“Fewer people are coming in than before”, explains manager Michiel Scheijen to Observant. “Students are increasingly going to our other cafés in the city. The SSC branch has begun to feel more like a canteen than a Coffeelovers café. We want to focus more on our branches in bigger locations.” The company runs several cafés in Maastricht, including ones in the Dominicanen bookshop and the City Library at Centre Céramique.
It is not yet clear precisely when the SSC branch will close. The lease runs until 1 September, but Coffeelovers may leave earlier. The university is in talks with another company to take over the space and hopes to reach an agreement by 1 May, says Mike van Gerwen, contract manager for food and drink at Facility Services.
Van Gerwen does not want to reveal the potential new tenant, but he says it is a “familiar face”. Other coffee bars on university grounds are run by Bandito Espresso (in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience) and the university caterer Eurest (the Bakery Café at Universiteitssingel 30).
The Coffeelovers café in the SSC employs two permanent staff members and three casual workers. All five employees will be relocated to other branches, says Scheijen.