Nieuws - 24 februari 2010

Coffee in the morning again in the Forum

The grand café in the Forum will open in the morning again from 1 March. This is the result of actions taken by the Student Council to enable students to have sandwiches and a cuppa coffee in the café in the morning.

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Since last summer, students and employees in the Forum could only get coffee from the dispensing machine in the morning. No cappuccinos, espressos or sandwiches. The grand cafe on the ground floor opened only at 12 noon.  A great pity, as Eva Helmus from the Student Council puts it. 'The capuccino sold at the grand café was only 5 to 10 cents dearer than the coffee from the dispenser, but tasted much better. And it would be fine to be able to buy something to eat before noon.'
The council received complaints about the closing of the grand café, says Helmus. 'We too felt the inconvenience.' Together with Wageningen University, the council lodged a request with Albron, the cafe management. Albron has now decided to open the café again at 8 o'clock in the morning for a trial period from Monday 1 March till the summer.
Turnover
Albron closed the grand café in the morning when it made losses. 'While business was bustling between 8 and 9 o'clock, there wasn't anyone when lectures began. It was difficult to run the café commercially', explains Erik Metzer, manager of Albron outlets at Wageningen UR. 'We had tried all kinds of promotions then, including changing the furnishings, but to little avail.'
Under the slogan 'wake up in the grand cafe', Albron hopes to pull in more customers this time. 'People have to come to the grand cafe more often', stresses Eva Helmus. 'They are displeased when it has to close, but the cafe has to earn its keep.'