The Starbucks truck made its debut at the Student Activities Center Loop Thursday morning, serving the franchise’s popular beverages and food to students on the go.
“We offer all hot and cold drinks from the Starbucks menu, but we serve only a few breakfast sandwiches and pastries that are the most popular ones among students, given the limited space in the truck,” Angela Randall, Campus Dining’s marketing manager, said.
A long line full of excited students formed at 9:30 a.m. Although the weather was chilly and windy, students still waited in line for their favorite Starbucks items before rushing off to class.
“I am so glad the truck is here,” Ali Yuan, a sophomore journalism major, said. “It’s nice to be able to have a cup of hot chocolate after getting off buses on a chilly day.”
This Starbucks truck is the first in New York and one of only eight trucks in the country. Others can be found at colleges across the country, including Rutgers University, California State University at Sacramento and Arizona State University.
Campus Dining worked with the school’s Faculty Student Association and Starbucks to make this project possible.
“We have a great relationship with Starbucks and FSA, and we’ve been working on this since last semester,” Randall said.
The truck fittingly arrived on National Coffee Day, which promotes and celebrates the beloved beverage that Starbucks is best known for.
Having a Starbucks truck at the SAC loop provides convenience for students since they may not have time to walk to a dining location for their caffeine fix between classes, Randall said.
“I am a commuter student and it has always been a struggle to get an espresso at Union or Roth in the early morning,” Yuan said.
The truck can serve three hundred drinks before needing to be restocked. The storage room is located in H Quad, where supplies like coffee beans, milk, lemonades and syrups are held.
“We have four people working in the truck right now: two student employees, one student manager and a general manager,” a student employee said while he was giving out chocolate chip samples. “The place is cramped but we are very efficient.”
The truck operates Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and again from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dining Dollars, Wolfie Wallet, cash and credit cards are all accepted.
