A sign stands in front of the new Starbucks on Route 5, encouraging passersby to check it out.
For the past six months, Choate students and Wallingford residents have been anticipating the opening of the new local Starbucks. Starbucks, whose previously closest locations were in Meriden and North Haven, has opened a shop in the new strip plaza along Route 5 at the former site of Merriman Motors. The coffee chain is a little less than two miles away from Choate, about as far away as Walmart, making it a location that students can potentially visit. The chain has more than 50 stores in Conn., and according to the Record-Journal, the opening of Starbucks was planned to follow that of a hair salon, an AT&T outlet, Hannoush Jewelers, and Pancheros Mexican Grill in the plaza.
Starbucks has sparked much comparison between the chain and the Lanphier Café. Students have been discussing what sets the two coffee providers apart, provoking different reactions.
“If I need to go to Starbucks for anything, it’s there. I don’t have to go to Meriden and get a day permission. So it’s actually really convenient,” explained Serena Levin ’20. “They have real food at Starbucks; I like the breakfast sandwiches. I wish Lanphier had those.”
“I think a new Starbucks is great because it is such a ubiquitous brand, and it also serves as a great spot outside of campus to hang out with friends,” Ethan Luk ’20 explained. “At the same time, there is certainly some risk to the Lanphier Café’s business because, as we all know, Lanphier is sort of the Starbucks we never had in Wallingford. It would definitely provide some competition, but it’s a great addition to the Wallingford community.”
Grace Lawrie ’19 said, “I think I’ll definitely be going to Starbucks, but not as much as I would the café. It’s still an Uber ride away, so it’s a tradeoff.”
In contrast, some boarding students have expressed complete disinterest in the new coffee shop. Ryan Kim ’20 commented, “Starbucks is so good, but it costs too much, so no, it won’t change my life.”
Lily Ding ’20 also noted that the Lanphier Café already offers a wide selection of drinks and pastries, and believed that students would be satisfied enough with the café to not venture to Starbucks.
Additionally, for day students, there is little to no effect for the creation of a new Starbucks. Katherine Lima ’20 remarked, “As a day student, having a new Starbucks in Wallingford is kind of irrelevant to me, because I could just go before school. Starbucks isn’t totally different from Lanphier, because Lanphier is just a knockoff Starbucks.”
The new Starbucks’ offerings and accessibility have influenced people who adore the coffee chain, but there are plenty of students who are indifferent. A key example, Jonathan Geller ’20 said, “I don’t really go to Starbucks anyway, so I don’t really care.”
Christine Mason ’19 believes it is a simple matter of personal preference. “It’s a little bit far, and I’m personally more of a Dunkin Donuts person, especially since I’m from New York. We have a lot of Starbucks. I would rather go to Half Moon and get something more interesting.”
