Salad Bar vs. Starbucks

Photo taken by: Sylvana Kelley 

With a new semester underway and the numerous additions to Ottawa University this past year, the students of OU were in for a lovely green and white surprise: a Starbucks in the cafeteria.

The Starbucks, in addition to the island station, took the place of what was previously the snack bar. It is great to know that the voices of many students have been heard and they have been rewarded.

The beginning of the semester was overwhelming for our baristas and it was difficult for them to keep up with the long lines that grew longer and longer throughout the day. Now, they seem to have everything figured out and can keep the lines moving at a steady pace.

Similar to other locations of the popular coffee joint, Starbucks has much more to offer than just a White Chocolate Mocha; various coffee drinks, tea, hot chocolate, and pastries are all available with just a few flex dollars of your Braves Card.

I will admit that I am somewhat of a Starbucks addict, but I have only indulged in a Vanilla Chia Tea twice since being back at school. This is a sad excuse, but the long line and wait have turned me off to the newest option in the cafeteria.

I will also add that my drink was good but was different and a little off from what it tastes like had I gone to a Starbucks franchise café. 

I am sure I am not the only one who loves that we now have a Starbucks about 100 steps away rather than 30 minutes, but I am also sure that I am not the only one who misses having a salad bar in the cafeteria as well.

When the action station or the main line options were not sounding too good, the salad bar was always my go-to option.

Now that you can get any meal to go, a quick salad for lunch or after practice would be extremely convenient and faster than wandering around the cafe and waiting in the other lines.

Yes, there are salad options in the case of the island, but those do not really hit the spot for me. I like being able to control how much of something is or is not on my plate, and the salad bar is the only place where that can happen.

Although our salad bar was fairly small, it was a guaranteed way to get a necessary serving of vegetables that the majority of us otherwise would skip out on.

Not only that, but the majority of the students at OU are athletes, and daily vegetables are just as important to our bodies to perform as proteins are.

So, which was better for us… a salad bar or a Starbucks? I personally think it would have been better for our student body to get a salad bar before getting the Starbucks. When I first saw the new cafeteria I was very impressed and I am sure the salad bar would have been just as nice.

Maybe the investment of a Starbucks and quality coffee was better at this time for our school than a salad bar.

As part of the student body, that is something that we may not ever know, or know for a long time. What we do know is that a salad bar is coming! When? We may not know that either until it one day appears just as the Starbucks did.

No matter what your thoughts or feelings are toward the Starbucks, I think it is important that we thank our administration, which listened and fulfilled our requests, as well as thanking them for the upcoming salad bar that I hope to see before graduation.