Bridgeport student‑run café
Middletown Commons in Bridgeport, WV just opened a student‑run eatery offering unique campus‑adjacent fare — a local incubator concept that’s great for discovering fresh talent and menu experiments (opening reported in local coverage) (x.com).
Café ’74 opened for a soft launch on March 23, 2026 at Middletown Commons in White Hall, W.Va., and the name commemorates Pierpont Community & Technical College’s founding year of 1974. (pierpont.edu)) The space connects directly to Pierpont’s culinary teaching kitchen and will operate as an applied‑learning site where faculty supervise student service through a service window with nearby seating. (pierpont.edu)) Early soft‑opening items listed by the college include Monty’s Mini Bites (ricotta and cheddar frittatas), the Campus Classic Wrap, the ’74 Harvest Bowl, house‑baked pastries such as raspberry oat squares and salted caramel biscotti, plus a small coffee program offering lattes, Americanos and drip coffee. (pierpont.edu)) Pierpont secured a $90,000 Technical Program Development grant through the ARP State Tourism Program on Sept. 29, 2025 to fund the café as a workforce‑training initiative. (pierpont.edu)) The college partnered with Taylor McCartney of The Groove Coffee Shop in White Hall to provide barista training, assist with menu development and help plan the launch. (pierpont.edu)) The initiative is structured so students rotate through defined roles — barista, cashier, prep cook and expediter — while learning inventory management, receipt costing and point‑of‑sale operations as part of curriculum integration planned for January 2026. (pierpont.edu))
