For starters, I’ve always liked coffee. A lot. I have been a coffee feign since the age of ten; I remember how delicious the first sip was, and after that, I was hooked. I began regularly drinking coffee in my sophomore year of high school, and I don’t have any plans on stopping anytime soon.
Coming to Temple University, I wanted to find my go-to coffee place. It was important to me to find a place where I can drink the perfect iced coffee — not too watery, not too sweet and, most importantly, dairy-free. After a semester on campus, I still haven’t found my place. There are definitely some coffee places I prefer because of the price, and I know there are some that are more reliable than others. Still, it was important for me to find the perfect one. So I decided to do something about it.
At first, I thought, “maybe I should ask my friends what they think,” but I’d need to go broader. Then I realized — I needed to try Google surveys! I used Google surveys to reach out to as many Temple University students as I possibly could. I asked “What is the best coffee place on campus?” The options provided I were:
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Saxbys
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7-Eleven
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Dunkin
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Starbucks
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And other (which included Stellas, Java City and, of course, Richie’s)
I also reached out on a couple of different platforms including GroupMe, Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram. By administering the survey on all of these social media sites, after 24 hours, I would be able to get a large number of responses.
After the 24 hour period, I had a total of 56 responses, with many different reasons to why each one was the best.
With 37.5% of the total going to Saxbys, it was clearly the majority. Many of the responses claimed Saxbys was the best because of the taste of their cold brew, short lines and the ambiance of the place itself. The only downside to Saxbys is its price, but high-quality coffee means high prices.
The second highest was Starbucks, which was not surprising to me. Responses included: they have lots of variety, cheap options and it’s convenient.
Many people responded with Richie’s. By mistake, I forgot to include them in the initial survey. Many people like Richie’s, 7-Eleven and food trucks on campus because the coffee is cheap and tasty.
After analyzing the results of my survey, I came to a simple conclusion: I can’t have one go-to place, but maybe two or three that I can always count on.
First, Saxbys. Saxbys makes an incredible iced coffee and I do agree with the comments on how it is reliable. Like I said before, it is a little more expensive, so in the future, I will only go here when I know I am ready to pay the five dollars for my order.
Secondly, Java City. Java City is a hidden, but almost perfect, coffee spot here at Temple and, honestly, I don’t go there enough. Because most people don’t know about it, it will be a great place to go when I am in a hurry. Lastly, Richie’s. Where else can I get an iced coffee for three dollars that I know will taste good? Sometimes super cheap coffee isn’t good and becomes wasteful, but it is never that way at Richie’s.