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Ashley PenberthyENG 111 BLMatt Weinkam24 September 2009

Jump Start Studying at King Café

Have you ever found yourself frustrated with your study environment and wanted

somewhere new and relaxing? King Café is a typical study spot for many students. Located

within King Library and right next to McGuffey Hall, it is the

perfect place to pull up a chair, grab a nice cup of coffee or

pastry and hit the books. It is very convenient for people that

may need to quickly run up to the library to find a reference

material. King Café has a unique appearance, cultural aspect

and perspective from others. It has been a great “chill” spot

since it first opened November 15th, 2006 after the library was

newly renovated.

Teresa Baker, general manager of King Café who has been in the business for twenty-

seven years and a part of King Café since it first opened, had a lot to say about the café. She of

all people would know the grueling ins and outs of the business as she has to be there at a quarter

to five each morning in order to be there for the fresh groceries to arrive, start setting up the deli

cart, coffee station, and making the fresh bakery. Baker made me aware that King Café is located

where it is in order to catch the traffic of students. It is a great place for students to study after

visiting the library. Coffee and nutrition are often associated with studying, so it was an extra

plus.

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King Café entrance

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The location of a building is key to its success. In the case of King Café, it is the perfect

study location. King Café is conveniently located within King Library. The café is a part of the

university, serving the community. The

foundation of the building can tell you a lot

about the place. The café is in the basement

of the library, where it serves as a

foundation to the customers who frequent it

to find solace, stimulation, and nutrition in

its solid walls. As we all know when it

comes to people, it is wrong to “judge a book by its cover”, however, it seems like it is not

applicable in the case of a building or business. King Café has vibrant colored walls that are

maroon, green, and yellow. These colors add pizzazz to the environment and might even bring

out the creative edge in people doing work here. There are a variety of tables to sit at, varying

between, round, rectangular, high and low along with different colors. This once again adds to

the creative thinking environment and gives diversity to the customers who get to choose what

they want rather than being forced to sit in a dull, boring atmosphere. The chairs are cushioned

which brings comfort to customers enjoying their purchases while doing work. King Café also

has tiled floor with designs on it. When asked why the café is decorated the way it is, Baker

simply replied, “We try to go along with Starbucks’ colors”. King Café is not required to

decorate the business according to Starbuck’s décor; however, it sells some Starbuck’s products

which may draw even more people in if they associate the café with the popular, high profit

business of Starbucks. The floor is tiled to help make the cleaning up process a lot simpler. If

someone were to spill their drink or drop food, it could be mopped up in no time. Noises and

smells are unique in King Café. There are a variety of sounds depending on the time of day. At

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one point, it is quieter as students are studying and professors are getting their work done while it

is noisier at other points while students are collaborating on their work. The best time for a less

noisy time at King Café would be between the opening hours at seven and nine in the morning.

Thursdays begin the weekend for some students who do not have classes on Fridays, which

makes it a lot less busy those nights as well. The sound of blenders and the register beeping are

however constant since so many customers come in to make purchases. If you are the kind of

person that needs a little extra noise while studying, the noise will be great for you. Otherwise, I

suggest you check out King Café at a less busy time such as Friday evenings.

Coffee and pastries are often associated with an intellectual study environment. This is

just a stereotype that maybe should be perceived the opposite

way in which an intellectual study environment is associated

with food. This could be due to people being tired and needing

the coffee to stay awake and food to give them energy to keep

going. Although King Café does attract a majority of studious

individuals and not many

townies, it does not exclude

anyone. A variety of people

are regulars at the café. Teresa Baker, general manager of

King Café stated, “We get usuals here who are typically

students who hit the library all of the time, students who are

always here, they become the constant faces that I recognize”.

King Café seems to be associated with the set up of Borders,

the bookstore. Although the library does not sell books like

Borders, they both conveniently have a nice study

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A student mulitasking whileeating, reading the Miaminewspaper, working on hisMac laptop, and listening tomusic.

A variety of fresh salads and bakery amade and sold every day.

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environment for those who want to relax with a nice drink and reading material. The college may

have wanted to create a similar appeal for people to study or meet in while enjoying food or a

beverage. The café is usually stereotyped with having preppy, intelligent people. It is easy for

people to make assumptions, and coffee usually carry that assumption.

There are different crowds of people throughout the day. At about 2:45 on a Friday, there

were business people and professors wearing black suits and ties. They were dispersed

throughout the café, although, there was a group of four men dressed to impress with their shiny

black shoes, black suit jackets on, and fancy ties surrounding a circular table and cracking jokes

as they sipped on their coffee. It was, however, not very crowded. Wednesday nights, on the

other hand, were very crowded with many students. Baker noted that she loves interacting with

students, customers, and staff one on one, yet she had a least favorite part about working there as

well. If she had to choose something she disliked about working at King Café, it was the nonstop

business. She said that the work is never ending and you’re are lucky to get a half an hour break.

Baker has the schedule down pat. The busiest hours of the day are from 9 am-11:15, 11:45-2, 3-

4:30, and then five on. Monday through Friday get really busy, but Thursdays and the weekends

when students go out, it becomes less busy. For this reason, the Café closes at 5pm on Fridays

and 3pm on Saturdays. The weeknights are open all the way until eleven pm when students may

need it the most for studying. Professors are often found

here noticing they have a perk in using Paral Deduction.

This allows them to swipe their cards as students do with

their food plan. Their IDs work as debit cards which

automatically take money out of their paychecks as a

form of payment. Using this form of payment even

provides the professors with a ten percent discount.

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Students taking advantage of mealplan as a form of payment.

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Students with meal plans have the convenience of using money off of their meal plans which is

quick and easy, rather than having to deal with counting change as they would have to do at the

Starbucks uptown. Students using the Diplomat meal plan get a thirty percent discount from their

purchase which makes it extra beneficial to buy favorite Starbucks products at King Café rather

than making the trip uptown.

The culture is a little apparent in the customers attracted by what the café’s best seller is.

Baker advised me that the Skinny Vanilla Late with

sugar free syrup and fat free milk is a favorite amongst

students. This provides insight that students on campus

may be looking out for their physiques and are drawn to

the less fattening drinks. Overall, the culture of King

Café is laid back and enjoyable.

If you are looking for a great place to enjoy a cup of coffee and get some work done, I

recommend King Café, where customers are satisfied ninety nine percent of the time and the

times they are not, the problems are always taken care of.

Clarity- (argument, sentence [does it fit in or ramble on?])

Organization-(paragraphs, sentences)

Rhetoric- (identify, logical fallacies, persuasive)

Everything else- (random thoughts, overall impressions)

Fun

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There are several types of drinks to choose from.

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A vast variety of drinks are available besides the ones made behind the counter.

There is a variety of items on the menu.

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A very studious girl is getting some work done in the environment of King Café.

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