This year, NYU Dining is opening on-campus options that include a Jamba Juice, Starbucks kiosk and convenience store while the Rubin dining hall is closing.
Owen Moore, assistant vice president for Business Development in Campus Services, said the Jamba Juice will open in September in Weinstein Food Court and will accept both Dining Dollars and meal exchanges.
Moore also described a two-part process for the convenience store construction.
“NYU Dining is adding a convenience store adjacent to Peet’s Coffee in Upstein for the fall semester and planning an expansion for the spring,” Moore said.
He said a new Starbucks kiosk will open on the second floor of the Kimmel Center for University Life in the spring semester. It will accept Dining Dollars and remain open on weekends.
LSP sophomore Nira Martinez expressed uncertainty about the new programs.
“I don’t know if the convenience store will make much of a difference since the Space Market is nearby,” Martinez said. “Jamba Juice seems like a nice addition, but Starbucks at Kimmel seems unnecessary. You have one right by Goddard, and the staff is always friendly. So why have another one literally yards away?”
The additions are a byproduct of the university’s decision to close Rubin this fall. Moore explained that the rising popularity of other dining options, such as Burger Studio and Upstein, has caused a decrease in customers to Rubin.
Meanwhile, there will be some adjustments to the other dining locations to make up for having one less option.
“To compensate for the additional traffic at other locations, Hayden dining hall will open on Friday nights and weekends,” Moore said. “And additional staff will be reassigned to Weinstein, Hayden and Kimmel Center.”
Former Rubin resident and Steinhardt sophomore Josephine Chang said Rubin was one of the most welcoming dining locations on campus.
“It was a really cozy little place in comparison to the other dining halls, and generally convenient for the people who lived there,” Chang said. “I’m going to miss the hospitable atmosphere and the fantastic, loving dining hall staff that really brought it to life.”
CAS sophomore and former Rubin resident Kevin Carter agreed that the dining hall was convenient for Rubin residents, but preferred other dining locations.
“It was nice having the option to eat at home so I didn’t have to go out in the snow for a meal, but I feel like they just needed to be more like the other dining halls,” Carter said. “The food at Rubin was below average in comparison.”
A version of this article appeared in the Sunday, Aug 25 print edition. Fay Lin is a staff writer. Email her at [email protected].