New on-campus cafe will open in February

Students can now satisfy a midnight craving for tacos, a late night croissant fix, or a thirst for a "new age" beverage at any time of the day without even leaving Locust Walk. Chats, a late night, non-alcoholic facility that will provide students with a place to gather, snack and relax, will open on February 6 in the Class of 1920 Commons, Dining Services Director Bill Canney announced last night. The entire renovation will cost less than $250,000. All money is coming from equipment reserve funds, he said. "Everything's on target and I'm very excited," Class of '20 Commons Manager John Henkel said. "I want it to be place where the students can come to sit down, shoot the breeze, talk and maybe even have a cup of coffee." The eatery will include a Taco Bell Express, a bakery cafe, Gene's Beans coffee shop, and "new age" beverages -- which include Arizona iced teas and Snapple drinks. Both Henkel and Canney stressed that prices for all of these eateries will be kept low. Canney said the blend of the retail facility with the dining services' "all you can eat" program will provide more options for students. Much discussion has occurred -- both verbally and on the upenn.dining-services newsgroup -- regarding what Chats will serve and how the facility will operate, Henkel said. Many students expressed concern over whether Chats would have televisions. Henkel said that the facility, which will take up the three rooms on the middle floor of the dining hall, will have televisions in two of the three rooms. The third will be a quiet area for coffee and studying. "For a while, students figured there was going to be one room and [they] didn't know how you could watch TV, talk and drink coffee all at once," Henkel said. "But with three rooms, it's okay." College junior Reuven Bell advocated serving Kosher food at Chats for those students who normally have to eat at Penn Hillel. "As part of the University community, we'll have a place to socialize and eat, other than Hillel," Bell said. Henkel said Chats' bakery will have Kosher desserts for those students. In addition, Chats will contain three campus telephones and a computer for electronic mail use, Canney said. Students will pay primarily through cashless methods -- they can open a Chats debit account or charge purchases to their bursar bill. In addition, machines similar to copy card machines will allow students to use cash to put money on their Penncard while at Chats, and then use their Penncard to pay for purchases. Canney said that along with its Locust Walk location, this system was one of the best aspects of Chats. "[The location] plays in line with the safety issues at the University," he said. "We feel really good about the location, also because it's right by people who live on-campus or off-campus." Neon signs will adorn the front of the dining hall, and a lit retail sign will sit on Locust Walk in order to make that area of the Walk brighter and safer.