As of April 2021, Cosi will not be returning to ONU next year. They have declared bankruptcy, and will be closing its ONU location next year. With that, the university has been looking for a replacement to fill the empty location. While some chains have come and gone regarding setting up shop in Ada, it is the current plan to put a Starbucks in the former Cosi location. We here as students at Northern believe this is both a negative and wasteful idea, and believe the space could be better utilized by another company or business, if not by keeping Cosi itself. 

Our first reason is that replacing Cosi with a Starbucks chain location would mean that as students we have even fewer options for our meals. As students, we are already limited to Mcintosh dining hall, Wow, and Cosi. Getting rid of Cosi will limit our choices even more. With the limited amount of food and availability in and around Ada, providing students with a third dining option in and around campus would not only continue to bring in stable revenue for ONU, but also provide students with greater access to food and dining options. Whether this is COSI or another chain, we believe that this would not only bring more value to ONU, but also provide more dining opportunities for students and those of the Ada community.

 The second reason we believe a Starbucks chain should not replace Cosi is that there will be a new local coffee shop opening up on Main Street in the near future. We believe that local businesses should have the opportunity to flourish, and that Starbucks would cause them to lose business. While we believe businesses should have the freedom to operate in locations as they see fit, Starbucks is already a common site in and around ONU (i.e. Northern Lights). As a school, ONU has always taken pride in providing both jobs and revenue to local businesses due to the college population that lives in the city for most of the year. Opening another Starbucks would not only be redundant, but also limit the opportunities for new and different companies to either start up or come into Ada. With limited space in and around the city, adding a restaurant already on campus would not only be redundant, but also starve out potential startups and businesses looking to provide goods and services to the local community.

The third reason is very simple. Northern Lights provides coffee to the students and staff here on campus. Adding another Starbucks location would be a waste of space when one already exist on campus. Few students would be willing to make an 8 minute trip to main street when they could simply get their coffee from the library. Having a secondary Starbucks location on campus would be a practical waste of time and space, as students can easily walk down to Northern Lights. 

While the decision is ultimately up to the University, we believe that as students our opinions should be heard. We as students don’t want more of the same. We want something different. We want to see the local businesses and restaurants in Ada flourish and succeed. 

Drafted by:

Diego Avello- P1 Student

Drew Hurley- Freshman Civil Engineering Student