Two ways to have one cup
Saahil Nandrajog ‘15 orders from Cosmic Cup barista. [Photo by Elizabeth Lucy ‘15]
Students split views of Cosmic Cup and Mojo Hill
The relatively recent addition of Mojo Hill on March Street may divide some students between choosing Mojo or Cosmic Cup for their morning coffee.
Mojo Hill opened this past May and has established itself as a favorite across campus, according to many students. Cosmic Cup has been on March Street since 2005 and is still incredibly busy despite the opening of Mojo Hill nearly right next door, according to Erin Cincotta ‘17.
“I go to both Mojo and Cosmic equally, and I don’t think Cosmic is being affected by Mojo’s business,” Cincotta said. “They both always have students inside and Cosmic is usually busy whenever I go.”
Some students, however, are loyal to one cafe over the other, depending on what they are looking for in atmosphere and food.
“Cosmic doesn’t have as many food and drink options as Mojo does,” Lia Embil ‘17 said. “I always love a large range of options when it comes to food and drinks, so I go to Mojo more.”
For others, the aesthetic and origin of the coffee is a deciding factor.
“I enjoy the atmosphere of Cosmic and the comfortable layout,” Lauren Hunt ’17 said. “Mojo is more modern and has more options, but Cosmic Coffee is ethically sourced, and meticulous precision and passion goes into choosing the best quality coffee product.”
Even though many students seem to have a preference based on atmosphere, experience and food and drink options, the businesses may not actually be competing with each other at all, according to economics Professor Christopher Ruebeck.
“In business, entry occurs as long as there’s positive economic profit,” Ruebeck said. “If we presume that business people think carefully before entering the market, that shows there’s enough business and demand for two coffee shops.”
Since Mojo and Cosmic offer different experiences, according to students, there is market potential for both businesses to succeed despite being on the same street, Ruebeck said.
“It could benefit both [Mojo and Cosmic],” Ruebeck said. “People can get more of certain products with less crowds at one location, and vice versa. So there’s a possibility that everybody ends up a winner.”
Cosmic Cup is consistently described as “busy” by some students and professors, and Mojo Hill is a campus favorite for some students.
Spiros Tatakis, owner of Mojo Hill, describes his cafe as offering a “gourmet coffee lounge”, one that combines both European and American styles. Although Mojo opened so close to Cosmic, Tatakis compared Mojo’s situation to the amount of pizza places all in a similar location on college hill.
For Tatakis, the reason he opened Mojo is not to induce competition between businesses, but rather make a meaning full addition to neighborhood.
“The key word is community,” Tatakis said. “I want to support the local community and the college community and keep quality up—this is all for you guys.”
Several attempts to contact owner of Cosmic Cup Troy Reynard were unsuccessful.
Briana • Mar 13, 2015 at 6:29 pm
I would have liked to believe that this article was well written and researched, but I think a lot more thought and effort could have gone into the piece. Especially when it talks about a campus landmark like Cosmic Cup.
Elizabeth • Mar 6, 2015 at 7:13 pm
1. meaningful*
2. I would not agree that Mojo Hill is the “campus favorite”x2
3. I am hesitant to believe that several attempts were made to contact Troy. If you ask any of the baristas at Cosmic how to reach Troy they will give you his email and tell you that he is on site almost every morning in the opening hours. I would have liked to see an interview with Troy included in this article—The Lafayette could have held the article until contact was made with him. The bias I detect is unfair. Also, some interviews with the Cosmic baristas would have been beneficial to this article.