The College's first late night coffee shop, the Big Green Bean -- part of the Collis Center revitalization project -- opened last night to enthusiastic reactions from students and employees.
"It's great," said Erin Roeder '01, who came to study in The Bean. "They've got little menus and everything."
The Midnite Express, a late night food window downstairs, also opened for the first time last night. Employee Kristi Esmiol '02 said the first night had been "kind of slow," but about 10 customers had come by in the first four hours.
About 100 students visited The Bean during that time.
Both The Bean and The Express will be open from 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. every night and the building itself will be open until 3 a.m. A small movie theater will be installed in the current arcade area by the end of the term.
Linda Kennedy, associate director of student activities, said there are still some problems to work out, but she is optimistic about the future of The Bean. "If this had been a regular restaurant," she said, "I wouldn't have opened it for another month."
"We didn't do any advertising for the first night," Kennedy said, in an effort to keep crowds to a minimum before all the details of operation are finalized.
However, she said, the need for such a facility was so great they opened it as soon as possible -- which caused a few minor setbacks on the opening night.
"UPS lost our tea," freshman waiter Phillip Rutherford said, "and we forgot to boil hot water."
Kennedy said the changes have not all been completed. Since the coffee shop opened without some of its planned features, she said, "every time students come in there will be something new."
Additional plans include tapestry on the walls, custom-made furniture and landscaping in the space between Collis and Robinson Hall.
Barrett Shaver '98, a former Programming Board chair who oversaw much of The Bean's planning, said the plan is to make Collis "a building for students." Shaver said the renovations both in Collis Cafe and downstairs should make the entire building more student friendly.
Shaver said The Bean was not trying to provide an alternative to or challenge to, the fraternity and sorority late night events. Rather, he said, the coffee shop is a place for students to go and enjoy a calm and quiet atmosphere.
Events in the future, Kennedy said, could include poetry readings or other low-volume activities.