Sara Natividad
snatividad@mustangdaily.net
Cal Poly’s contract with Peet’s Coffee & Tea, a coffee shop located in Poly Canyon Village (PCV), will expire in June, and the restaurant will shut down that month as well.
The contract originally expired in December 2012, but Cal Poly Corporation obtained a six-month extension in order to keep the operation open for the remainder of the academic year, Marketing and Public Relations Manager Yukie Nishinaga said. Peet’s Coffee & Tea is not as popular as the other coffee shops on campus, so the contract will not be renewed, Nishinaga said.
“We are taking this opportunity to review and improve upon the portfolio of food services offered in Poly Canyon Village,” Nishinaga said.
The Inter Hall Council conducted a survey among students living on campus in order to assess the type of food students would like to have in PCV. More than 1,500 students responded to the survey, and it was clear that Mexican food was their top food choice, Nishinaga said. Based on previous surveys and data collected, students clearly expressed they would like a concept similar to Tacos To-Go, a food stand located near Dexter Lawn.
After reviewing students’ wishes and considering the retail space allocation and design, Peet’s Coffee & Tea will be converted into another Tacos To-Go restaurant, Nishinaga said. The existing Tacos To-Go will remain in its current location, but PCV will gain the luxury of having a Mexican fast food restaurant in the area.
The plan is to open the new Tacos To-Go this upcoming fall quarter, according to Nishinaga. The new restaurant will accept all forms of payment, including dining credits for students who have meal plans.
The fast food restaurant will serve Mexican food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and will even operate during late night hours — a change from the original restaurant which closes at 5 p.m.
PCV resident and agribusiness sophomore Sarah Marchetti only went to Peet’s Coffee & Tea approximately once every couple weeks, and said she does not see the need for a coffee shop in PCV.
Though she likes the idea of a restaurant having late hours, Marchetti said she doesn’t think adding an additional Tacos To-Go is a good use of space.
“Cal Poly should try to diversify and get a new type of food instead of another taco place,” she said. “I’d rather see a pizza restaurant or a frozen yogurt place.”
Computer engineering sophomore Max Kellogg is also a resident of PCV, and he has never even entered Peet’s Coffee & Tea. Kellogg said he likes the idea of having a restaurant-type food place in PCV where students can purchase a whole meal, but price is really his No. 1 concern.
“The type of food does not really matter to me,” Kellogg said. “Cost is my main concern. Tacos To-Go is pretty cheap for being campus, but not as cheap as I want.”
Kellogg said he would rather see an affordable fast food chain on campus than a new Cal Poly restaurant, or a re-edition of one.
“Tacos To-Go would be an OK option,” Kellogg said, “but I’d rather see Taco Bell on campus instead.”