On-campus Starbucks reopens this school year with new renovations

After months of being shut down for renovations, Chapman’s Starbucks reopens, but with more demand from students than the previous year. Photo by EMI THOMAS, Staff Photographer

Chapman University’s on-campus Starbucks is known to get very crowded at some points of the day, especially in the morning. Sodexo, the company responsible for Chapman's dining services, was made aware of the complaints about the size of the restaurant during peak morning hours.

A May 8 email to the Chapman community announced that Starbucks would be closed for renovations throughout the summer and reopen the week before the fall semester started. The new features that would be added following these renovations included an external walk-up window, equipment to serve nitro cold brew, the ability to order ahead with the Starbucks app and a larger space for production and service.

Starbucks reopened on the first day of orientation on campus, where many students quickly noticed the apparent differences to the on-campus location.

Talia Miller, a junior psychology major, shared her thoughts on the cafe’s new features, noting that she visits the Starbucks a few times a week. 

“The new Starbucks renovations look very nice, and the addition of the mobile ordering is amazing,” Miller said. “One thing that I was disappointed to see was that there is now a reduced amount of seating inside.”

With less seating, the Starbucks can now provide more space inside for people to wait for their orders. However, many students used to enjoy the cafe’s atmosphere as a place to study or get work done.

Harold Hewitt, the executive vice president and chief operating officer at Chapman, gave more details about the remodeling and the impacts it has had on students and teachers so far.

“The renovations have shifted demand from the counter to online ordering to a significant degree, and Sodexo reports that since reopening, weekly orders using the online platform have made up between 30% and 50% of all orders, depending on the specific week,” Hewitt told The Panther. “Sodexo believes that online orders cut down on wait times and reduce lines.”

According to Hewitt, the renovations cost $721,207.70 to pay for new equipment, add in space behind the counter and install a pick-up window. $365,622 of the total amount was used to buy new Starbucks-branded equipment. The upgrades were planned with a corporate Starbucks team and required a sign-off from the company.

However, despite all of these changes, large crowds are still frequently seen at Starbucks during the morning rush.

Junior psychology major Kaylee Scott also commented on the recent Starbucks renovations. She typically walks by the cafe every day on her way to classes and orders from there most weeks out of the school year.

“The new inside of the cafe looks beautiful, and mobile order makes getting Starbucks easier,” Scott said. “I noticed that the mobile order window is not really being utilized, and if it was more, it might help with the crazy crowds inside.”

Hewitt explained that despite the appearance of busyness, Sodexo believes that online ordering is helping lower wait times significantly and also reduce lines inside Starbucks.

Since the beginning of the new school year, Hewitt stated that Sodexo has reported that more people have been visiting the cafe, with 80% more customers compared to this time last year, according to Hewitt. 

Despite the busy and crowded cafe in the mornings, Starbucks has been able to serve more customers following these renovations.