The stand-alone Starbucks between the College of Music and Hurley Administration building opened Monday morning, offering students and faculty shorter lines and wait times.
The second Starbucks has a full-service menu with a walk-up ordering window. This location is intended to alleviate the Union Starbucks of its excess in sales, Daniel Armitage, associate vice president of student affairs, said in a previous North Texas Daily article.
Junior Emma Rose Stringham hands out drinks at UNT’s new Starbucks location on Sept. 30, 2019. Image by Bertha Smith
Some students claimed they had to wait anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to get a drink at the Union Starbucks, so they welcomed the addition of a second location.“We [were] averaging in excess of 110 transactions per hour at the Union Starbucks,” Armitage said. “That makes the Union location undersized and not meeting performance standards for wait time.”
“The one in the Union is always crowded and out of the door,” education freshman Meagan Eargle said. “I always walk up to it and then be like ‘Well, I have class in 10 minutes and I can’t wait in this 30-minute long line. I hope this will alleviate the congestion at the other one.”
Media arts freshman Vince Martinez also said they favored the stand-alone Starbucks because it was easier for them to be environmentally-friendly by bringing their own cup.
“Usually, if I take my own cup in the Union it takes longer,” Martinez said. “They get so many orders that it gets skipped because they’re just not used to people bringing their own cup. [At the stand-alone Starbucks] they can’t really miss it.”
Business Computer Information Systems junior Ian Tatum said he was concerned about the design of the stand-alone Starbucks.
“It’s awkward and poorly planned,” Tatum said. “ There is a really small area to wait and it’s off to the side where you can’t see your drink.”
Other students, like education junior Genesis Swindell, said they were not in favor of having a second Starbucks on campus at all.
“I understand that the lines are long at the Starbucks in the Union but I don’t think it should have been a priority to the school,” Swindell said. “I’m assuming it was a priority because of how fast it was built. They should be working on possibly more parking or other food options.”
Featured Image: The new Starbucks sits between the UNT College of Music and the Hurley Administration building. Image by Bertha Smith