Cafe La Verna
David Scibilia/The Bona Venture
BY DAVID SCIBILIA, MANAGING EDITOR
Stephanie Karl looked down at the Starbucks receipt in her hand. $5.65.
Cheaper than what the senior political science major was used to.
She bought a venti iced matcha, just like she always did.
The only difference being instead of buying it at Cafe La Verna — St. Bonaventure University’s on-campus Starbucks affiliate — as she normally would, Karl drove a mile down West State Street to the newly opened Starbucks.
“I definitely noticed the price difference between the locations,” said Karl. “I get the same thing every time and it’s pretty easy to know when something’s not right.”
That same venti iced matcha runs Karl $6.80 at Cafe La Verna, a 20% mark-up. Most other drinks have between an 8 to 15% markup.
As a Starbucks affiliate, Cafe La Verna follows Starbucks franchise guidelines, and all drink selections and recipes are provided by Starbucks, said Nicole Clark, the general manager of campus food services.
At time of publication, Clark did not respond to why there is a difference in price or how often La Verna’s prices are adjusted.
Some students said La Verna’s convenience helps to offset the price differential.
“It’s more convenient for me to come to La Verna,” said Kylier Ford, a freshman environmental studies major. “I didn’t know the Starbucks [on West State Street] was cheaper. It might be worth it. But between classes, I’m still going to go to La Verna.”
Raymond Cortes, a freshman, agreed.
“I mean, paying more obviously sucks,” said Cortes. “But I probably wouldn’t go to the [West State Street] Starbucks. La Verna is closer and more convenient for me.”
La Verna’s menu has fewer options than the West State Street location.
“I don’t get why I’m paying more for a limited menu,” said Karl. “Starbucks is a chain. The same drink should cost me the same amount of money.”
Karl said she primarily uses flex dollars, Bonaventure’s tax-free campus currency, to buy drinks.
“I buy $200 of flex dollars at the beginning of the year,” said Karl. “When I buy drinks using flex, it feels like I’m not actually spending money because I paid for it months ago.”
Several other students said the same.
“Flex dollars don’t feel like spending real money,” said Cortes. “I can’t buy groceries or gas with them so they have limited uses.”
Students can spend flex dollars at La Verna, the RC Cafe, Freshens, the snack station in the library or the Rathskeller — all on-campus food options.
Even with the price difference, Karl — who lives off-campus — said she would still buy from La Verna.
“If I’m already out or it’s a weekend when I don’t have classes, I’ll go to the Starbucks,” said Karl. “But if I’m on campus, It’s just more convenient to pay the extra charge than leave campus and risk losing my parking spot.”
scibil22@bonaventure.edu
