As many of you have probably noticed, Baruch's cafeteria area has been under construction for half of the fall semester. It has recently been re-opened and revamped as Avenue C. I am here to give you the low down on everything you need to know about this new place to grab a quick bite on campus.
Positives
1. Conveniently located
Despite being in the center of NYC, one of America's greatest cities for food, having a food source right in the Vertical Campus is very convenient. You don't need to brave the weather or swipe back in just to grab a quick bite. But in case you do want to broaden your horizons and venture outside, check these places out!
2. Futuristic check-out system
The days of human operated cash registers are in the past. What you will find at Avenue C are four self-checkout touch screens that let you scan your own items. I was amazed to see the new system, and thanks to the helpful employee who monitors them, I was able to use them with ease.
3. Coffee machine
This, in my opinion is the best feature of Avenue C. Not everyone wants to leave the building to grab a cup of coffee, especially as the weather gets colder. Now, there are two easy to use machines that give you many different options to suit your caffeine needs. You can select from coffee, gourmet drinks, and other hot beverages. What's better than a hot cocoa between classes?
Negatives
1. No change...or bags?!
The checkout system, however cool it is, still has its flaws. You find out that there is no change only after you go through the process of making an account (which is mandatory if you want to pay in cash). This is NYC, in those rare situations where we do decide to use cash, nobody has exact change. The lack of bags is a slap on the face after you get through the checkout process. A shopping bag would be very helpful, especially when our hands are full.
2. No fresh food
Although there are many healthy and filling options available at Avenue C such as hummus cups and sandwiches, there is no fresh food. We all could have benefited greatly with a fresh fruit bar or an option to get freshly cooked food.
3. Wasted space
What are they doing with the old cafeteria set up? The whole space is blocked off and it doesn't look like it's being used for anything productive. Seems like such a lost opportunity. Also, there is wasted space in the refrigerators as well. The shelves are half full, if that. There is so much room to expand their options even further and provide us as many choices as possible.
All in all, despite the name, I think Avenue C deserves a solid B. It's definitely a step up from the previous establishment, when it comes to options and atmosphere, but there is still something left to be desired. You should definitely check it out for yourself when you have some free time, and see how you like. It's always great to take advantage off all of the resources Baruch provides.