Sacramento State recently unveiled a new addition to the campus dining experience with the mobile Starbucks truck located across from Benicia Hall, which aims to offer quick coffee fixes to students who park on the south side of campus.

Every weekday since the start of this semester, the Starbucks truck has been peddling its iconic coffee and arrays of pastries in parking lot six.

This new addition to the quickly changing coffee scene here at Sac State, which includes the British expat Grumpy Mule, will help reduce lines at the brick-and-mortar Starbucks located at the River Front Center, as well as make the Seattle-hailed coffee franchise more accessible to students who may not want to walk across campus for a cup of joe.

“With the truck located on the other side of campus, we are hoping that it will lessen the lines at [River Front Center],” said junior social work major Angel Lam, who works at both Starbucks locations on campus. “Students will now be able to park their cars and grab a cup of coffee and head to class without having to walk across campus and wait in very long lines.”

Many students and staff were unaware of the new coffee shop on wheels, and some have never even heard of such a concept from the brand that they’ve known for so many years.

Jan Mauricio, junior computer science engineering major, said he found out about the truck when he was walking to class during the first week of school.

“My friends and I now want to [get coffee] here because it’s closer,” Mauricio said. “It’s pretty convenient, and it’s much easier than walking to River Front. It’s faster, too.”

Junior family and consumer science major Gabi Galvez said she has already become a frequent patron at the truck.

“The other day I was at the AIRC and I ran out to get a coffee, it was way faster than going all the way to River Front or The Union and wait in line,” Galvez said. “I really like how easy this new location is to get to as well.”

Lam said she noticed some difficulties with the truck, but some plans are already in place to improve the workflow as the semester progresses.

“The mobile truck is obviously a lot smaller in size so we have less employees on shift,” Lam said. “We are thinking about getting headsets so if the line is long at the truck, we can get their orders [while they’re still in line] and the baristas inside the truck can begin [working on] those drinks. So by the time they are done paying, they can just then grab their drinks and go.”

The Starbucks truck is just the start of what’s to come when the University Union starts its $53 million expansion in January 2017. What’s planned, according to The Union’s administrative office, is another Starbucks cafe, though this one will offer a dine-in experience similar to The Buzz.

According to Lam, the truck’s location on parking lot six is not permanent. She said that University Enterprises, Inc., who owns the truck, can drive it to different areas on campus whenever they like.
The truck will also begin parking outside the Hornet Stadium for home football games in order for  attendees to get their caffeine fix while cheering on fellow Hornets. Meanwhile, it will continue to open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday, as well as 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday.