A Starbucks cafe will replace Smith Hall’s Newell’s Deli in fall 2020, University Housing announced Monday.
Newell’s Deli, located on the first floor of Smith Residence Hall, offers a selection of sandwiches and snacks for students. But according to Director of University Housing Dining & Culinary Services Peter Testory in a news release, many students wanted something different from Smith’s dining space.
“We survey our students every year about their dining experience on campus,” Testory said. “Reinventing the dining space in Smith Hall was something they suggested.”
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The Starbucks will offer hot, iced and blended drinks, along with snacks and both hot and cold food, the release said. Housing residents will be able to use their Wiscard accounts to recieve a discounted rate.
Housing expects the cafe to stay open between 7:00 a.m. and 10 p.m. every day of the week. Smith residents will have easy access to Gordon Avenue Market and Rheta’s Market if they’d like a more “traditional” dining experience, the release said.
Housing expects construction to begin this summer and reopen for service in the fall of 2020.
Senior Ananya Kirpane, who lived in Smith her sophomore year, said the new renovation would be a gain for the residents of Smith. She said she rarely ate at Newell’s anyways because of its lack of vegetarian options when she lived there, but if it had been a Starbucks she said she would have gone frequently.
Kirpane said many Smith residents ate at Newell’s on Wednesdays for “wing wednesday,” but the residence hall’s proximity to Gordon Avenue Market meant most people chose to walk across the street for more options at Gordon’s.
“It’s totally fine just going to Gordon’s to get food,” Kirpane said.
She said Newell’s was convenient in the winter when going to Gordon’s meant having to go out into the cold, and it also proved a quick and easy stop for snacks and breakfast in the morning. But overall, Kirpane supported the Starbucks renovation.
Kirpane also said the ability to use WisCard money for Starbucks would be nice since students have to add a minimum amount of money to their Housing account.
“You get bored of eating dorm food, and there’s so much extra cash you can’t spend,” Kirpane said. “But if you could pay for Starbucks with your Wiscard, that would be great.”
Kirpane said while she wouldn’t eat at Newell’s unless she lived in Smith, she’d go to the Smith Starbucks even if she didn’t live in the building to grab coffee.
