Caffeine consumption is a necessity for most students as a way to get through the day and to stay attentive to their studies. They may decide to venture off campus and grab Dutch Bros with their friends or stay on campus because that 15-minute window in between classes is not enough time to obtain a Caramel Apple Rebel or a Cookie Butter Latte. When on campus, they must also decide whether to hastily run to the Bistro for this week’s seasonal drink or to Rick’s Cafe for a sweet treat. Some students, like myself, choose to go to both places; the Bistro serves exceptional energy drink concoctions, while Rick’s has great coffee and croissants.
Many differences influence a student's decision to open the doors of Rick’s or the Bistro. One is that Rick’s accepts both flex dollars and credit cards, while the Bistro is far more limited with payment options. For students like Molly Joyce (’27), the usage of flex dollars “feels different from spending real money.” She asserted her preference for Rick’s, although she did state that the irregularity of their hours was a drawback and mentioned that she sometimes stops at the Bistro because of this. Chloe Maki (’28), who regularly goes to the Bistro for a hot matcha latte with oat milk, mentioned that the “Bistro has reasonable prices compared to other coffee shops.”
A variety of other factors influence students’ preferences besides reasonable prices and acceptance of flex dollars, though; the aesthetic of the environment is important, too. Rick’s is located in the Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center. Its interior has a simplistic look to it, the polar opposite of the Bistro. Rick’s modernity feels more suited to completing 20-page readings, rewarding oneself with a 16-ounce iced caramel latte, and then proceeding on to the next assignment.
The Bistro’s space is disparate from Rick’s; once the door is opened, there is a clear down-to-earth aesthetic accompanied by the warmth of indie folk tunes and the simultaneous conversations going on within. Bistro social media manager Lexie Burns (’25), who has been working there for three years, described the working environment as “peer-oriented.”
When it comes to unique styles of drinks, the Bistro is not afraid of advertising its new specialties to its social media. At Rick’s, one has to get up to the counter to see what the week’s specialty drink is. However, this difference in presentation likely will not factor for most students’ preferences, as many have go-to orders at the Bistro or Rick’s. While open-mindedness can play a role in selecting drinks, students like Maki usually stick to their favorite because they fear disliking something new. For others, like Joyce, they sometimes choose to risk trying a new drink.
It’s needlessly argumentative to exclusively endorse Rick’s or the Bistro, as both places bring something that the other does not. Additionally, if a student only goes to the Bistro and hasn’t set foot in Rick’s, they can’t reasonably claim that the Bistro is better. While both shops share the same goal of satisfying students by giving them caffeinated drinks and pastries, their small quirks — like the usage of flex dollars versus a credit cards-only policy — persuade students into getting a coffee from the Bistro or Rick’s. In addition to taste, the aesthetic of the environment plays a role in preference, as humans in general are constantly — subconsciously and consciously — judging things that are in sight.
Bearcats tend to have a preferential liking for one or the other because of the apparent differences between Rick’s and the Bistro, but because they amplify their styles in different ways, one is not necessarily better than the other. I continue to frequent both places because they both have great matcha lattes!
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