Pub offers new coffee punch card reward system
Blair takes a selfie with her pub coffee card, which will allow her to get a free coffee after tenth cup. Photo courtesy Blair Bird '17
Throughout the last semester, the AVI Fresh food services on campus have been making a number of changes. The menu at the Pub has been overhauled, Bates dining room has been repainted, and the Pub has been refurbished. One of the lesser-publicized changes is the introduction of the new coffee card system. Informally introduced at the beginning of this semester, these cards mean coffee lovers can earn a free cup just by drinking their favorite beverage.
The system is very simple. When you check out at The Pub, you’ll be offered small brown business card with ten white circles on it. Every time you buy coffee at The Pub or, eventually, The Atrium Cafe, an AVI Fresh employee will mark one of the white circles with a special stamp. Once you have purchased nine cups of coffee and collected nine stamps, your tenth cup of coffee will be free. The card does not expire and there is no limit to how many cards you can receive over time. If you’re not a coffee drinker, there’s still something in it for you. This loyalty program also rewards tea drinkers.
Students did have a few concerns about the program, however. Although some have suggested that coffee prices in The Pub have been raised to accommodate this new system, AVI Fresh representatives say that’s not the case. The loyalty program also has not been well publicized. All of the students interviewed for this article said that they had never heard of it. When the program was explained, they were worried the card would expire before they collected nine stamps, since they don’t buy coffee every day. Nevertheless, with more awareness and better understanding of the program, the coffee card system could become one of the many popular specials that AVI Fresh food services offers on campus.