On January 17th, 2025, Charlie Brubeck, the General Manager of Sodexo locations on the Berea College campus, announced the opening of a new location on campus: the Library Café.
The Library Café—similar to its sister locations, Pinnacles Café and Sandella’s Flatbread Café—is a new College-operated location on campus. It is located in the Hutchins annex where IT was formerly located and is open from 7:45 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays.
According to the Berea College Dining website, the Library Café “serves high-quality whole bean coffees along with fresh, rich-brewed, Italian style espresso beverages, a variety of pastries and confections, and coffee-related accessories and equipment.”
The same source also notes that the café serves “premium teas,” providing students with options other than coffee, sweets, and other pastries.

However, the Library Café has been met with mixed reactions from the campus community. Some welcome the space with open arms or regard it with indifference, while others have difficulty accepting it among its sister locations on campus.
This mixed reaction may be related to the presence of Starbucks products at the Library Café. Metal signs featuring the Starbucks logo and reading “We Proudly Serve” have been hung on the walls of the space. While there is a specific reason for this, the signage is vague enough to leave room for interpretation.
Furthermore, due to some inconsistencies with the café’s campus-wide introduction, it has mistakenly been confused as a Starbucks franchise installation when that is not the case. Charlie Brubeck, General Manager of Dining Services at Berea College, has provided some information to clear up any confusion among the campus community.
According to Brubeck, the café installation at the Hutchins annex is not owned nor run by Starbucks. Rather, it is a “We Proudly Serve” outlet that sells Starbucks products, namely coffee products. This would explain the signage, which may be confusing to someone who isn’t familiar with “We Proudly Serve” outlets.
The “We Proudly Serve” Starbucks website states that the “We Proudly Serve” Program is a joint effort between the recognizable Starbucks brand and the far-reaching Nestlé brand to distribute Starbucks products with an even broader scope than mere Starbucks franchise locations.

Brubeck notes that this arrangement allows for modifications to pricing and menu options according to the operator’s preference—with the operator in this case being Sodexo. This arrangement is why the café installation at Hutchins can sell a broader range of products than Starbucks products and keep the costs lower than at a Starbucks franchise installation.
This clarification, however, is likely to have little sway on those who choose to avoid the Starbucks brand. Brubeck urges those who are averse to Starbucks to try the different brands available to students at the Pinnacles Café—located in the Margaret A. Cargill Building—or the Mountaineer Dining Hall—located on the ground floor of the Alumni Building.
“I understand some students are not fans of Starbucks, but other students are,” Brubeck writes. “[T]here has been quite a bit of excitement with some students who drop by often (as well as with employees).”
If you have any questions or otherwise wish to contact Berea College Dining, their Contact Us page can be found here. Alternatively, General Manager Charlie Brubeck can be contacted at Charles.Brubeck@sodexo.com.
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