While traveling several years ago, Lipscomb president Randy Lowry ran across an Au Bon Pain and wanted to bring it to campus. That idea became a reality at the cafe’s grand opening this Tuesday.
“We finally got to the point of having the place, having the time, having Sodexo’s support and having this little French cafe,” Lowry said.
The grand opening of Au Bon Pain brought in a wave of students to the newly renovated portion of the Student Activities Center. Festivities included free food samples, games like corn hole and spike ball and a raffle for Predators tickets, food coupons, reusable cups and more.
The cafe has been popular since it opened on limited hours last week.
“It’s a perfect location for folks to be able to come over and spend some time relaxing in the dining area,” said Wolcott Fary, Sodexo general manager. “In conjunction with the Student Activity Center, it’s a powerhouse punch.”
Au Bon Pain offers a wide variety of options including hot and cold sandwiches, pastries, coffee, soups and salads, plus a large seating area for students to socialize or do homework.
“It’s very popular,” junior Lindsey Lang said. “The salads are on point, so they’re really delicious, and so far the pastries I’ve had are pretty good.”
Lang said the wait to get her sandwich one day was long, but it was worth the wait.
Sophomore Zack Eccleston said he loves the new cafe and bakery.
“I love that it’s actually kind of a full service restaurant at Lipscomb, and it’s really, really good,” Eccleston said.
One popular item among students is the reusable cup. Once students have purchased the cup, they can get coffee refills for 99 cents.
“Everyone’s getting the reusable cups because it’s such a good deal,” Eccleston said.
The popular reusable cups aren’t the only things that keep students coming in. Fary said the bread is popular, as it is made in house, baked fresh three times a day.
Au Bon Pain is open 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m Monday through Friday, but Fary said the expansion of hours is being considering.
Photo by Erin Turner