James Larkin and Luca Schneider, both first year students at the University of Utah, have a vision for making the average coffee trip high quality, convenient, affordable and time efficient. They have been pursuing this goal through their business Summit Cafe.
Both entrepreneurs come from a background in catering which is where they had the idea to do a stand selling food or drinks. They currently serve coffee, muffins, banana bread and other pastries. The Summit Cafe operated as a portable cafe on the first floor of Lassonde Studios during the spring 2026 semester.
When reflecting back on getting started with Summit Cafe Schneider said, “Lassonde gave us an opportunity to start a business that would have been much more difficult otherwise. It has allowed us to prove ourselves and be able to move to the next step such as a coffee trailer, or permanent café.”
Larkin said, “Being able to live in Lassonde allows easier access to people like Pat Jones, Lassonde’s operations director. We can have a conversation with him compared to a long email chain that takes weeks to communicate.”
Larkin has done a lot of the artwork for Summit Cafe including their logo design. Together they have taken advantage of all the creative spaces inside Lassonde such as the Make Space utilizing the laser cutter, poster printer, and more to help their business be successful.
They hope to have multiple locations, grow their visibility, and get a trailer to become more mobile and accessible. They plan to grow their company and funding by competing in the next Get Seeded event. They realize there is a large market for students who live at Lassonde and want a quick coffee on their way out. They plan to attract more people through A-frame advertising, social media, and word of mouth.
Learn more about Summit Cafe and follow them on Instagram @summitcafe_slc.
