No more late night coffee on campus, thanks to Starbucks' new hours

It's not uncommon to find students passed out on their textbooks in Huntsman Hall — finding coffee and food to make it through the late-night study hours is a growing challenge.

If you don't like Wawa coffee, you're out of luck. The Starbucks under 1920 Commons, affectionately known as "Stommons," recently reduced its hours to close at midnight, displeasing many of the students who would study there until the old 2 a.m. closing time.

The reduced hours were due to a "sharp drop in usage" of the Starbucks after 10 p.m., with almost no coffee sold past 12 a.m., Business Services said. However, Business Services recognized that students value the study space so close to the high rises in Hamilton Village, so it has invested in new gates and security to keep the lounge area open until 2 a.m. as usual.

The late closing time for the Starbucks under Commons was irregular compared to other locations in University City. The Starbucks at 34th and Walnut streets closes at 12 a.m., while the one at 34th and Chestnut streets regularly closes by 11 p.m. Capogiro, another popular study spot near 39th and Walnut streets, closes at 12 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 p.m. every other night.

Van Pelt Library's Undergraduate Study Center may be open all night on week days, but Mark's Cafe closes by 2 a.m. Joe's Cafe and the Accenture Cafe do not cater to an evening crowd, closing at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. respectively. 

Some students say they can only work productively in the right environment. Engineering and Wharton sophomore Lawrence Chan has a lot of experience pulling all-nighters and has a preference for Huntsman Hall.

"It's still really busy late at night — some people even sleep there — though most of the crowd clears out by 3 a.m. or so," Chan said. 

The only places open during the latest hours of the night now include Wawa, McDonald's, 7/11 and Fresh Grocer, but not everyone needs a hot coffee or focused environment to get work done.

College sophomore Gabriela Goitia says she is not impacted by the loss of late hours at Starbucks under Commons.

"If I'm in dire need of caffeine, I just go to Wawa, so it's not a huge problem," Goitia said. "I'll have some coffee at like 11 p.m. or 12 a.m., but I've tried to cut back because it really doesn't help me be productive."

For others, going out to study is overrated in the first place.

"I just feel most comfortable at home, and it would be like pretty depressing to be out at 3 a.m. in the engineering building," Engineering senior Klyde Breitton said.

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