The coffee chain was shut down on campus while most Starbucks in the city centre remained open
By Tomoki Otani
Picture courtesy of Mireia Jimenez
The decision was tied to the presence of students on campus, meaning that shortly after in-person teaching resumed, Starbucks also resumed service.
Nora, the store manager, stated that when in-person teaching stopped, foot traffic to the secluded Starbucks dropped dramatically.
“There were no students and [staying open] wasn’t worth it then. And when everything opened back up, it wasn’t worth it in the summer to reopen yet.”
When asked how she felt about this, a 4th-year student, Emily Sim, said: “I used to come here a lot, it’s kind of more chill than the library…you feel like you get daggers when you make noise.”
Going out and being social in person has been linked to students’ mental and social health.
Numerous studies and surveys published show a pattern of an overall decline in mental health during the lockdown.
Another social space becoming available to the students and staff at the university could bring relief from the long periods of isolation.
Emily commented that what was best about Starbucks reopening was the availability of another social space. She said: “…there’s somewhere else for me to go and escape my bedroom.”
With University starting in-person classes again, the campus Starbucks can expect an influx of students. This could be seen as an example of campus life returning to its pre-pandemic status.
Despite reopening, the campus Starbucks is still listed as ‘permanently closed’.
Nora explained: “We actually tried to change it so many times on Google…all of my staff tried, and it was still not working. We took the A-board to the gate, so they know we are here, so come in!”
Despite its listing on Google, Starbucks is indeed open. From 8:30 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday.
