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The 2,400-square foot coffeehouse – reportedly twice the size of many of the company’s stores – opened for business Monday, Aug. 7, to sell the full line of Starbucks coffees, pastries and sandwiches. SUNY Fredonia students will be able to use their meal plans at the store, and the public will be able to use the 17 new short-term parking spaces on Old Main Drive.
The facility features free wireless internet access for SUNY Fredonia students.
The opening marks the first appearance of the popular Starbucks chain between Buffalo and Erie, Penn.
The café employs 25 individuals and is located on the ground floor of SUNY Fredonia’s new, $25 million University Commons. Built on the site on the former Cranston Dining Hall, the University Commons project includes Starbucks as well as a campus bookstore, dining hall and premium student living quarters that will feature 27-inch, flat-screen televisions, air conditioning and appliances.
“Instead of having just another café (in University Commons), we wanted something different,” said Tracy Bennett, vice president of administration at SUNY Fredonia. “We feel this gives the campus another dimension, and it falls into our master plan of providing more variety in our food services.”
Starbucks Corporation is the leading retailer, roaster and brand of specialty coffee in the world, with more than 10,000 retail locations in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim, according to information on the company web site.
