Starbucks Coffee Co. will open a new franchise location in late September or early October on the first floor of Wells Hall, Sparty’s Convenience Stores service manager Joe Garza said today.
The popular chain will operate separately from MSU Culinary Services on behalf of Starbucks, although Garza and his staff will handle hiring responsibilities for the branch, and the location will be run by student employees and supervisors.
Sparty’s has been a campus fixture for two decades and operates 19 convenience stores throughout the MSU community. The string of stores employs about 500 students to run its operations.
Heavy student traffic in the building drove Culinary Services officials to install the new franchise.
“Starbucks is universally known throughout the world,” Garza said. “We wanted to basically offer something … that’s recognized. Wells (Hall) is an academic building that has a lot of students going through it — it’s about brand awareness.”
It’s unclear what type of competition the location will offer against Sparty’s stores or how Sparty’s various branches might be affected by the new franchise.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
