June 28, 2004

Starbucks coffeehouse to open at SIUC July 12

by Tom Woolf

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Starbucks will open Monday, July 12, in the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Student Center.

The coffeehouse is under construction near the north entrance of the Student Center, formerly the location of Ritazza. Jack Shaw, dining services director for Chartwells at SIUC, said discussions about bringing Starbucks to SIUC began a year and a half ago.

Chartwells holds the dining services contract at the University.

"Starbucks is getting up there with Coca-Cola and McDonald's as far as the world's most recognizable brands," Shaw said. "They've been very successful at other campus locations, such as the University of Houston in terms of student reaction and return on investment."

The first Starbucks opened in Seattle, Wash., in 1971. The company has more than 7,500 locations worldwide.

"You'll see the same menu you'd experience at any Starbucks location, whether at the Galleria in St. Louis or on Michigan Avenue in Chicago," Shaw said. "They will offer pastries, sandwiches, bottled beverages, upscale waters and teas and herbal beverages. Those are all a part of the Starbucks experience."

Summer hours will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. In the fall, weekday hours will be from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Weekend hours are not yet set.

"You'll see the same furniture, the same wall coverings, everything you would see in Seattle, Wash.," Shaw said. "That's what we're aiming for, that same experience -- the look, the smell, the feel, everything you would expect from a full-blown, company-owned Starbucks."