“What kind of events do you work?”
It’s the question I often get asked while working at our mobile coffee bar. And while the list is long: corporate events, weddings, trade shows, conferences. There’s one event that gets people to lean in every time: The U.S. Open.
For two years now our team has had the opportunity of serving in the prestigious 1895 Club, a premium hospitality experience curated by Ridgewells. And let me tell you that working an event to this scale is equal parts adrenaline, artistry, and intention.
The U.S. Open is more than just pouring lattes. It’s about showing up with excellence, adapting in real time, and building something that reflects the professionalism of the partners we serve.
Here is a glimpse of our team’s experience this year.
I bring my mini-van around the corner and am met with a visual symphony of movement that borderlines on chaos. There are golf carts, and people moving fast all around me. It’s crunch time the day before the U.S. Open.
Luckily for me our set-up is already in place and all I need to do is get the gallons of milk into a fridge and mentally prepare for tomorrow.
My alarm goes off. I turn over in bed – 5:55 am greets me back. I take a deep breath and sit in the quiet for a moment.
Out in the living room, Tina and Alex are ready to go, as I step out they greet me with a familiar warmth. I don’t remember what time they got into Pittsburgh from Chicago (that part is a blur). We are all running off of minimal sleep, adrenaline, and the muscle memory of working big events. But I’m already going through the checklist of what’s needed in order for us to be dialed in and ready at 8:00 am.
As we grab our bagels, Alex comes up with a kitschy song: “put your bagels dowwwwn,” I hear Alex belt from the backseat. It’s silly, but it becomes our morning routine.
We have to make it to the vendor parking lot to catch a bus, which takes us to a golf cart, which finally gets us to the 1895 Club. It’s glamorous, in a pop-star-on-tour kinda way.
We arrive with twenty minutes to spare before service, leaving just enough time to dial in the espresso machine, settle our nerves, and say hello to the other caterers.
Ridgewells has an incredible core team, and their retention is no joke. It’s one of the reasons I love working with them. Within those minutes, I’m exchanging hugs, inside jokes, and quick catch-ups with familiar faces from last year. This feels more like a reunion than a rollout.
There’s one person I want to take a moment and highlight, Bekah, a new face but someone who instantly draws the room together. From day one she brought the energy and enthusiasm that can make a packed week feel brighter.
As caterers lift silver lids, releasing delicious aromas into the air, a line is already forming at our bar. Tina, Alex, and I fall into our rhythm. I sink into the familiar hiss of steam wands, the soft clank of pitchers against wood, and the focus required to groom milk to micro-foam perfection. Lost in the art of pouring the perfect swan and landing the punchline to a good joke.
Latte art keeps me grounded in the rush. It’s my way of offering a little love and care in every cup. And I feel that a swan is the best way to send someone off with a big smile across their face.
