The Record: RVCC's Student Newspaper

By Annette Novoa

The campus is a buzz over the anticipation of the new coffee shop that’s being built near the student center and school bookstore. The coffee shop is part of a planned effort to improve faculty and student atmosphere. A grand opening is expected in November.

“It’s not actually a Starbucks,” says Mark Halpern from Food Services Corp. Instead “we train CulinArt staff to serve Starbucks brew.” This will be a CulinArt franchise that is managed and staffed by them as well. The coffee shop’s logo will state, “We proudly brew Starbucks coffee.”

The school cafeteria has been managed by CulinArt since January and will still offer its coffee, but the brand name will change from “Metropolitan” to “Seattle’s Best,” which is one of the brands in the Starbucks family.

John Trojan, vice president of facilities, is in charge of the project for Raritan Valley Community College. “It’s a combination of things,” says Trojan. “We were looking to do two things: pump up the look of the welcome center and provide a coffee venue of some kind.” Seating will be placed along the wall on the same side of the coffee shop leading to the bookstore and across the hallway on the opposite side. Black chairs and bistro-style table tops with chrome bases and poles will jazz up the space. “It should really make that area feel very nice and much more appealing than it’s ever been before. We expect people to hang out there.”

Full-time student Ashley Wegner seems to agree “It’s nice to go somewhere and hang out. It’s also more convenient for me just across the hall where I can buy snacks and sandwiches. I always drink mocha lattes with chocolate sprinkles and whipped cream. It’s the greatest thing in the world.”

“We were hoping to do this before the spring term ended, but it took us a while to find a vendor who had a price point we thought was reasonable,” says Trojan. RVCC began requesting bids from vendors last winter. “When we went out to bid with food service vendors, one of the requirements was that the new vendor had to come up with a concept and be willing to invest some money, staffing and food.”

CulinArt is a food services vendor that has several different campus locations and is a licensee for Starbucks. It is supplying the funding for all of the coffee-shop equipment. The price tag for this project would make an espresso fan gag
.
“The whole cost of the welcome center, including all the plumbing and electrical combined is $180,000. That includes furniture as well and painting,” says Trojan. RVCC will receive 2 percent revenue of all sales from the coffee shop. “We receive the same from cafeteria sales,” says Trojan. The coffee shop will offer muffins, cakes, cold wraps and salads, soups and sandwiches, as well as Starbucks java
.
Trojan is expecting both businesses—cafeteria and coffee shop—to grow over time. When asked about possible student discounts, he says, “I’m sure they will do the corporate promotions.”

Why Starbucks? “So many people were interested—and it seems that students, faculty and staff like their coffee,” says Trojan.

“I’d go check it out,” says Matt Lovisa, a full-time student who doesn’t go to the Starbucks across the street and is not a coffee drinker. “I’d probably buy it just because it’s there,” says student Amanda Myers.

Comparing RVCC’s coffee shop to the Starbucks across the street, “We’ll have a little different look, and I don’t think we will offer the frappuccino,” says Trojan.

The coffee shop will be staffed by CulinArt and hours will depend on volume. “What we’ll probably end up doing is to close the cafeteria after lunch, because in the evening if there are 30 or 40 people there, it’s a lot and it doesn’t make any sense.” Coffee shop hours will likely run from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the week and to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. It will likely be closed on Sundays.


Warm Welcome: RVCC to Serve a New Brew
By Annette Novoa The campus is a buzz over the anticipation of the new coffee shop that’s being built near the student center and school bookstore. The coffee shop is part of a planned effort to improve faculty and student atmosphere. A grand opening is expected in November. “It’s not actually a Starbucks,” says Mark Halpern from Food Services Corp. Instead “we train CulinArt staff to serve Starbucks brew.” This will be a CulinArt franchise that is managed and staffed by them as well. The coffee shop’s logo will state, “We proudly brew Starbucks coffee.” The school cafeteria has been managed by CulinArt since January and will still offer its coffee, but the brand name will change from “Metropolitan” to “Seattle’s Best,” which is one of the brands in the Starbucks family. John Trojan, vice president of facilities, is in charge of the project for Raritan Valley Community College. “It’s a combination of things,” says Trojan. “We were looking to do two things: pump up the look of the welcome center and provide a coffee venue of some kind.” Seating will be placed along the wall on the same side of the coffee shop leading to the bookstore and across the hallway on the opposite side. Black chairs and bistro-style table tops with chrome bases and poles will jazz up the space. “It should really make that area feel very nice and much more appealing than it’s ever been before. We expect people to hang out there.” Full-time student Ashley Wegner seems to agree “It’s nice to go somewhere and hang out. It’s also more convenient for me just across the hall where I can buy snacks and sandwiches. I always drink mocha lattes with chocolate sprinkles and whipped cream. It’s the greatest thing in the world.” “We were hoping to do this before the spring term ended, but it took us a while to find a vendor who had a price point we thought was reasonable,” says Trojan. RVCC began requesting bids from vendors last winter. “When we went out to bid with food service vendors, one of the requirements was that the new vendor had to come up with a concept and be willing to invest some money, staffing and food.” CulinArt is a food services vendor that has several different campus locations and is a licensee for Starbucks. It is supplying the funding for all of the coffee-shop equipment. The price tag for this project would make an espresso fan gag . “The whole cost of the welcome center, including all the plumbing and electrical combined is $180,000. That includes furniture as well and painting,” says Trojan. RVCC will receive 2 percent revenue of all sales from the coffee shop. “We receive the same from cafeteria sales,” says Trojan. The coffee shop will offer muffins, cakes, cold wraps and salads, soups and sandwiches, as well as Starbucks java . Trojan is expecting both businesses—cafeteria and coffee shop—to grow over time. When asked about possible student discounts, he says, “I’m sure they will do the corporate promotions.” Why Starbucks? “So many people were interested—and it seems that students, faculty and staff like their coffee,” says Trojan. “I’d go check it out,” says Matt Lovisa, a full-time student who doesn’t go to the Starbucks across the street and is not a coffee drinker. “I’d probably buy it just because it’s there,” says student Amanda Myers. Comparing RVCC’s coffee shop to the Starbucks across the street, “We’ll have a little different look, and I don’t think we will offer the frappuccino,” says Trojan. The coffee shop will be staffed by CulinArt and hours will depend on volume. “What we’ll probably end up doing is to close the cafeteria after lunch, because in the evening if there are 30 or 40 people there, it’s a lot and it doesn’t make any sense.” Coffee shop hours will likely run from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the week and to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. It will likely be closed on Sundays.
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Warm Welcome: RVCC to Serve a New Brew