Walking through the first floor of the University's Medical Education Building, visitors would hardly know they were in the third branch of Bagel Gourmet Cafe if it were not for the distinctly familiar aroma of bagels that fills the air at the end of a corner hallway.
This Bagel Gourmet is not like the others — the cramped tables and fluorescent lighting of the Brook Street location have been replaced by curved wooden counters and warm burgundy walls that look not unlike the rest of the recently opened building.
"It's the same bagels, and it's the same employees," said manager Marcelino Lozano. But he called this cafe "totally different." This branch is noticeably larger than the Bagel Gourmet locations on Brook and Thayer streets, with plenty of places to sit.
Other changes include mounted televisions that electronically display the menu, a computer system to replace manual cash registers and the option to call in orders or place them online.
The menu also includes some novel additions, including pastries, fruit and green salad. "We're planning to add a few more items, like grilled chicken and French fries," Lozano said.
It is unlikely that these changes will make their way to the Bagel Gourmets already familiar to students, Lozano said. The Brook and Thayer locations do not have as many refrigerators to store perishable foods.
The new cafe is still a work in progress. "There's no advertising yet," Lozano said. "We're still figuring out how the store will be and how to run it."
Business is fairly slow for the time being — one weekend, there were only two customers. But it is "picking up, little by little," Lozano said. The majority of customers so far have been medical students, but other members of the community have also stopped in.
Keith Butts, MD'15, said the cafe provides "lots of options," not just for medical students, but also for people from the BioMedical center. Butts is already a regular — "I get the cheese sandwich every day," he said.
