New Guelph-Humber Cafe emphasizes fair-trade coffee, lower prices
Students returning to the University of Guelph-Humber were shocked to find that Williams Fresh Cafe had been replaced by the Guelph-Humber Cafe, featuring Starbucks coffee.
The manager of Chartwells at Humber College, York Tang, headed the change.
Over the last several years the number of students using Williams was steadily declining, said Tang. “Students around campus were getting their coffee from elsewhere.”
Tang said Williams was never the most proactive company: they did not look to improve their products, either by adding new options or creating cheaper options. They also did not utilize fair trade coffee at any time during their years at Guelph-Humber, he said.
With Williams’ contract expiring and the number of students using it dropping, it was time for a change. Tang said he wanted to find the best option to replace Williams for the students and Guelph-Humber. He wanted to find an option that was better than Williams in every way.
Starbucks emerged as the best option to replace Williams because of all the benefits it brought to Guelph-Humber, said Tang. “Starbucks is the premium of the premium, and makes Guelph-Humber look better.”
More importantly, it brought several things to Guelph-Humber that was missing with Williams, said Tang. Among the important additions was fair trade coffee, which Tang said played a vital role in selecting Starbucks to replace Williams.
Starbucks also worked closely with foodservice provider Chartwells to provide more types of food and drink than previously available. Tang said the entire menu had to be reworked over the summer months and staff had to be retrained.
Now menu items are selling better than ever before, said Tang. “Everything is selling, there is no dead weight.” He said prices are much lower than years past.
Student reaction has seemed mixed during the early months of the transition.
Some students have not used the Guelph-Humber Cafe because Starbucks is known to be extremely expensive. Guelph-Humber student Martha Kane said She preferred Williams and the coffee is much worse than before.
Other students like Thomas Kerby said not much seems to have changed with the addition of the Starbucks.
However, other students have said Starbucks is a welcome addition to Guelph-Humber and a good change from Williams. Michael Caducio said the prices and coffee are better than with Williams. “ It helps me wake up in the morning better than before.” First-year student Cristina Morrone said, “It’s basically a mini Starbucks, it’s here for convenience.”
Chartwells has improved upon Williams in every way, said Tang. If people have suggestions about the food services, Chartwells is more than happy to hear them. He adds that Chartwells is always looking to improve the food services at Guelph-Humber and Humber.
Chartwells has recently added a full sized Starbucks in the new Humber Learning Commons. Tang said the addition has added more options for students.
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