Finding “Joe” at Marymount

Students and other patrons at the new Ballston Center Starbucks

Where to catch a quick cuppa coffee on campus

By: Betsy Lizotte

Photos: Betsy Lizotte

For students like Marymount freshman Kate Bentz, coffee is compulsory.

“I drink coffee like three times a day, so it’s very important to me in my life,” Bentz said.

Luckily for her and other coffee drinkers, there are many options for finding that energizing elixir on Marymount’s Main Campus and Ballston. 

Kate Bentz makes her morning
coffee at Gerard Dining Hall

There are several places to get coffee and other beverages on Main Campus: Gerard Dining Hall, Lola’s, Bernie’s, and the two student lounges. At the Ballston Center, coffee and other beverages are available at the new Ballston Center’s Eat Café and Starbucks.

Because of its central location and value, Gerard Dining Hall is a go-to location for Bentz.

“I really enjoy the coffee in Gerard because it’s convenient, has a lot of options, and most importantly has unlimited refills!” Bentz said. “It’s a great deal because you can seriously save so much money compared to buying Starbucks or Dunkin’ coffee everyday.”  

According to Sodexo Marketing Coordinator Kristin Billings, customers have two options for purchasing coffee at Gerard Dining Hall; they can either use their meal plans or pay for the coffee a la carte.

“Gerard Dining Hall has Aspretto drip coffee available all day for $2.25,” Billings said. “Guests do not need a meal plan to get coffee.”

She also noted that customers can use personal mugs at $2.25 per refill.

Billings reported that Gerard Main Dining Hall opens at 7:30 a.m. during weekdays. For the Gerard Main Dining Hall hours, check here. It is the earliest opening of three main campus Sodexo locations, including Lola’s and Bernie’s.

According to Billings, Lola’s, located on the first floor of Caruther’s Hall, is the only location on main campus that offers a full coffee menu including Aspretto coffee, lattes, iced coffees, and espresso, as well as tea and cocoa. This café, replete with a toasty gas fireplace, also sells breakfast pastries, sandwiches, soups, and salad.

Billings stated that drip coffee prices at Lola’s are: $2.15 for a small, $2.49 for a medium and  $2.69 for a large.

While there are discussions of moving the campus bookstore to Caruthers, Lola’s will remain intact. According to Michel Henri Wetli, Sodexo’s General Manager at Marymount, there are currently no plans to close Lola’s.

He states that the university is “possibly moving the bookstore next to Lola’s, but we would still keep Lola’s open.”

Some students would like to see Lola’s hours expanded. Billings reported that Lola’s hours are Monday – Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Mairin Moriarty, a commuter nursing student graduating in 2020, would like to have Lola’s open earlier daily and stay open later on Friday afternoons.

Ester Park, Marymount Nursing-Accelerated Second-Degree
(BSN) student, stands at the Gerard Dining Hall Aspretto coffee station

“If I had an 8:00 class, it would be great if Lola’s opened at an earlier time so I could get a quick cup of tea and perhaps a snack. Then I would have enough brain power to focus on my classes,” said Moriarty.

She also felt that students and faculty in Caruthers would benefit if Lola’s was open later on Fridays.

“You could go there after labs and decompress with a cup of coffee or tea. The nursing faculty and students, the physical therapy, sciences and math faculty and students are all in Caruthers and would probably go there for a cup of coffee if it was open later. For any of those people who don’t live at Marymount they could stop there for a quick bite before their commute home,” Moriarty said.

When consulted about the possibility of opening Lola’s earlier than 8:00 a.m., Wetli stated that students could always get coffee in the Gerard Dining Hall.

“We set up coffee to-go at Gerard starting at 7:30 a.m. every morning, just come into the dining hall and let them know you want a coffee to-go,” said Wetli.

The final Sodexo-operated location for coffee on Main Campus is Bernie’s, located on the main floor of Rose Benté Lee Center. According to Billings, Bernie’s sells Starbucks drip coffee in two sizes, a small for $2.15 and a medium for $2.49.

Bernie’s opens at 9:00 a.m. during the week and 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. For Bernie’s hours, check here.

There are also two student lounges on Main Campus where it is possible to get a cup of coffee.

According to Linda Pratt, Assistant Director of Student Engagement, “The Berg Lounge and the Lodge Commuter Lounge, often hold K-cups alongside the Keurig machines.”

She stated that she works to restock the lounges with coffee every month and urges students to notify her if “this coffee supply has run dry for a number of days.”

Lounge hours are generally 7:00 a.m. to midnight.

For students with classes at Ballston, there are two main options for coffee, Café Eat and Starbucks. Both restaurants are located at the new Ballston Center on 1000 N. Glebe Road.

For the Ballston Center Eat Café hours, check here.

Coffee at Eat Café is readily available and not that expensive. However, some students feel that its quality is wanting.

When at Ballston for classes, Marymount junior and business major Samantha Mohen often gets her coffee at Eat Café, but prefers Starbucks.

“The Starbucks coffee is much better than the Ballston cafeteria coffee, so I’d rather splurge for the Starbucks coffee,” Mohen said.

However, Mohen often buys the Eat Café coffee because although “the coffee isn’t that great, it’s on [her] meal plan,” she said.

Other students, like Marymount undergraduate Kyle Delos Reyes, enjoy the convenience of having a Starbucks restaurant in the same building as their classes.

“It is really convenient because it’s right where the classes are,” Reyes said. “Right after class or before class we can just come by here and get coffee.”

For the Ballston Center Starbucks hours check here.