No longer do students need to wait on long lines for their venti cinnamon dolces. Never again do coffee enthusiasts from Tabler Quad have to walk across campus for their tall chai lattes. Having a lounge to sit in and relax—that’s a different question.
The Faculty Student Association opened another Starbucks this semester in the Roth Café.
Unlike the Starbucks one would find on most city street corners, Stony Brook Starbucks also allow payments via meal plans/ Wolfie’s Wallet and there are Stony Brook-catered sandwiches sometimes available. Both on-campus locations serve the same coffee for the same prices but have distinct differences in regard to lounging areas, the time to wait on line and the time to actually get what one has paid for.
One stark contrast between the new Starbucks in Roth and the Starbucks in the Union is the seating arrangements. The Union boasts a large lounge equipped with couches, tables and its own sound system. The space is comfortable and many find the area a good place to finish homework.
The layout of the Roth Café does not allow for a lounge, only a coffee bar. The Center for Science and Society tends to convert its multipurpose room into a lounge after 7 p.m. In addition, Roth Café will soon open up the Roth Regatta Café.
“There is ample seating on the second floor of the Roth Café building, including a newly renovated seating area in the Roth Regatta Café featuring Red Mango, which will open soon,” Angela Agnello, the spokeswoman for the Faculty Student Association, said. “This space has been acoustically treated and includes new seating and lighting to make it conducive for students to gather, study and socialize.”
In addition, a 20-minute wait for a Wild Berry Zinger at the Union only takes about five minutes at Roth. The Roth Café is not as convenient to students who are mainly stationed on the academic mall during class hours. Some students have noticed that the lines at the Union are shorter than they were a few months ago.
“Well, Roth Starbucks doesn’t seem to have as long lines as [the] Union’s,” Christopher Esposito, a sophomore biology major, said.
Despite the shorter lines at Roth, the actual process of making coffee seems to take a little longer because the employees have not totally gotten the hang of making these lattes on the fly. Some are still consulting their boss, which sometimes holds up lines. However, it is actually easier for customers to hear their names being called in the Roth Starbucks because it is smaller and not as crowded.
According to Agnello, the Campus Dining Resolutions Committee chose to shut down Pura Vida, the coffee bar that was originally in place, as an attempt to add more variety while bringing in nationally recognized brands.
“Feedback has been very positive,” Agnello said. “Many students comment that they are pleased to have a Starbucks closer to where they live so that they do not have to travel to the Stony Brook Union Starbucks.”
Some students did not even know there was a new Starbucks.
“I had no idea there was a new Starbucks on campus,” Devin Darmanie, a senior biology major who goes to Starbucks to hang out with friends or buy pumpkin bread, said.
