With the beginning of the fall semester, New Paltz students were welcomed with a new change in Student Union food options.
On Aug. 28 NPressed opened for business in the former location of Starbucks and according to Executive Director of Campus Auxiliary Services (CAS) Steven Deutsch, it has shown noticeable success.
“The smoothie bar is much more popular than we thought it would be,” Deutsch said. “When we first opened up the new Starbucks, the one in the [Student Union] became less popular. Right now it seems to be serving a need. I think it’s the right call.”
NPressed offers six juice options and six smoothie options on their menu as well as a “Build It Your Way” option for anyone who wants their own choice of ingredients. Some of the menu options vary with ingredients such as fruits, vegetables and protein powder to make it filling.
The Starbucks that was in the Student Union was replaced with the smoothie bar after the opening of a fully-licensed Starbucks in Parker Theater last September.
The full-licensing of the new Starbucks meant that it could operate like any other Starbucks, by participating in all promotions and accepting customer loyalty cards and gift cards.
Although there are 12 options momentarily, Deutsch says that there will be advancements made once staff members become acclimated to the new operation.
“The staff is reacting to the demand,” Deutsch said. “Right now we’re trying to do the operation well. Once everyone becomes acclimated to it, we will think about how we can make it better and what further options to explore.”
Other food options in the Student Union, such as Crazy Bowlz and Tokyo Sushi, are current restaurants that were brought to campus, with Tokyo Sushi residing in New Paltz and Crazy Bowlz existing in Kingston. However, NPressed was the “brainchild” of the Sodexo staff, according to Deutsch.
“Crazy Bowlz, like Tokyo Sushi was an established local restaurant that we brought on campus,” he said. “NPressed was the brainchild of our on campus Sodexo staff, specifically General Manager Ryan Goodwin and Executive Chef Matthew Hill.”
Fourth-year management major Jake Green, who paid his first visit to NPressed on Tuesday, Sept. 6, tried the “Bananarama Coffee Smoothie,” which primarily features a mix of bananas and cold brew coffee.
“This is definitely a good combination, but it might be an acquired taste,” Green said. “This is definitely a place that I wanted to see on campus and is a good alternative for students to have.”
Green also noted the convenience of NPressed, outlining its diversity and capability to serve as the perfect to-go meal supplement.
“This place creates more diversity when it comes to food choices,” he said. “If you’re late for class or don’t want to eat a full meal, this is the best place to go.”
New Paltz had previously sold smoothies on campus as a smaller menu item, but did not garner as much popularity with them because they were mostly sold at coffee places on campus.
“[NPressed] seems to be really successful,” Deutsch said. “It’s very difficult to find and make space for new food spots. We’ve heard of juice and smoothie concepts and have been working with them for a long time but never solely focused on them.”