On Wed. March 27, The Roasterie held its grand reopening at Rockhurst in the Arrupe Commons after being out of commission for about two years. Whether it was being one of the first 50 customers who received a complimentary coffee or a student who simply walked into Arrupe for class and noticed the pleasant aroma of the coffee and clamor of excited students, the presence of The Roasterie was impossible to overlook.
Driven by the growing student inquiry of the void Arrupe concession venue, Rockhurst’s dining department decided it was time they took action to fill the space.
From September 2015-May 2022, the university hosted a branch of the Roasterie in the same space, so the set-up of the area and close relationship Rockhurst has with the local coffee shop made it an obvious choice to reimplement.
“We already had a relationship with The Roasterie because they supply the coffee in the cafeteria and for catering, so it was a simple phone call,” said Bruce Turnbough, senior director for dining services at Rockhurst.
From there, the Rockhurst dining team created the menu and serviced the dusty equipment that had been sitting idle the last two years.
The menu is a limited version of the Brookside Roasterie location. Unlike the campus Einstein Bros. Bagels, the Arrupe dining area does not have the space or equipment needed to offer the full-sandwich menu seen at an off-campus location. Nonetheless, there is still a plethora of drink options available and there is potential for pastries to be offered in the future.
The closure of the on-campus Roasterie after the spring 2022 semester was due to lack of sales and its inability to compete with the on-campus Starbucks and Einstein Bros. Bagels that were available at the time.
However, the Rockhurst dining team expects sales to be high the remainder of the school year with the push from students to fill the space and there no longer being an option for Starbucks.
Regardless, there are no set plans for the future of The Roasterie. Other than buying the product from the chain, Rockhurst runs this space independently. Whether or not the coffee shop stays open in the fall semester will depend on student demand.
With the quick opening of The Roasterie, the dining team’s first struggle was staffing the space without stealing people from the campus’s other dining venues. The university currently has various job openings at the branch that students can apply for.
“Normally, we post jobs online, but students can always stop by my office and inquire about positions,” said Turnbough.
To help ensure The Roasterie will still be in this space next fall, continue to stop by from 7:30 a.m-2 p.m Monday-Thursday. Turnbough encourages any ideas or feedback for Rockhurst Dining Services from students.
