The fresh aroma of coffee beans will soon envelop the main lobby of Uris Hall when Cornell Dining’s newest à-la-carte location, Rusty’s, begins operating on Monday.
Rusty’s –– to be stationed in the main lobby of Uris Hall –– will offer Starbucks coffee, fresh baked goods, grab ‘n’ go sandwiches and salads from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. every weekday.
According to Gail Finan, director of dining and retail services, the atmosphere at Rusty’s will achieve a middle ground relative to its nearby competitors; the new coffee shop will be slightly smaller than Libe Café yet slightly larger than Two Naked Guys Café.
Initial plans for Rusty’s developed as a result of a series of regular reports conducted over a six-month period beginning in December 2008. Intended to help outline plans and direction for Cornell Dining, the report concluded in May 2009, providing suggestions for cost-cutting and cost-enhancing projects.
The report suggested locating a new dining venture in Uris Hall, considering the amount of daily traffic the building sees, according to Finan. Last fall, dining management was tasked with planning the project, including determining a name for the new facility.
One of the initial stages of the naming process consisted of requesting suggestions from the University community. According to Finan, none of the names that were initially proposed stuck. One suggestion proposed the location be named after Edward H. Rulloff, a noted philologist and murderer whose brain is housed on the second floor of Uris Hall.
“I didn’t think that’d be too appealing,” Finan commented.
Finan and her team finally decided on a name after uncovering a bit of University history.
When Uris Hall was first built, the cortan steel used in its construction was intended to oxidize and develop a deep orange-red hue — only it never did. Since then, the rust-adorned building has been nicknamed “Ol’ Rusty,” a moniker that inspired the new dining facility’s name.
Rusty’s cost Cornell Dining $50,000 to launch, and Finan remains confident the location will make back that amount and more.
“[Uris] gets plenty of foot traffic from students, professors, tours and people waiting for the buses,” Finan said, “so it should see plenty of business.”
Prof. Sherry Martin, government, believes it will be convenient for those working in the building. “It’ll be nice to be able to pop downstairs and get a cup of coffee if I want to,” said Martin, who works two floors above the new location.
Although Martin currently brings her own cup of coffee from home, she noted, “Now that there’s some right downstairs I’ll probably buy it more often.”
The original article stated that the kiosk cost $150,000 to fund. In fact, it cost $50,000. The Sun regrets this error.
Original Author: Andrew Boryga