All over Brandeis campus, the recent dining buzz is about the new coffee shop, the Eco Grounds Café, which has now opened in Farber Library. Even with the other coffee shops spread out over campus, the new Eco Grounds Café has the most pull for students. Conveniently located on the first floor of the Goldfarb Library, students have easy access if they need a study break or are running across campus to a class and don’t want to wait on the busy lines at Einstein’s and then run back to the science center.
The décor of the coffee shop has appeal for students, as well, with the addition of café-style tables with barstools and comfortable chairs; there is now more seating in the Green Room for students, which large groups utilize for group study sessions. The wide selection of their menu for drinks and actual food items makes the café stick out from the other places on campus.
The Eco Grounds Café has the option of fruit smoothies as well as blended non-coffee drinks, blended coffee drinks, and lattes. A nice addition for the lattes there is an option to substitute soy milk instead of skim or regular milk, which is a pull for those students who cannot or choose not to drink dairy. Their baked goods resemble those offered in the Provisions On Demand Market, more commonly known as the C-Store, but they also offer pre-made salads, fruit parfaits, and the dessert parfaits often provided in Usdan.
The service at the counter is fast and pleasant. The experience at the Eco Grounds Café reminded me a bit of Starbucks in their kind demeanor and the speed and efficacy in preparing the drinks. The speed is nice because for students who are stressed and in a rush, the less time they have to spend waiting for a drink or to order, the more enjoyable the experience.
The only complaint that some students have had is the hours, as is a common complaint for Brandeis Dining Services. The hours for the café seem odd, as it is so centrally located; why should they only open at 4 p.m. on a Sunday, when most students are in the library doing homework for their classes the next day? The fact that the café is not open on Saturday also seems strange, since that is another day that often students are going to the library to do homework.
The addition of the new café will definitely be enjoyed by the students on campus, and the grand opening on Oct. 2 attracted a lot of attention from the students and faculty, with free giveaways and the sale of P.O.D. reusable bags and mugs. The comments from the student body about the new café have only been positive. The addition will definitely benefit everyone.