By Mallory Sherwood, Managing Editor
Coffee lovers have an additional place to commune over fresh coffee and warm pastries this semester with the addition of The Den, Barret Hall’s Java City coffee shop, which is adjacent to the residence hall’s office.
The Den, which had its grand opening Wednesday at 9 a.m., was aptly named for its decoration: a large mural depicting the story of Daniel in the lion’s den from Daniel 6. Jack Maxwell, chair of the Art and Design Department, painted the mural.
The coffee shop offers customers a variety of coffee choices including espressos, iced and hot beverages and Java City’s Javalanches, which are iced coffee drinks with add-ins such as caramel, vanilla and cookies n’ cream.
Unlike other locations on campus that serve coffee, The Den includes dining tables, a bar area overlooking Campus Court, black leather couches that surround a working fireplace and a plasma screen television mounted on the wall. For extra seating, customers can also use the classroom next door.
The gold-painted shop offers students a place to eat, drink, study and watch television, something Barret Hall residents are taking advantage of.
“The coffee shop is neat for people who live here because we can just walk down and order something,” said Kelsey McVey, sophomore Spanish and international studies major from San Diego and Barret Hall resident. “Not many people know about it yet so it is a nice place to go and drink coffee and study.”
The coffee shop opened Jan. 17 with the beginning of the semester but is having a grand opening, which should include the shop’s other half of the menu: sandwiches and soups, said Dr. Mimi Barnard, director of Residence Life Education and Housing, in an e-mail.
The Den isn’t currently open weekends but is open from 7 a.m. until midnight on weekdays.
McVey said the coffee is pretty good, but she mainly goes to get the cookies n’ cream Javalanche, a drink she said she is addicted to, and she can pay for with her ID card.
“It makes sense to go there because you can use Bean Bucks and meal plans, and you’ve already essentially paid for it,” she said. “I love the cookies n’ cream thing because it has a slight coffee taste but mainly tastes just like a cookies n’ cream shake. I don’t know what I’d get if they didn’t have this.”
Students interested in trying out the new coffee shop can attend the grand opening between 9 a.m. and noon Wednesday and try free samples for as long as they last.
