Starbucks to open mid-November

September 24, 2007 —

Students will soon have the opportunity to enjoy Starbucks coffee and treats on campus. The franchise will take the place of Java City, SVSU's cafe located in Science East in mid-November.

"Construction will be ready," Matt Wilton, director of Dining Services said. "Training, as set by Starbucks, will determine the opening."

Merchandise-wise, SVSU's Starbucks will look like any other franchise location.

Only items sold in other Starbucks will be available. Students seeking items formerly available at Java City - such as chips, pop, and Tylenol - will have to seek other locations.

"There will be some sandwich offerings, but we do not know what that is because they all have to be approved by Starbucks," Wilton said. "We think that process will be done by the time they open."

In order to work in the Starbucks, employees of Dining Services will have to go through 80 hours of training to meet employment standards.

According to Wilton, there is no plan to close Java City once Starbucks opens. He said he sees Java City catering to the residential part of campus, while Starbucks will cater to the more academic part of campus.

Starbucks will accept both declining balances and its own gift cards for payment.

Additionally, SVSU's first "Food For Thought" food forum was held Wednesday and gave more information regarding new services and food item changes on campus.

New to Einstein's Eatery is a Mexican cuisine station, located between Jump: Asian Express Cuisine and Grille Works.

Students have an opportunity to name this new addition.

"It's to try and bring awareness to the fact that we do now offer Mexican at Einstein's," Lindsay Carpenter, marketing manager of Dining Services said.

Students can enter their name at Einstein's Eatery and a committee of students and Dining Services representatives will choose the name. The prize is a $300 travel voucher.

Carpenter also gave an overview of the new features of Dining Services.

The C-Store now carries organic items, as announced by Assistant Retail Manager Anna Bennett.

The RFoC made a few changes as well. It now opens at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast due to feedback from students. Breakfast is now available at Quizno's at Einstein's Eatery. This is to allow students more breakfast options.

It was also mentioned that SVSU is one of the first food sites in the country to offer the Quizno's-to-go program. According to Carpenter, this program has been successful so far on campus.

Carpenter also said there are now gluten-free options available in the RFoC and that Dining Services is willing to work with students and their food allergies.