I make instant coffee in my office rather than pay the exorbitant coffee prices in local cafes. (I’m also too lazy to walk to get coffee in the faculty lounge, which is of questionable quality anyway.)
But then again, I’m not as rich as many of the students, who think nothing of dropping $4 on a latte, because they don’t actually “pay” for it, they just show a barcode on their phone and presto, it gets charged to someone somewhere (probably parents).
The Cornell Sun reports that students may start feeling the pinch after an on-campus cafe upped prices by about a quarter (25 cents) on various items including coffee to cover a state-mandated minimum wage hike:
Temple of Zeus, a popular on-campus cafe, has increased some of its prices by roughly a quarter after New York State raised the minimum wage.The items affected include coffee, soup and some snacks, according to Keith Mercovich, the Temple of Zeus manager…. However, though the new policy is advantageous for the staff, there will be an undesirable effect on consumers….Simran Mahanta ’21, who visits the cafe about once a week, said, “It’s annoying that the drinks are so expensive. [Many people have] meal swipes, but if you want coffee, you have to be willing to pay around five bucks.” The cost of living can be a difficult for the average university student who, according to Cornell’s Financial Aid Office, is already paying an approximate $5,766 annually for dining alone.Julia Greenberg ’18, a Zeus student employee, also said that there will be an effect for the “people who come in and get multiple cups of coffee a day.” ….Students say that despite this possibility, it is nearly impossible to significantly adjust their spending patterns because dining options in Ithaca are so limited.“Things are generally overpriced,” Aleena Ismail ’21 said, “[So] I don’t always have a choice to spend money or not.”
I haven’t calculated the cost of my instant coffee, but it’s pennies per large mug. And it’s quite good, I get fancy European types over the internet, usually Jacobs, Tastle, or Douwe Egberts, and they’re almost as good as the real thing.
The only way I’m getting a $5 coffee at Cafe Zeus is if someone else is paying. Like a visiting Legal Insurrection reader.
[Featured Image: Cafe Zeus Facebook]
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