Diana Nguyen has been a fan of Starbucks for years, so the third-year nursing student is especially excited to see an outlet of the coffee chain open in the Toldo Health Education Centre.

“This is right across from where I have my classes,” she said Monday as she picked up a caramel coffee with espresso shot. “I love the convenience and the variety of flavours.”

The outlet, operated under licence by Food Services, will serve customers’ favourites, says department head Dave McEwen.

“The branded partnership allows us to sell the entire Starbucks beverage platform including coffee, tea, blended hot and cold drinks,” he says.

He says while it does not allow sales of Starbucks food products, the arrangement was the right fit.

“It has allowed us to carry their core products, required a minimal capital investment, and we were able to open in four months from when we first started looking at this option,” says McEwen. “The feedback from customers has been excellent.”