At the Jordan Campus, SLCC students and employees can pick up bagels, fresh breakfast sandwiches, pizza, mozzarella sticks, tater tots and muffins at the Jordan Cafe.
Due to low sales and few customers, the cafe has struggled to stay in business. Since last year, there have been discussions about closing the cafe. However, a 34% increase in recent customer numbers provides some hope for its future.
Gina Chase, the auxiliary services manager for SLCC bookstores and food services, explained what the department is doing with the cafe and the strategies being used to keep business going.
“So far, the cafe has been advertised as through SLCC Today and hanging poster[s] around the campus,” Chase said. Her assistant manager had also spoken with some health sciences professors on the campus to spread information.
The Jordan Cafe, located on the first floor of the Jordan High Tech Center (HTC 196), has remained open despite challenges. The cafe offers a variety of options, including Starbucks-style menu items such as lattes, americano coffee, matcha, chai, and refreshers. Prices have increased by 10% due to supplier costs.
“We haven’t had a price increase in the last three years, since 2022,” Chase said.
If the cafe closes, the space might be occupied by another vendor. However, due to the low sales, Chase believes switching vendors will be difficult. Similar situations of switching vendors have already happened in the past, with Tonkatsu food business.
“She only lasted three months and she told me, ‘I’m not making enough money,’ and it was just her, and she was the owner. She didn’t even have staff in there,” Chase recalled.
Students Perspectives
Christina Thomas, a nursing student, sometimes buys food at the cafe. She knows its location, but she brings her own food to save money while planning her wedding.
“They have [a] sausage cheddar egg sandwich that I love, and they make a good matcha latte,” Thomas said.
Thomas added that the prices are very fair, so she goes to the cafeteria once a week. She also said she would go more often if a Chick-fil-A location where available.
For many students, saving money on food is as much of a priority as attending class. At the Jordan Campus, students in a specialized program may have only 30 minutes between classes.
Daniel Angulo, a nursing student, said some of his classmates have told him that they prefer buying food outside of campus, because the cafe operates from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and is closed when many students are still studying.
“When I have been there it is closed, and usually my classmates choose to go to [the] pantry or decided to go outside,” Angulo said.
Some area businesses in competition with the campus cafe include Starbucks, McDonald’s, Beans & Brews and other nearby coffee shops.
Additionally, some students expressed their lack of knowledge about the cafe.
“I usually bring food from home, but if not, I’ll just go out to eat or sometimes or I’ll take something from the vending machine,” said Valeria Gomera, a pre-health sciences student. Gomera expressed that she would love to see smoothies added to the menu.
Faculty Perspective
Cher Knupp, the director of Health Sciences Admissions and Recruiting, expressed how the students are struggling with the cafe and the waiting time due to the limited amount of time between classes.
The students of Jordan Campus mainly study pre-health sciences such as nursing, dental hygiene, respiratory therapy, occupational therapy assistant, physical therapist assistant, radiologic technology, and surgical technology. Their normal schedule for classes is from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Because of this, Knupp has set up a little shelf outside her office where students can grab some packaged snacks during their breaks, without any cost.
“It has been a struggle for our students because they’re in this building for about eight hours a day with not much of a break in between,” Knupp said.
Although Chase acknowledged the time constraint for some students who take classes in the Jordan Health Sciences (JHS) building to get food at the Jordan High Tech Center (HTC) building, she explained that it is difficult to relocate the cafe due to the space and because it requires a lot of infrastructure.
Currently, Chase is working on implementing new strategies to improve the cafe at Jordan Campus. She stated she is willing to take suggestions made by students and faculty if it will increase customers and sales at the cafe.
