By NOAH SEELEY
BGSU Public Good News Lab
It takes a million ounces of caffeinated drinks to fuel Bowling Green State University for a year.
Literally.
Data from BGSU Dining shows that 1,097,552 ounces of beverages were sold last fiscal year at the campus’ Starbucks and Crimson Cup locations.
Starbucks sold more. BGSU Dining data shows that 42,910, or roughly 63% of the 68,597 total cups of coffee sold on campus last fiscal year were sold at the Starbucks location in Bowen-Thompson Student Union.
There were 25,687 cups, or about 37%, sold at the multiple Crimson Cup locations across campus during the same period.
Despite the differences in volume, Jon Zachrich, director of marketing, communications and technology for BGSU Dining, said campus needs many options for Falcons to fuel up.
“Very rarely are there too many coffee spots on a university campus, and I think we found a pretty good balance of all the different coffee locations and what they provide,” Zachrich said.
While a national brand like Starbucks can draw customers at any location, Crimson Cup relies on flexibility and student engagement for success.
“Starbucks is a massive brand, while Crimson Cup’s a great regional partner,” Zachrich said. “It gives us the flexibility to do different, fun things, too. When you run a Starbucks program, you have to do their food, you have to do all their sort of things. When we work with Crimson Cup, it gives us a lot more flexibility.”
That flexibility means more menu options.
Crimson Cup offers boba tea and can also add new items to its menu.
“There is no great process you need to do to bring a custom item,” Zachrich said. “We’re always looking for additional ideas or items. If there’s a drink that we currently don’t serve, let our staff know.”
Zachrich also offered some advice for customers deciding when to grab a drink.
“All of our coffee shops get two main spikes: one in the morning, and another in the afternoon right before people are starting to think about dinner,” Zachrich said. “Also, right before the 6 to 9 p.m. class schedule starts, we usually get one more rush of people either going to get dinner or going to get a coffee and something small that they can have in their class.”
Even with the high volume sold between both coffee shops, BGSU Dining feels the current setup is ideal for campus.
“I think they all have the same vibe but serve slightly different populations,” Zachrich said. “We see a lot of repeat customers at each of the individual locations based on not only what we’re serving, but also where the student is in their day.”
With the amount of caffeine needed to charge a college campus, both coffee companies are able to stay afloat.
“I always view it as a speed sort of thing. Students are running around between, before or after classes, and they’re looking for something relatively quick. Caffeine is a mainstay for college students, just like many professionals,” said Zachrich.
