The grand opening of the Leo’s Spot coffee shop is in a few weeks, but the store is already open for business.
Many students felt that it was time for the University of La Verne to open another alternative coffee and food shop for students who wanted more choices than Davenport Dining Hall.
Some people may remember when ULV had a place called The Spot for students to get smoothies, snacks and other foods not offered at Davenport.
A new addition to the ULV campus, Leo’s Spot, is similar to The Spot students were used to, but it offers some healthier alternatives. Of course it still offers cookies, brownies, cereal bars and other great snacks.
Leo’s Spot also offers Seattle’s Best Coffee, sports drinks, fruit and yogurt parfaits, fruit salads, turkey and tuna sandwiches, wraps and packaged chef and caesar salads.
“It’s not officially open until next month,” said Duke Trinh, a junior business major and the marketing intern for Sodexho. “We just want students to know about the shop.”
Trinh and others involved in the project are trying to get the word out about the shop and get people interested.
There are many students who already know about the place.
Students were given a chance to come up with a name for the coffee shop and ULV student Allison Orum was announced as the winner on Wednesday.
Orum received 100 Leo dollars, and there were other raffles and prizes given out during a party at the coffee shop.
Within the next few weeks they will have a smoothie machine and they are working on a system to accept credit cards.
For now, they accept Leo dollars, cash and meal cards.
“We are giving 10 percent off to people with a ULV I.D.,” Trinh said. “We are hoping to get more commuter students into the shop.”
Leo’s Spot also offers a flat five combo, which can be used for several different meals that, after tax, cost just $5.
“It’s cool but it’s not The Spot,” said Tiffany Cleveland, a senior business major at ULV. “The only complaint I have is that it is not open late.”
The coffee shop is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday; and Friday it is open until 2 p.m.
Trinh said it is the goal of Sodexho and ULV to get the shop operating late.
As of now, students still have Late Night Davenport for food after 7 p.m.
Trinh has already hired a staff, but he expects to bring more employees on board in the near future.
Currently, Trinh and Leo’s Spot manager Jill Coverdale have four ULV students hired through Sodexho.
Trinh and Coverdale hope that once more students are hired as employees, the hours will be extended.
“I ran the Spot for 17 years. It is nice to see a place open that is similar to The Spot,” Coverdale said. “I nearly cried when The Spot closed, but I’m having fun running the new shop.”
Rick Montañez can be reached at phidelt139@hotmail.com.
Journalism operations manager at the University of La Verne. Production manager and business manager of the Campus Times.