The Tully’s Coffee kiosk located in the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union building will be changing its name to reflect a new supplier – The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.
According to Daniel Kim, the current manager of Tully’s, the kiosk has started incorporating ingredients from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, and Kim hopes to completely transition to using its products by April 16. At this time, the kiosk will also change its name — putting up a sign that labels it The Coffee Bean, according to Kim.
Kim said this change is borne out of a desire to “go in a new direction,” with the owners believing it “would be profitable” to feature products from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf because the corporation is “known in California.”
However, the kiosk will still feature the “same employees, same management, just different beans,” according to lead barista Woo Shin.
Additionally, Kim said the new products will still allow The Coffee Bean to continue providing some of the Tully’s menu items that have been customer favorites, such as matcha green tea and espresso chip bellacinos. The Coffee Bean may create a sort of “secret menu,” similar to those rumored to exist at Jamba Juice and Starbucks, from which customers can order certain items from the replaced Tully’s menu.
In contrast to the corporate-owned Tully’s Coffee on Shattuck Avenue, the campus branch is a franchise managed by private owners and JH GROUP, the area developer for Tully’s Coffee in Southern California, according to Kim.
Kim cited a lack of advertising as one of the reasons that the kiosk is not well-known among students and that new marketing pursuits could include coupons, discount plans and a potential collaboration with the ASUC.
UC Berkeley senior Kait Wilson said she’d “be fine” with the change and would likely continue frequenting the kiosk because its location is so convenient.
“If I tried it and was like ‘this is terrible,’ I would only use it as a last resort,” Wilson said.
While Tully’s Coffee had accepted Cal 1 Card, Kim said he is unsure of whether or not The Coffee Bean will have this payment option. The decision to accept the Cal 1 Card is up to the contractors, according to Associate ASUC Auxiliary Director Tom Spivey.
Additionally, Kim said he is unsure of how renovations to Lower Sproul Plaza, slated to begin next academic year, will impact The Coffee Bean.
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Just to clarify Tully’s never changed to Coffee Bean Tea&Leaf Company. Haven’t you noticed how they have switched names several times over the last month. Now it is trying to identify itself as Oski’s Cafe & Lounge. Two Franchise owners of the Coffee Bean made them take their sign down. The business was forced to shut down for thirty minutes while this took place. Aside from this according to California Law in order to handle food or beverages you must obtain a food handlers permit so you understand how to keep the food from making people sick. It is required by state law. Each Employee must have one. State law also requires that your business license be posted in a place along with your permit to operate to identify your business. There is no permit and no license visible another violation. No one behind the counter has followed this law. I also called the Coffee Bean Tea & leaf Company 1-800-Tea-Leaf and emailed them to find out if this was a franchise or company owned location. This is the email I got in reply-
Good Morning Lauren,
Thank you for your call this morning.
I was able to receive verification from our Specialty Sales Team that the location you called about is not a company owned location nor a franchised location. It is owned and operated by a separate company and they purchase our products for use in their café.
Hope this information helps.
Have a great rest of the day.
Katie Rockin
Earlier on while in communication with a Daniel Kim who identified himself as the manger of the Coffee Bean Tea&Leaf Company At Berkeley Cal located in the MLK Student Union. I wrote back to Katie and asked her so if this company is only “featuring” your product and they are just a store who orders your products for their cafe that would mean that Daniel Kim is not the manger of the Coffee Bean. This was the reply- Unfortunately we have no affiliation with this café, apart from the fact that they purchase our products, so any additional concerns would need to be addressed with their owner directly. Sorry we could not be of more assistance. Katie RockinCustomer Relations ManagerBottom Line They never were Coffee Bean and their a fake. If you don’t believe me you can verify this yourself.
I was so happy to hear this news!! I strongly prefer Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf coffee to Tully’s, and will absolutely be visiting the kiosk regularly – they’ll have my business! It’s the only Coffee Bean in town besides in SF, so finally!
Just to clarify Tully’s never changed to Coffee Bean Tea&Leaf Company. Haven’t you noticed how they have switched names several times over the last month. Now it is trying to identify itself as Oski’s Cafe & Lounge. Two Franchise owners of the Coffee Bean made them take their sign down. The business was forced to shut down for thirty minutes while this took place. Aside from this according to California Law in order to handle food or beverages you must obtain a food handlers permit so you understand how to keep the food sanitary. It is required by state law. Each Employee must have one, but they don’t. Ask any restaurant and they will verify this. State law also requires that your business license be posted in a place along with your permit to operate and that it must be viewable to anyone who wishes to view it. There is no permit and no license visible this is in fact another violation. I guess its ok with UC Berkeley to sell out a store that was once ran by students to a private ownership which doesn’t follow laws or regulations in order to operate legally. I also called the Coffee Bean Tea & leaf Company 1-800-Tea-Leaf and emailed them to find out if this was a franchise or company owned location. This is the email I got in reply-
Good Morning Lauren,
Thank you for your call this morning.
I was able to receive verification from our Specialty Sales Team that the location you called about is not a company owned location nor a franchised location. It is owned and operated by a separate company and they purchase our products for use in their café.- Purchase their products for sale in their cafe, what a joke this place tried to become the Coffee Bean Tea & Leaf Company without paying franchise fees or taking the appropriate legal course of action in order to do so. Mr. Daniel Kim was quoted in the article “According to Daniel Kim, the current manager of Tully’s, the kiosk has started incorporating ingredients from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, and Kim hopes to completely transition to using its products by April 16. At this time, the kiosk will also change its name — putting up a sign that labels it The Coffee Bean, according to Kim” Quoted by the Daily Cal- Micheal Gethers. If any doubt of anything I have said here you can feel free to validate it all yourself. In my opinion and exercising my right to freedom of speech in this country. This place would appear to be a fraud but hey thats just my opinion. I’m entitled to my opinion aren’t I? Or aren’t I? I will repeat, but this is only my opinion THIS PLACE IS A FRAUD.
From one supplier of crap coffee to another. Yawn.
Nobody makes you spend your money there.
i don’t think you really got the point…
I got the point. Nobody makes you spend your money there.
I never have spent my money there, and it’s unlikely that I ever will. Tully’s? Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf? You may as well drink Folger’s.