Stevens Dining is a campus-wide experience that everyone in the student body has tasted. Most people head to Pierce Dining Hall for its immense pick-and-choose buffet options and free fountain drinks, while others tend to head to UCC Marketplace for more.
One location that falls under students’ radars is Cannon Cafe, situated on the first floor of the Harries Tower of the UCC Towers. And recently, it has been the subject of a large-scale makeover, spearheaded by the Director of Student Life, Dr. Sara Klein. But why did this makeover come about? To Klein, she believes that students didn’t really feel like visiting Cannon Cafe and were unsatisfied with its previous vibe. She made sure to factor this in when redesigning the wall decor and apparel. “I felt that Cannon Café needed a cozier vibe where students would want to hang out, spend time, socialize, and study,” Klein said.
Besides just a visual makeover, Klein additionally made sure to implement some minor improvements to the overall quality of life, specifically citing the convenience store items. “The Stevens Dining team pointed out to me that there wasn’t much student traffic with the convenience store items, so we agreed that they could store many of those items behind the counter and make them available for purchase via the GrubHub app.”
With the upsides of Cannon Cafe’s makeover also came the ramifications, taking the form of price upcharges in the cafe menu for minor commodities such as syrup. The Student Government Association (SGA) commented on said unexpected upcharges that were not directly communicated to the student body. “I can’t comprehend how a burger, fries, and a drink are at a lower value than a cup of coffee with a pump of syrup,” says Jeylan Jubran, President of the SGA. Klein, on the other hand, sees the upcharges as optional choices: “Students are seeing these new options in the app and may be confusing an optional upcharge for something they think is standard.”
Jubran describes that these recent changes will be discussed with the dining committee, with the next meeting happening on September 30. Additionally, she mentions discussing other complaints from students, such as the lack of bagels at Cannon Cafe: “Students are upset that there are no longer bagels. So we talked about getting those back, and it looks like they will.”
The Stute can confirm that the bagels did return to Cannon Cafe after the interview with Jubran. However, Cannon Cafe no longer offers a toast option or a variety of cream cheeses, as it did last year.
Moving forward, it is unclear how much the Cannon Cafe renovation will affect its popularity amongst students. As students search for third spaces to eat, study, and socialize, Cannon Cafe continues to welcome students with a new look.
