Syracuse University students remember Pages Cafe, anticipate new Starbucks
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UPDATE: This story was updated at 3:47 a.m. on August 27, 2026.
When working late night shifts as a producer in the CitrusTV sports department, Syracuse University junior Charlie Scott needed a pick-me-up — past dining center hours.
Pages Cafe in Bird Library was his solution.
“We always needed a late-night snack, and Pages was open the latest,” Scott said. “Not having to use our dining dollars was pretty awesome, too.”
In April, SU Campus Dining announced a full-service Starbucks would move into Pages in Bird before the fall semester. This marks the third Starbucks on campus with a full-service location on West Campus plus a “We Proudly Serve” spot in the Canteen at the National Veterans Resource Center.
The change took social media by storm. Students shared their happiness and disdain for Pages’ replacement on popular campus forum Yik Yak. Campus Dining also shared an Instagram Reel about the new location that garnered comments such as “no” and “Y tho.”
SU senior Robert Rickman agreed with the commenters and opposes the erasure of Pages. Whether it be a late-night study session with friends or an early-morning coffee, Pages was integral to the campus experience, Rickman said. Its drip iced coffees no longer exist, and in its place are Starbucks venti frappucinos.
What most students grieve is the loss of Pages’ meal swipe dinner. It originated in November 2023 as a limited-time option during finals week, when the cafe extended its operational hours. Students could use one meal plan swipe for a breakfast or packaged sandwich, a snack and a cold beverage.
At the new Starbucks, meal plan dining dollars, CUSE Cash or credit cards are accepted, but students can no longer use their meal swipes after dining hall hours.
“I just think the fact that it was a meal swipe system once it passed dining hall hours was amazing,” Scott said. “It’s something that we really utilized for those late nights when we couldn’t really make it to dining halls.”
SU Food Services worker and junior Harrison McClements worked at Pages for almost two academic years. In his time there, he said he met a lot of hard workers, including his supervisors, many of which turned into his friends.
“I tried to build really good relationships with coworkers and that’s what happened,” McClements said. “And I got to a point where I would go into work and I look forward to it because I was either working with my friends or I became friends with who I was working with.”
Last fall, McClements and his coworkers began hearing rumors about Starbucks possibly moving into Pages. His team was notified of the official change before the student population knew. The workers’ initial reactions were mostly positive, McClements said. He and his coworkers thought it was “pretty cool” to join something larger.
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Some students appreciated Pages’ novelty and independence, and the transition into a larger corporation is unwelcome. Scott said the commercialization of the location is not an issue, but losing Pages’ late-night convenience is. Pages was a specific SU spot, and removing it from Bird takes away the charm of the library and campus as a whole, Rickman said.
“Not everything needs to be a chain,” Rickman said. “I feel like Pages being so uniquely SU was what made it different.”
Scott said he was confused by the change to Starbucks. At Pages, he could get a coffee and a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich, he said. He didn’t care whether the coffee was grande or venti.
However, the people working at Pages saw the changes as a way to continue growing in revenue and campus reach, McClements said. As a franchise and national company, there would be more opportunities for improvement, and it would bring a much-needed “breath of fresh air,” McClements added.
“The first question I had, and how everyone really was, is can we still keep our jobs?” McClements said.
Fundamentally, the answer to that question was yes, McClements said. But they had to do so without priority. Former Pages employees were invited to apply and be re-hired as any other new applicant would, McClements said. The rehiring process would also include being trained by Starbucks. McClements decided to continue working for Food Services instead of applying to work at Starbucks.
The thought of new students not knowing Pages or taking advantage of the flexible hours is upsetting, Rickman said. He’s disappointed that new students wouldn’t experience Pages’ signature long lines on late nights during final exam season.
“I vividly remember the experience of waiting in line for half an hour just to get a breakfast sandwich,” Rickman said. “And even though it was annoying having to wait in line for that long, I feel like that added to the experience.”
Despite the lines, the convenience of the location and meal swipe option were unmatched, Scott said. Even the late 9 to 11 p.m. hours where meal swipes were accepted at Pages were “clutch,” he added.
McClements said an alumni once ordered at Pages and showed him his old Pages employee card from years back, which featured a logo of the Carrier Dome — not the JMA Wireless Dome. That interaction spoke to the type of camaraderie that was found at Pages, McClements said.
“It’s tough to think that in a few years, Pages might be something that people don’t know about anymore with new students,” McClements said. “My hope is that it definitely gets the kind of recognition that it deserves.”
DISCLAIMER: Harrison McClements is a contributing writer for The Daily Orange. McClements did not influence the editorial content of this article.
