Mason Teague, Staff Writer
New dining changes are coming to Wingate University with the announcement of a Starbucks being added on campus. The popular coffee chain will be located inside the Dickson-Palmer Center on campus, where it will replace the recreation facilities that currently occupy the space.
The Starbucks on campus will be as large as any Starbucks found all over the world, with a full dining area, espresso and condiment stations for servers to brew customer orders and a kitchen area where supplies will be stored as needed by the employees.
The plan also includes a stage found in one area of the coffee shop, to be used during open mic nights that will occur throughout the school year to provide entertainment to customers.
President Rhett Brown seems excited about the plans to bring Starbucks back to the Wingate student body. “We actually used to have a Starbucks on campus where Einstein Bros is now, and it was a big hit with the students on campus,” Dr. Brown said. “The administration is extremely excited to bring such a popular restaurant back to campus so that students and faculty alike will be able to enjoy all of the services they have to offer.”
The excitement about a Starbucks on campus has spread to many of the students on campus. Abbey Gantt, a pharmacy student at Wingate, is excited about having her favorite coffee shop on campus soon.
“I am really happy that I won’t have to drive super far away from campus just to get my favorite coffee,” Ms. Gantt said. “Soon I will be be in walking distance of a Starbucks, which is super convenient for me because of my busy class schedule.”
Maria Sofia, a junior at Wingate, is also thrilled about the plans for a Starbucks on campus because of the options that they offer for people that do not consume dairy.
“It is hard for me to get coffee at Einstein’s because of the dairy products that they typically use in their coffees,” Ms. Sofia said. “Starbucks offers all sorts of coffee options that I am able to drink without these products, which is why I am excited they are coming to campus.”
While many students are happy about this plan, some are concerned about the high costs on the Starbucks menu.
“I really hope that we are going to be able to use our Bulldog Bucks to pay for stuff at Starbucks,” Isaac Tilghman said. “Otherwise, I won’t be able to go extremely often because of the prices being so high.”
Dr. Brown offered no comment on whether Bulldog Bucks could be used when Starbucks opens, as the school is still in the process of deciding what types of payment methods will be accepted.
Construction on the restaurant will begin near the end of the spring semester, with an opening scheduled for the beginning of the 2017 school year in the fall.
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