King Cafe closes after 19 years of business in King Library

King Cafe, located in the basement of King Library, has permanently closed due to a decline in business over the past years.

Katelyn DeGregorio, the strategic communications coordinator for the Miami University Libraries, said the library was informed in late May of the closure by Miami Dining Services.

DeGregorio said there are no official plans for the space as of now, but tables and whiteboards in the area will remain open for student use.

“We've had a long standing partnership with housing and dining [services] to run a cafe out of the basement of the library,” DeGregorio said. “We understand that their strategies have changed, people's dining habits have changed, but we're still pretty invested in the partnership.”

Students were notified of the closure in an article titled, “Updates and upgrades at the Miami University Library” on Sept. 3. There is also signage on the front of the cafe with the words, “King Cafe has been permanently closed by dining services.” Notes have been posted on top of the sign saying, “I miss you King Cafe” and “Bring back King Cafe.”

“The decision to officially close the cafe was a business decision driven by a significant decrease in business volume over the past several years,” Geno Svec, senior director of dining services, wrote in an email to The Miami Student. “There are a number of factors that make a dining space successful and profitable, but they can be summarized by these key points: operational efficiency, customer satisfaction and strategic management.”

Svec also said the other cafe locations on campus, such as Dividends in The Farmer School of Business and Pulse Cafe in the Clinical Health Sciences building serve a consistent number of guests to sustain their business.

Jacey Cassandra, a senior majoring in biology and Spanish, said she had not taken advantage of the food services in King Cafe while it was in business.

“I didn't really use it in the past, so it doesn't really affect me,” Cassandra said, “but it's probably better it was there for students who really wanted food.”

For students who want a quick food option, DeGregorio said there are still vending machine options available in the basement level of King near the empty cafe space. She said she has noticed an increase in students bringing food in or getting it delivered to the library.

According to former Strategic Communications Coordinator of Miami University Libraries Vince Frieden’s article “King Library era began with symbolic "book brigade," the opening of King Cafe in 2006 was revolutionary for its time because it allowed for food and beverages in the library. During this time, the library was also open 24/7, earning the library the nickname “Club King.”

Lindsay Stevenson, a senior majoring in sport communication and media and business analytics, said she was sad to see the cafe close this semester.

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“My sister worked in the library last year, so [the cafe] would be her lunch,” Stevenson said. “The library is such a good spot for on campus dining, just because it's similar to Armstrong, this is the place where people go to work. So it would be nice to have an option right here.”

mchenrvg@miamioh.edu

bunnkm@miamioh.edu