Students slowly trickled into Lisa’s Cafe on Monday evening as Slivka Residential Hall celebrated the grand opening of the new coffee shop, the latest dining addition to North Campus.
Free food and a festive atmosphere sought to attract students to the cafe in Slivka, new to campus this year. Though South Campus students might not know about the new dining service, those living up north have been making use of the cafe’s convenient hours and pleasant ambience throughout the past week.
“More or less, people are just coming in and seeing what it is,” said Vivian Chen, a marketer for SodexhoUSA dining services.
North Side Coffee Co. previously served late-night coffee needs for those in the area, but its limited hours and obscure location in the basement of 600 Lincoln St. led officials to close the cafe in light of Slivka’s opening, said Paul Komelasky, district manager of SodexhoUSA dining services.
Komelasky said plans exist to put an Einstein Bros Bagels in the new materials science building when it opens in March, as well as the possibility of incorporating a coffeehouse into the new part of Kresge Centennial Hall.
Lisa’s Cafe offers a variety of Seattle’s Best organic coffee and espresso beverages, pastries, frozen yogurt, smoothies and juices. Those looking for more substantial eats can order a wrap similar to those from Norris University Center or create their own sub sandwich.
Some students already are finding out that the cafe makes a useful alternative for dining.
“If there’s a long line at Sargent (dining hall), I can run in here,” said Danielle Woodward, a McCormick freshman.
Students can either pay for food with cash or use their WildCat Points, Munch Money or WildCARD CashStripe. SodexhoUSA runs the cafe, so prices are the same as those from Higher Grounds in Norris.
Before Slivka was built, results from a student survey showed the need for more food service on North Campus, Komelasky said. Slivka seemed like an ideal place to incorporate another dining location, he said.
“We just saw a need for more food service,” Komelasky said. “Norris by itself wasn’t able to handle all the business — there wasn’t enough seating. And not everyone wants to walk to Norris.”
Students said the long hours cater to their needs.
“The hours are great because they keep up with my class schedule,” said David Simons, a McCormick sophomore.
Lisa’s Cafe is open 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays. It’s also open for business 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 2 a.m. Sunday.
Officials also eventually want to expand Lisa’s Cafe to offer more items such as frozen pizza as well as kitchen basics like milk and eggs, Chen said.
Expanding campus dining options is a growing trend, as other construction projects are giving planners a chance to incorporate food service into the design of the new buildings.
But expanding the offerings both at Lisa’s Cafe and across campus will take time, as officials try to work with space constrictions and look for student input, Komelasky said.
Until then, Lucinda Camras, a McCormick freshman, has found another use for Lisa’s Cafe.
“My cell phone doesn’t work inside Slivka,” she explained. “If I have to talk to friends, I come down here.”
