USI students’ favorite place to get coffee underwent a change of appearance during winter break. Starbucks’ new look arrived just in time for the spring semester, along with a new addition to the menu – sandwiches.
The demand for USI’s Starbucks to add a sandwich option to its menu was high from students who compared this location to others off campus.
To please customers, Starbucks did just that. Along with the addition of the sandwich-preparing equipment behind the counter, the common area was completely revamped.
The seating area is also different than before, with bar tops instead of several small, round tables. The color scheme now incorporates darker tones with mahogany-tinted furniture, adding more of a sophisticated look, which was one of the main goals of the new design.
Starbucks was due for its ten-year reconstruction in two years, but instead of waiting it out, Sodexo decided to renovate now. The decision-making process for the new design was the hardest part, outside of the actual remodeling.
Limitations were placed upon those in charge of renovation designs because “Starbucks has its own setup,” Sodexo General Manager Chris Briggs said. “They have their own design and their own look. We oversaw the layout, including colors and increased seating. The design came out nice.”
The Starbucks located in Rice Library is privately owned by Sodexo, meaning they fund anything and everything. Briggs said the renovations cost between $150,000 and $200,000.
The decision to redesign was made last summer. The main reason was to make the Starbucks experience more focused on the customer. The boundaries between baristas and customers were removed, replaced with more open areas where customers can actually see their drinks being made.
Staff members were informed last fall about the new design so they could prepare to work with the new equipment.
“It took some getting used to,” said Aaron Fehd, Starbucks supervisor. “There are less barries now – it makes us more connected.”
Recent graduate and Starbucks employee Daniel Kopp said more students hang out there now than last semester. His co-worker, junior Early Childhood Development major Courtney Hoskins, said she has also seen a huge change since the renovations.
“I like it – there’s more space for us behind the counter,” she said. “I like the new equipment because it gives customers more options.”
Aside from the new menu options and difference in appearance, the overall feel of USI’s coffee shop seems to have made the biggest impact on customers and employees.
“The atmosphere is more inviting, relaxing,” Hoskins said. “It actually looks like a Starbucks now.”