The new brew in town:
Starbucks adds new face to Rock Hill coffee scene
Frank Stewart
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For those students who are looking for a coffee fix and are worn out with the options around campus, the friendly staff at the new Starbucks Coffee on Celanese Road can accommodate even the most discriminating coffee connoisseur.
Starbucks celebrated their grand opening April 2, breaking opening records for the company.
"Customers are very excited that we’re here and the response so far has been very positive,” said Andrea Dunham, manager of the new Starbucks.
Dunham suggested the Celanese Road location, with its proximity to I-77, has been very successful. Morning commuters to Charlotte have been frequenting the location since it opened two weeks ago.
Dunham has been a manager for Starbucks for four years, transferring from Pineville, N.C., where she has managed two Starbucks locations.
Many students are familiar with Starbucks, have enjoyed their favorite beverage at their local Starbucks in their hometown and are glad to see the emergence of one in Rock Hill.
Rita McCort, a junior business administration major, is excited to see Starbucks come to Rock Hill.
“It’s great actually. I love Starbucks. I had one near my home in New Jersey and I have missed going there,” McCort said.
Although the new Starbucks doesn’t offer any discounts to Winthrop students, Dunham explained that it is corporate policy and, in keeping with those policies, they don’t offer discounts to anyone.
Dunham, who lives in Rock Hill, is optimistic about the impact Starbucks will have in the community and is glad that she could be a part of the effort to bring Starbucks to her home community.
Already, the new location has been donating coffee and food to the Pilgrim’s Inn three times a week. Dunham is also working with a volunteer grant program with the Pilgrim’s Inn, where Starbucks corporate will donate $10 per hour for every hour of volunteer service from her staffers.
The new Starbucks has five Winthrop students on staff. Dunham knows how important Winthrop is in the community, as her husband, Thomas Dunham, is campus police officer on campus.
“Starbucks not only has the best coffee, but the best people as well,” Dunham said.
Starbucks invests in its people, offering part-time employees benefits such as full medical and dental insurance, 401K and tuition reimbursement.”
According to the staff, Frappuccinoshave been the most popular drink since Starbucks opened, and, aside from the commuters in the morning, the turnout has been great in the evenings with a large turnout from neighbors in the community.
The evening seems to be a great time to visit Starbucks, especially when the “Chocolate Decadence” begins each afternoon.
Chocolate Decadence is the official name of the specialty chocolate desserts and beverages line that launched in February of this year. Preceding the rollout of the Chocolate Decadence campaign, Starbucks released Chantico Drinking Chocolate, a rich, all chocolate beverage like nothing you’ve ever tasted.
Gene Lutz, a visiting manager to the new location said, “A Chocolate Decadence dessert is better than any dessert you can get in a restaurant.”
Lutz, who will soon be managing his own Starbucks in Charlotte, urged everyone to skip dessert after your dinner out and come experience the full line of Chocolate Decadence.
William Folden, 24-year-old sophomore, was happy Rock Hill finally got a Starbucks. Folden, an English major, also works at an area hotel, and says he is asked at least five times a day from hotel guests where the nearest Starbucks is located.
Folden said, “Starbucks is a piece of sanity for travelers, and it is something they have at home they can seek comfort in.”
