Madison B.
Yelp
Bitty & Beau's Coffee is a cute Georgetown spot and regional chain that offers your daily dose of caffeine PLUS a mission: to empower individuals with disabilities and increase their societal visibility. Many of the employees do have intellectual or developmental disabilities, so Bitty & Beau's seems to be accomplishing this mission, but honestly, the stellar part of Bitty & Beau's is it's customer service. Everyone seems to take such care and genuine pleasure in the work that they do and the interactions they have with customers (and their fellow staff). From the outside looking in, it looks like a positive and supportive working environment!
The Fair Labor Standards Act allows companies to hire individuals with disabilities and pay them a fraction of minimum wage. But does Bitty & Beau's do so? Nope! I was so happy to read, after my morning mocha, that Bitty & Beau's pays its employees more than minimum wage (according to their Facebook page). While I'm still curious if workers are able to retain any disability benefits or how Bitty & Beau mitigates these issues, I was initially happy to read about their pay.
Being totally honest about the food and coffee, here: I had a mocha (4/5) and a cinnamon roll (3/5). The mocha was good, but I tend to like mine a little thicker. This may just be a personal preference that's impacting my rating, but I'm knocking a point just because I know I've had better mochas at local coffee spots. The cinnamon roll wasn't super moist or fresh-tasting, though I will say that the cream cheese icing was bomb. I don't think this is a reflection on the barista or bakery staff, but a reflection on the chain's recipes that may need some improvement. Looking at you, food scientists.
So why am I giving Bitty & Beau's five stars on Yelp? Because I didn't go for the coffee or the breakfast. I went to see how a new bakery supports the local community and whether its appearance is consistent with its mission. I'm obviously not credentialed to investigate corporate social responsibility or anything, but I got good vibes and enthusiasm from all of the staff. As someone who also works in special education, I was so happy to see that every worker had accommodations to do their job! Like the playing card system used to track orders!