New Jazzman’s opens at Library Tower

An array of balloons greeted students, faculty and staff as they entered the Library Tower on Jan. 26, for the grand opening of Jazzman’s Café and Bakery. With abundant seating and an expanded menu, the new café was welcomed by those at the festivities.

“I think it’s fabulous,” said Kathryn Howard, a junior political science major. “At home I am always in Starbucks, so this is really nice to have on campus.”

The former kiosk at the site took up a quarter of the space the current café occupies.

“The main issue was the long lines,” said Katrina Miner, Sodexo marketing manager, referring to the lines that formed in the narrow space between the Library entrance and where the coffee stand used to be.

Miner buzzed around at the grand opening, taking pictures of the new attraction. “Things are excellent,” Miner said. “The queuing issue has been completely taken care of. With the added registers we can move our guests along. ”

After pictures were taken, a long, red ribbon was cut to officially open the café. Joining Miner during the ribbon-cutting were Director of Auxiliary Services Peter Napolitano, Sodexo Retail Director Pawel K. Nowacki and Campus Executive Chef John Enright.

The extended service and larger space are not the only upgrades offered at Jazzman’s Café. Sodexo workers at the opening moved through the crowd with platters of fresh sandwiches and cookies from Jazzman’s new menu.

Among the new offerings are breakfast sandwiches and soups, which the previous kiosk did not offer. The entire menu is bakery-made, offering cold sandwiches, salads and organic fair trade coffee.

Ashley Minett, a freshman history major, was among the students trying the new menu items.

“I like the croissants, and the portobello mushroom sandwich was good,” she said.

For comfort, Jazzman’s now offers plush seating next to the row of windows behind the café. The window ledges were previously used as an unofficial seating area. Miner said the seats add to “the general atmosphere. Students can plug in their computers and sit for group meetings.”

Napolitano revealed how the idea for expanding the kiosk was conceived.

“We listened to the customers,” Napolitano said. “We did a survey two years ago and asked, ‘When you go off campus, where do you go to eat?’” The most popular response was Panera Bread.

Everything about the café feels like a Panera, right down to the lengthy hours of operation. Jazzman’s stays open two to three hours longer than the old kiosk, closing at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and at 10 p.m. for the rest of the week.

With longer hours, an expanded menu and new, comfortable seating, Jazzman’s does not resemble an eatery in an academic setting.

“I don’t feel like I am on a campus,” Enright said, “I feel like I am in a café somewhere in a mall.”