For good food and great conversation, it appears Chats is the place to be. Or at least the more than 50 students who attended last night's grand opening gala seemed to think so. The new late night hang-out, which is located under 1920 Commons, gives students a place to eat, study or just relax. Don Jacobs, the University's director of Hospitality Services, said the purpose behind Chats is to provide a place for students to get late-night coffee and snacks safely. The cafe, which is open until 1 a.m. on weekdays and 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, offers food from Taco Bell, Vie de France bakery, New Age beverages and Gene's Beans coffees. Balloons, various decorations and several campus a cappella groups highlighted last night's event, as well as a raffle of merchandise donated by students and vendors. Most students had a positive reaction to the opening of the cafe. "Since it's in the middle of campus -- especially on Locust Walk -- it's a nice place to stop by and get something to eat," Engineering freshman Jason Ross said. Others agreed. "Chats is a great place to greatly elevate your social skills," College freshman AndrZs Vidal said. College junior Michael Manolas said he is excited about the new late night hang-out. "So far, from what we've seen, it seems that Chats will be a really good place for students to meet and drink coffee and get together," he said. Jacobs said that if Chats is a success, he would like to open up similar cafes all over campus. "Chats is a great place where you can just sit down, have a coffee and really get some studying done," said College freshman Eduardo Costa. The cafe consists of four distinct rooms -- the restaurant room, T.V. room, smoking room and quiet room -- all of which allow students to study as well as relax. "Chats has been very helpful for those studying -- it provides a nice atmosphere for group studying," said Engineering junior and Chats Student Manager Molly Sullivan. Students can pay for their snacks by opening a Chats debit account or by using PennCards. "I think it will be good because people come in for different stuff and they can still put it on their Penn-Cards so their parents have to pay for it," College freshman Stacy Christian said.
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