Student-run ReyRey Café celebrates decade of entrepreneurship at Wright State

Wright State University celebrated the 10th anniversary of the student-run ReyRey Café and the official opening of its new location in Dunbar Library with a campus event recognizing a decade of entrepreneurship, partnership and student impact.

The celebration highlighted ReyRey Café’s evolution from a small, student-operated concept into a successful campus business and experiential learning model.

Since opening in 2015, the café has been operated by Wright State students, who manage daily operations, finances, marketing and staffing while gaining real-world business experience.

Last fall, the café relocated from Rike Hall to Dunbar Library, bringing increased visibility, higher foot traffic and expanded opportunities for student leadership.

Dawn Conway, interim dean of the Raj Soin College of Business, said the café is a model of experiential learning, student support and successful collaboration between Wright State and community partners.

“This collaboration blends industry expertise, entrepreneurial spirit and student leadership, creating opportunities that energize our campus and strengthen our community,” Conway said.

Speakers at the celebration included Chris Walsh, president and acting CEO of Reynolds and Reynolds, and Henry Dean, president of Boston Stoker, whose companies have partnered with Wright State since ReyRey Café’s founding. They highlighted the café’s rare longevity in the hospitality industry and its role in helping students develop leadership, communication and decision-making skills.

“All of these skills put the talented and hardworking students here in the driver’s seat of their careers,” Walsh said.

Past and current student leaders also shared how the café has opened doors for students to grow professionally.

Chloe Anderson, the café’s first chief operating officer and a 2018 Wright State graduate, said it was rewarding to see how successful the venture has become over the past decade.

“The premise of the cafe has always been for the students, by the students,” Anderson said, “and I know for a fact that mission has been succeeded and will continue to succeed due to the hard work of the students that give their all to the ReyRey Café, the faculty that support them at Wright State and the Raj Soin College of Business and the local businesses such as Reynolds and Reynolds and Boston Stoker that champion that idea.”