Student customers at the 1920 Commons' new Starbucks say its central location makes it just a little easier to get their daily caffeine fix.
The coffee shop opened its doors last November and has taken off as a popular venue for 2 to 3 thousand customers each week, according to Rhea Lewis, a spokeswoman for Business Services, which manages Penn Dining.
"We've gotten a lot of feedback from students that they enjoy having Starbucks there and they enjoy the location," Lewis said.
While dining officials would not comment on how much money the store has made, Lewis said they are pleased with its success.
Students say they enjoy its central campus location, which many think is more convenient than the Starbucks branch at 34th and Walnut streets.
"It's really cozy, and compared to the Starbucks on the other side [of campus], I really like it here because it's more living-room comfy-ish, and over there its really crowded," Nursing freshman Carla Paredes said.
Other customers added that the ability to charge their purchases to bursar or pay with Dining Dollars and PennCash make buying coffee there easier.
"I think that it's very conveniently located, and I really love the fact that you can bursar Starbucks now," College sophomore Shayne Wagman said.
Some say that not everything about the store measures up, however.
"I think that the employees at the other [location] are generally nicer and a little bit better at their job," said College senior Allison Fandl.
The Starbucks located in 1920 Commons is operated by Penn Dining, unlike the 34th Street branch, which is independently operated. Employees at the 1920 Commons location are hired through the Aramark Corporation, the food service company which runs dining operations at Penn.
"I personally like the one on 34th and Walnut more because I think that the staff is more professional and they know how to make the drinks better," College junior Rachel Arnett said. "Here, every once in a while I'll still get a drink that's not how it's supposed to taste."
Aramark entered negotiations with Starbucks last summer about setting up the branch on Locust Walk.
"I think it's a great place to study and work, but I don't think the quality of coffee is as good as the one on 34th street or Bucks County," Wharton and College freshman Zach Fuchs said, referencing Bucks County Coffee at 40th and Locust streets.
And while allowing that not everything about this latest branch is perfect, students say the 1920 Commons coffee shop seems to be improving.
"The service is not as good as a normal Starbucks, but I think they're working on it and maybe they will be better as time moves on," College junior Rachel Friedman said.
"The staff finally learned how to make the drinks, which is nice," Arnett added.
