The after school snack is a popular American Tradition for most students in grade school and high school. It is the perfect time in between lunch and dinner for kids to have a little something extra to help them get through their day. In high school as our lives have become busier and busier, it is hard to find the time to get that snack. Seniors Brandon Schoen and Tommy Ruder have fixed that problem.
After months of discussions with people of power in the school, DeSnack Shack was officially opened for business by Schoen and Ruder in February.
“I can’t take all the credit, Chris Hubert has been saying for awhile someone should push a snack cart around during open periods,” Schoen said. “I began to think about the concession stand and how it’s unused most of the day. I told Tommy Ruder about the idea. I could tell he was in when I saw how excited he got about the idea.”
Schoen and Ruder pay for the snacks and run the stand themselves, using the profit of the store to make their money back, plus a little extra.
“We both really have a lot of fun working,” Schoen said. “It’s helped me learn alot about business, working with money and scheduling when one of us can’t be there. I enjoy working on our promos and finding new ways to improve.”
One of DeSnack Shacks first promos “Wonka Week” was a huge hit. The duo already has plans for more fun promos throughout the remainder of the school year.
“I think we are going to try and do something with Easter, maybe like an Easter Egg hunt,” Ruder said. “It’s really all about getting the word out. Some kids have never been here. They can see these promos and come see what it’s all about.”
As of right now DeSnack Shack is only open after school, but the founding duo are trying to change that.
“We’ve been trying for months to get DeSnack open during activity periods,” Schoen said, “It’s kind of been a push and pull thing, but we are optimistic.”
With the class of 2023 graduating in less than two months, Schoen and Ruder will be on their way out of De Smet. However they have no plans of that being the end of DeSnack Shack.
“This whole thing has taken a lot of time and effort, we don’t want it to just die when we leave,” Ruder said. “Hopefully by next year policies can change, and it will be a great thing for the next people that own it.”