Starbucks’ arrival perks up college students, staff

Eva Shaffer-Brown, an Orange Coast College Student Activities office worker, didn’t make the usual trip to her neighborhood Starbucks Monday morning. Not because she was prepared to tackle the day without her Grande, non-fat, no-whip, extra-hot peppermint mocha, but because she could get it right on campus.

The on-campus Starbucks, which seats about 90 people inside and out, opened its doors Monday as part of the new Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion, which is set to open Feb. 2.

“I think it will provide a great service to the students, staff and faculty,” said Shaffer-Brown, who was first in line at the new store. “And it will save me trips at lunch time.”

But not everyone’s so thrilled about the new coffeehouse on campus.

Though satisfied with the ambience, one Starbucks customer criticized the school’s decision to allow a multibillion-dollar coffee corporation on campus.

Rachel Lurya, a history and communications major, was concerned that the new venue would “knock off the competition,” specifically the Portside Cafe and The Drip Coffee, an outdoor coffee cart that has been on campus for more than 10 years.

Drip employee Andrés Benítez is confident that the stand will be successful in maintaining regular customers, though he was less than pleased about Starbucks’ opening on campus.

Scott Cohen, co-owner of The Drip Coffee, acknowledged the impact that competition from Starbucks would have on his business, but like Benítez, he stressed that his company’s “personal service” and individuality would keep customers coming back.

“We’ll just have to be creative and come up with new things to keep our business going,” Cohen said. “And we will.”

According to Thomas Selzer, general manager of the Instructional Food Service Program at OCC, everyone was asking for Starbucks when the space for a cafe became available. The program will operate the new store, and its employees have created a line of cold sandwiches and pastries, using Starbucks standards, to vend solely at the new location.

“College students nowadays have grown up on Starbucks, so it’s a great fit for us,” said Starbucks District Manager John Lucas, who will oversee the store.