thing for us to show and be a part of,” said Jitters kitchen manager Daniel Davern.

 One of Jitters’ specials running for their anniversary this month is a throwback menu item each week. This promotion not only has brought back some nostalgia for certain Jitters customers, but also highlights some darker times in the cafe’s history.

“Just to see how Jitters transitioned from these different drinks and kinda really grew through some hard times. Especially through this pandemic, it was very hard to get residents to come to Jitters, but now we actually are a great success with our amazing programs and just celebrating the good times after COVID now. It’s just a fun time to be around new people and meet new faces,” said Community Engagement Coordinator Bobby Lee.

This event succeeded in celebrating Jitters’ present success, and also remembering the lonely times through the pandemic without many customers to converse with. The anniversary gave the Jitters staff a chance to reflect and celebrate everything from the past, good and bad, and be optimistic and excited about what the future holds for the small campus coffee shop.

“Monday, March 14, for Pie Day we are having our big Second Annual Pie Eating Contest. We’re serving all pie shakes like pumpkin pie, apple pie, maybe even banana cream,” said marketing director Abby Daniels. “We like to change it up. We like to have fun and experiment with different drinks and recipes to keep it fresh.” 

For those looking to experience the taste of these specialty drinks like the infamous “Oreogasm” milkshake, look no further than the first floor lobby of Wells East to sip on something delicious. The Jitters staff and student customers look forward to continuing this campus indulgence for years to come.