UNC says hello to The Meantime — a new coffee shop in the Campus Y

The Meantime Coffee Co., a new student-run coffee shop in the Campus Y, opened its doors for the first time today. 

Scott Diekema, a sophomore and co-CEO of The Meantime, said the shop was busy all day with excited students — so busy they ran out of coffee and had to buy more. 

“We ran out of coffee, but it was a good thing,” Diekema said.

He said they had around 250 transactions by 2 p.m., which exceeded their original expectations.

“It has taken a lot of time and energy to get it going, and it is really cool to see it happen and to have the UNC community be so enthusiastic about it,” Diekema said.

Diekema said now that they know what to expect, they plan to make more changes — including doubling the staff and extending their hours. The coffee shop is currently open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“I think everyone realizes that we are just students too, trying to make this work and everyone is on our side,” he said.

Luke Stidham, a junior and CFO of The Meantime, said they plan to add tea and espresso to the menu on Sept. 26. 

“We’ve had like tremendous success,” Stidham said. “We’ve had just literally hundreds of people come through, so it's definitely exceeded our expectations.”

Diekema said customers have given The Meantime good feedback, saying they liked the atmosphere and how similar The Meantime is to the Daily Grind, which closed this summer. 

Alec Di Ruzza, a junior, said he liked the genuine feel of The Meantime. 

“I’m not a big fan of Alpine coffee, so I was really excited to find out that there’s another coffee shop opening on campus, especially one a lot of my friends are running,” Di Ruzza said. 

For students like Johnny Rubin, The Meantime provides more hang out spaces on campus along with more coffee options. 

“It is definitely better than Starbucks, by far,” he said. 

Brook Wilensky-Lanford, a second year PhD student in religious studies, said she heard about The Meantime a few weeks ago and was looking forward to the environment in the Campus Y. 

“I think it is the comfortable space and it is not as crowded as other coffee options on campus, and I also like that it is student-owned and benefits like locally roasted coffee and students’ causes from what I understand, so always happy to support that.”

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