Irfan Kovankaya was running to class and in desperate need of coffee when a green umbrella attached to a bike caught his eye.
Gator Dining debuted the #StarbucksBIKE, a wooden nitro cold brew coffee cart attached to a tricycle, on Oct. 15, Jill Rodriguez, a Gator Dining representative, wrote in an email.
Days after his first purchase, the 21-year-old UF political science junior was in a rush again as he stopped by the cart at Anderson Hall to get another cup.
“It’s a lot easier to get coffee outside instead of going into Marston,” he said. “This will probably be integrated into my daily routine.”
1. The #StarbucksBIKE is coming to homecoming.
The coffee cart will be at the UF Homecoming Festival today, Rodriguez said. People can buy coffee from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Plaza of the Americas.
2. The #StarbucksBIKE is a permanent UF addition.
The Starbucks cart is a permanent addition to Gator Dining and will continue to travel around campus, Rodriguez said.
3. The cart is the only vendor on campus that sells Starbucks’ nitro cold brew coffee.
The cart is the only location on campus where people can buy Starbucks’ nitro cold brew coffee, said Fitroya Nugent, a Starbucks cart employee.
The coffee is steeped for 20 hours like any other cold brew before it is infused with nitrogen, the 23-year-old UF alumna said.
“It’s more caffeinated,” Nugent said. “The nitrogen makes the coffee creamier and smoother without milk or sugar.”
The coffee is only available in the grande size. People can buy a 16-ounce nitro cold brew, but for an extra 50 cents, they can add some vanilla sweet cream.
4. The bicycle cart is on campus four days a week.
During a regular week, the cart circulates around campus, stopping at one location, Rodriguez said.
“The #StarbucksBIKE was developed to offer additional occasions to serve our customers where they work or congregate,” she said.
On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the #StarbucksBIKE is open from 9 a.m. to noon on Turlington Plaza, on the North Lawn and in the business school area, respectively. On Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the bike is inside the Gator Corner Dining Center and the Fresh Food Company. The bike isn’t open on Thursday.
Students can track down the bicycle cart on Gator Dining’s Instagram, Rodriguez said.
5. The bike only accepts card payments.
The bike baristas can only accept credit or debit cards for now, Nugent said. However, employees hope to eventually accept Gator 1 Cards.
Contact Jessica Curbelo at jcurbelo@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @jesscurbelo
Irfan Kovankaya, a 21-year-old UF political science junior, stops by the #StarbucksBIKE to buy a cup of nitro cold brew coffee before class.
