“It’s going fantastic,” she said. “We had anticipated traffic to be heavy during the day.”

That anticipation has translated to long lines after classes during the weekdays, Pell said.

The Starbucks was added during renovations to Wells Hall, which are scheduled to be completed by August.

Some expressed disappointment when university officials did not construct an East Lansing-based Biggby Coffee franchise or a Sparty’s Convenience Store months ago.

But Jessica Tapley, a shift leader at the Biggby location in the Union, said the business hasn’t experienced any sort of drop in customers since the Starbucks opened.

“I still feel like we’ve been pretty busy,” Tapley said. “Some people prefer Starbucks and others Biggby.”

Biosystems engineering senior Gretchen Merkel was studying for a food microbiology exam Thursday at the Starbucks in Wells Hall and said she enjoys the location for its coffee and overall atmosphere.

“It gives a feel to the campus environment that’s not so necessarily academic,” she said. “It takes a little bit of the pressure off studying versus at the library.”

The business’ location close to the Engineering Building makes for a convenient break during the day, too, Merkel said.

Civil engineering freshman Guida Chen said he not only prefers the Wells location to the off campus Starbucks, but he thinks the coffee itself is better than other businesses.

Pell said, ironically, colder drinks have been popular during these warmer winter months, making frappuccinos a top seller. Banana loaf bread and the company’s breakfast sandwiches also have sold well since the location opened. She said she has heard positive feedback from students and faculty on the location.

“I’ve gotten a lot of input from the academic staff — some walk over from Erickson Hall, (and) say, ‘Oh, I wish it were here when I was in school,” Pell said.

And for some, to have a location on campus makes for a good work environment at the university.

“Mathematics and coffee go very well together,” said Albert Cohen, the actuarial sciences program coordinator, who grew up with the Seattle-based Starbucks when living in the Northwest and was grabbing a drink at the location on Thursday.