It may soon be easier for MSU students to get their early morning coffee fix.
Beaner’s Gourmet Coffee will be the next addition to One Union Square. And officials expect the store to be up and running by the end of July, said Jim Sheppard, Union director.
“The new Beaner’s store will be located on the first floor adjacent to the food court,” he said. “It will be where Nana Santana’s used to be.”
The new café will have 20 to 25 seats and offer a full compliment of specialty and gourmet coffees as well as dessert items.
In addition, the store will have between eight and 10 computer ports with Internet connections, Sheppard said.
Union officials will also be increasing the amount of newspapers and reading material in the food court for use at the new coffee shop, he said.
Michael McFall, Beaner’s Gourmet Coffee vice president, said the company is looking forward to becoming a part of the MSU family.
“We love this university and we love doing business with the university population,” he said. “One of the advantages of having a store in the Union is that we get to provide our products and services to our existing customer base in a much better location.
“I think the store is going to do very well.”
Beaner’s Gourmet Coffee is a Lansing-based corporation with stores in Indiana and Ohio as well as Michigan.
Construction of the new store is slated to begin June 1, Sheppard said.
“There will be a lot of construction activity in June,” he said. “But it won’t be noticeable to food court customers because the new store will be separated from the court by a wall.”
Beaner’s will be its own store. Instead of a booth set-up, like many of the other eateries the food court houses, it will be completely walled in, Sheppard said.
“They are going to create their own environment for their customers,” he said.
“We expect the store to be a very nice addition to the mix of food offerings we provide.”
Katie King, a humanities sophomore, said a new Beaner’s in the Union will be a welcome convenience.
“Having a Beaner’s in the Union is a great idea,” she said. “I would definitely go there, because it’s a lot closer to my dorm than many of the other coffee shops in the area.”
