New Cafe Opens in Werner Hall

Caldwell, N.J., – Aug. 28, 2018 – Students arriving on campus for the fall semester were excited to see the new café’ in Werner Hall.  Café ’39 features indoor seating, outdoor tables, and expanded food and beverage selections.  Werner also has a renovated first floor lobby and stairwell.

“You can sit here and have coffee and talk with friends and professors,” said Shwesta Sapkota, a junior and orientation leader.  “So pretty,” she said of the renovations.  “I’m going to post photos all over Instagram.”

Sophomore Prasad Gyawali likes the ambience too. “It is a nice place for hanging out for commuters and residence hall students.”

The eatery was made possible by Gourmet Dining, the university’s food service provider.  Tom Duggan, director of dining services, said Werner Hall is a good location for the new café since it is situated between the residence halls and the cafeteria and classrooms. “It ties the community together. Our hope is that there will be vibrancy (there).”  Students, faculty, staff, and guests can also enjoy eating at new tables outside the building.

Eight years ago, Gourmet provided for the renovations in the main cafeteria in the Student Center, which is largely used by resident students. “We saw a need to start making more options available to the growing number of commuter students,” said Duggan.

Cafe “39, named for the year Caldwell University was founded, offers Starbucks branded coffee beverages, Pepsi branded cold beverages, hot and cold sandwiches, snacks, cookies, and other convenience foods. Resident students can use their Cougar cash meal points there.

Duggan is proud that they used local contractors and workers for the expansion. The new shop has energy-saving lighting with the ability to dim according to sun levels, fully programmable lights that turn off and on remotely, and star-rated energy equipment.  Duggan is also pleased that Starbucks is committed to reducing waste like using strawless coffee cups.

Operating hours for Café 39 will be Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. with limited hours on Fridays. It will be open on some Saturdays for special events like Homecoming and open houses.

A campus community kick-off party in Café ’39 is planned for Thursday Sept. 6 at 4 p.m.