ASUC May Bump Coffee Spot With a Bigger Chain Business

One on-campus restaurant is worried about its future at UC Berkeley after hearing rumors that it may be replaced by a larger chain corporation to bring in more profits.

The ASUC Senate is considering replacing The Coffee Spot, located in the Bear’s Lair on Lower Sproul Plaza, with a larger corporation, said ASUC Auxiliary Director Nadesan Permaul.

“The ASUC is looking into how the Bear’s Lair area may be best utilized,” ASUC President Oren Gabriel said in an e-mail.

According to Haitham Alloum, the owner of The Coffee Spot, which has been in its current location since 1987, it was brought to his attention by a janitor that his business might be replaced by a larger corporate chain, like Starbucks or Peet’s Coffee & Tea.

No formal discussions have taken place with these businesses, Permaul said.

But changes to the Bear’s Lair businesses could be very beneficial to students, Gabriel said.

“As the number of student groups continues to rise, the ability of the ASUC to fund these groups is limited,” he said. “The ability to increase revenues from the ASUC businesses in Lower Sproul could greatly increase funding for student groups new and old.”

Alloum said he is not surprised by the financial motivations but is hurt by the ASUC’s treatment of his business and what he said is the lack of respect he has received despite his business’s longstanding position on campus.

“They’re looking at how the market is changing and they never see that all these places are going out of business because of big corporate America,” Alloum said.

Bringing in larger corporations to revitalize business is taking place in the area around UC Berkeley, with Chipotle and Walgreens opening new stores on Telegraph Avenue.

Alloum said the current situation is similar to an effort in the late 1990s to replace smaller businesses, but the students and businesses petitioned and rallied to save the Bear’s Lair.

“In ’97 we all stood up and we were all one voice because whatever happens to my next-door neighbor can happen to me,” he said.

But this time, he said he fears that the strategy of replacing one business at a time will not be as easily stopped.

“Right now they’re starting with me, but you never know what they’re up to,” he said.

Other Bear’s Lair business owners—such as Taqueria El Tacontento owner Arnoldo Martinez—said they have been promised safety from Permaul.

“Nad came by and said me and the next business will be fine,” Martinez said. “But I am worried because they might say that to not bring everyone together.”

One reason that Alloum said he thinks he is being targeted is because The Coffee Spot is operating on a month-by-month lease, which makes the store more vulnerable.

“We’re trying to negotiate a new lease with them but they said don’t worry about it,” he said.

Alloum said he has asked supporters of his store not to protest until after he and other business owners meet with the ASUC Senate in a few weeks.

“We are here because of the students,” Alloum said. “You’ve got to give back and we do what we can. I help them out as much as I can.”

Gabriel said that students’ opinions are a top priority and that he is creating a survey to find out what types of businesses students would like to see.

“The ASUC is the student government and no action will take place if it is against the will of the majority of students,” Gabriel said.

Tags: