The University of Maine kicked off another academic year by unveiling two new dining options in hopes of increasing variety and providing options to students on campus. Starbucks Coffee, a national chain, is replacing the breakfast buffet previously available in the Bears Den at Memorial Hall. Secondly, the new eat>NOW autonomous store at the Wells Conference Center will provide a 24-hour grab and go style kiosk for those seeking late night options.
Plans to open the new Starbucks were announced in March 2024 after a student-wide vote chose Starbucks as the winner. The poll asked what should replace the Bear’s Den Café and Pub, which closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the original plan was to open on Sept. 9, staffing and training concerns led to the opening being pushed back to Sept. 10. On the morning of the first day, waves of students shifted in and out of the newly renovated space. Long lines of people awaiting their orders lined the halls while newly-minted Starbucks employees worked to familiarize themselves with the payment system.
While the atmosphere inside was one of excitement, the same could not be said elsewhere on campus, where frustration over the change in breakfast availability was palpable. “In general, I think it’s very unaffordable,” said Education and Human Development Student Michael Eastman. The food options aren’t as broad as what dining offers. It also makes it hard that everything is made to order so students who want to grab and go don’t have that option.”
“I was pretty confused about the choice to add Starbucks when we already had Starbucks at Union Central. I was pretty pleased with that. We were given the option for other things. We had a juicery as an option too. I was sort of hoping for more variety,” said Mello Vancil, another UMaine student. “Starbucks is cool, but I’m hoping they do something different with Union Central to give students more options.”
Starbucks is not the only new option this fall, as Wells Central Dining became home to eat>NOW, created in partnership with Amazon. While current hours run from 8:00 a.m to 10:00 p.m, there has been discussion about making the store available 24 hours a day. Eat>NOW is expected to provide on-campus students with grab and go options, as well as other essential items by using Amazon’s “autonomous store” model. A person can walk into the store, grab what they want, and then leave. Computers inside the store determine the identity of that person and charge them remotely.
However, the price of items continues to be a concern. Mello continued, saying,“I like the eat>NOW because students in Hart Hall have a closer option, but I did just have a friend tell me that two pizzas cost $40.00 So, I’m not pleased that it’s not an actual dining hall anymore and you have to pay to eat there. I think it would be better, especially with how many new students we have on campus–with the influx of students now living in common rooms–if we had more free dining that’s included in your meal program.”
The Maine Campus wants to encourage continued student & faculty feedback on the addition of eat>NOW and Starbucks to campus. Please reach out to news@mainecampus.com to share your thoughts.