Jordan Beck | Daily Press From left, Pamela’s Palette owner Pam Reno and managers Gloria Kohnert, Sue Hubbard and Abby Stewart pose for a photo behind the counter of Cafe Bay. The company operates Cafe Bay and handles catering for internal and external Bay College events.

ESCANABA — While the physical space housing Cafe Bay is owned by Bay College, the cafe is operated by a company known as Pamela’s Palette.

Pamela’s Palette owner Pam Reno said her company was not the first to run the cafe.

“It’s been in existence for I have no idea how long,” she said.

Reno’s company has been in charge of Cafe Bay for the better part of a decade. The company subcontracts from Bay College.

“In 2013, I made a bid and … took over April 1, 2013,” Reno said.

Previously, Reno had managed the cafe for a year in 2012.

“I also flipped burgers here as a work study in 2010-2011,” she said.

Though some tweaks have been made to Cafe Bay’s menu over the years, Reno said she has not made any dramatic changes to Cafe Bay since Pamela’s Palette took it over.

“We’ve tried to keep it pretty much the same as it had been,” she said.

The cafe’s menu includes a salad bar, pizza, soups, burgers, fries and desserts, among other items.

“Every Wednesday, we run a different special,” Reno said.

Along with its involvement with Cafe Bay, Reno said Pamela’s Palette handles catering for internal and external Bay College events.

“We do all the catering throughout the whole college,” she said.

According to Reno, catering may actually be a larger source of profits for Pamela’s Palette than Cafe Bay.

“The catering is probably our main money-maker,” she said.

Business at the cafe can fluctuate from one semester to the next.

“A lot of it depends on enrollment,” Reno said.

However, Cafe Bay is open to the public. Reno has been getting the word out about this through recent promotional efforts, including advertisements in the Daily Press, online and on digital signage at Bay.

Reno was optimistic about the potential impact of the ad campaign on Cafe Bay.

“Maybe the business will grow,” she said.

Aside from these efforts, Reno said she did not have any major plans for Cafe Bay’s future.

“We’d just like to continue on,” she said.

Cafe Bay is open Monday through Thursday during Bay College’s fall and winter semesters. To learn more, visit www.baycollege.edu/student-life/cafe-bay.php.