49er Shops Inc. closed down Central Park, a small coffee shop located inside Parkside Commons Residence Hall, at the beginning of last semester.
Lida Horna, director of Dining Services, said via e-mail that Central Park “regularly had less than seven visitors per evening, mostly less than five and many evenings with zero visitors.”
49er Shops Director of Communications Rosa Hernandez said via e-mail, “To continue our support and our corporate vitality, we manage our operations to better serve our students and make changes accordingly.”
Hernandez did not say why Central Park was closed down.
Aaron Wong, a senior industrial design major, said he liked the coffee that was served there.
“I always saw people in there when I went,” he said, though he wasn’t disappointed about the closure because “money can be served elsewhere if needed.”
Sophomore human development major Amy Wright said it was a nice coffee shop and liked its location near the dorms.
“Now I have to go far to get coffee,” she said.
Brittney Seeley, a senior marine biology major who likes the shop’s coffee, said Central Park was open in the evenings around 7 p.m. and was closed for the greater portion of the day.
Sophomore psychology major Hanna Bezabeh said the shop used to be crowded in previous semesters but didn’t seem to be busy this year.
Bret Hasvold, also a sophomore, wasn’t aware that the coffee shop had previously been open.
“Are they going to open this place up?” he said. “It’s a waste of space.”
Another coffee shop, Ground Floor, is located in the Los Alamitos Residence Hall and still open for business. It has a similar layout to Central Park but has more seats and tables.
A Los Alamitos resident, senior sociology major Malaina Thompson used to live in Parkside Commons and said it seemed like more people went to Central Park than Ground Floor. She said there was “a lot more action” and a few people came to do homework.
At this point, it is uncertain whether the coffee shop will reopen in the future.