New Starbucks location opens in the TSC

February welcomed a new inhabitant of Utah State University’s TSC: Starbucks. The new location’s grand opening took place on Monday, Feb. 23 after a soft opening the week prior. The addition to the TSC’s first floor brings a new eatery next to the ever-changing Hub food court and a new spot for coffee on campus.

Aggies may remember Steeped, formerly located on the first floor of the Noelle E. Cockett Life Sciences Building. This cafe served Starbucks products but was not a fully-franchised location. It only served drinks and offered a more limited selection. The Starbucks in the TSC is a franchise, offering the same menu as other Starbucks locations.

Alan Andersen, USU Dining Services executive director, spoke to The Utah Statesman about the location’s success so far.

“I talked to my assistant director over that area, and he said we did really well Saturday, which surprised me since we usually don’t get many people on Saturdays,” Andersen said. “It’s kind of funny — you get so busy, it’s hard to have a grand opening. You just serve people as fast as you can.”

Because the TSC is an old building, transforming the area into a Starbucks proved to be a challenge, according to Andersen. Due to there being asbestos under the tiles that were pulled up, there were delays that pushed back the grand opening at least two weeks.

However, Andersen noted this allowed the staff extra time to train, and they were able to give out free practice drinks to passerby in the TSC. 

The week of Feb. 23 offered numerous opportunities for grand opening attendees to receive prizes, the big one being the opportunity to win one free Starbucks drink every day for the rest of the semester. Additionally, some cups randomly included a star decal, giving the recipient their choice of a sweatshirt, T-shirt or mug.

First-year student and self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur Rebecka Bingham was present at the grand opening and shared her opinions on the new location.

“I always wondered why we didn’t have a Starbucks before,” Bingham said. “I love the vibes of Starbucks, and they’re always consistent with drink orders. I definitely think it’s a safe bet to have a Starbucks on campus to study and meet up with friends at.”

Andersen said Steeped allowed him and other employees of USU’s Dining Services to see what the demand of Starbucks would be without investing in costly franchise fees.

Before bringing in Chester’s Chicken, staff looked into having a Chick-fil-A franchise in the Hub. After contacting Chick-fil-A, they were told it would need to be the only restaurant in the entire Hub, and the franchise fee was similar to the entire cost of putting in Chester’s Chicken.

“Franchises are important. They bring names in, but if we only have franchises, it would be very costly for the university,” Andersen said. “Starbucks has been good to work with. They are pretty rigid for the most part. There are some things I would probably change if I could, but that’s just part of being a franchise.”

Andersen said he received a lot of feedback when people found out that Caffe Ibis was moving out of the TSC, much of it critical of the decision. He explained despite Starbucks moving in, he believes 75% of the coffee served on campus is still Caffe Ibis.

“All of our catering is Caffe Ibis. The Skyroom is Caffe Ibis. We have two locations that are Caffe Ibis,” Andersen said.

Bingham echoed a sentiment similar to that of some of the students who complained. She mentioned she still plans to frequent the Forum Cafe located on the first floor of the Merrill-Cazier Library, which serves Caffe Ibis’ drip coffee.

“It offers yummy bagels and treats,” Bingham said. “I love the student feel and that I feel like I am supporting a smaller business when I go to the Forum. I don’t really feel like Starbucks needs support, considering it’s a chain.”

Andersen said his main goal is to make the TSC really feel like a student center rather than an administrative building. He said Starbucks fits into this vision.

“It’s been fun to see, as space becomes available downstairs, that they’ve focused on student-centric things, not offices,” Andersen said. “Starbucks is another reason to be in the student center and make it into a student center.”