New this year in the Academic Building is the Raider Café, which began serving students and faculty on Aug. 15. The menu offers a variety of options, including coffee drinks, smoothies, sandwiches, and breakfast items. 

The bright, airy design of the café offers offers an inviting space for students and faculty to gather.

“It’s a delightful area to be at. It’s fun to be able to have a new place to hang out with my friends and be able to eat high-quality food,” sophomore Katherine Del Rosario said.

Students and faculty alike anticipated the new café, since the unveiling of the Academic Building in April. 

 “I’m always excited about new school options, and the cafe was something that stood out to me. I enjoy seeing both adults and kids use it,” Dean of Students, Tyrone Sandaal, said

Despite enjoying the new space and the variety of menu options, Some students shared concerns in terms of the price of some of the items.

“The food at the cafe is really good, but it gets annoying having to spend $6.50 every day when I’m buying a smoothie. I just feel the prices should be a little lower because some people can’t afford to be spending $6.00  a day on smoothies,” said sophomore Nora Henin. 

Also, due to the no-phone policy on campus, students are unable to pay with digital forms of payment during some of the café’s operating hours.  This has proven frustrating for  students who may not have a card or cash on hand. 

“The cafe only will let you pay with cash at certain times throughout the day, but most kids don’t bring money or a card since they always used to pay with Apple Pay,” junior Landon Leys said.

The café is open from 6:30am-7:50am and 3:15pm-4:00pm for students. Faculty hours are from 6:30am-10am and 2:45pm-4:00pm. Aside from breakfast options, students can also purchase sushi on Wednesdays. During lunch hours, the café is open to students for free grab and go lunch items such as pre-packaged salads, sandwiches and wraps.