1–Dollar Per–Oz. Coffee
Photo by Brendan Phillips
If there are two things I’ve complained about most in my time at Santa Clara University, they are the lack of good food options nearby and the disgraceful prices I see at each one. Having come a long way from the Midwest, I’ve spent all four of my college years carless, which means I’m limited to restaurants and stores within walking distance. At this point I’ve tried them all, which is not a very difficult task considering there are about 15 in total. The quality of food certainly varies—for every delicious bowl at Ramen Taka there’s a supremely overpriced, flavorless meal at the now permanently closed Wicked Chicken, an establishment whose only excitement was brought by its weekly furry meetups. Throughout all this time, I couldn’t help but wonder why a college town doesn’t really exist around our school, especially when I see multiple empty buildings waiting to be given life.
And so, a potential solution has arisen. With the 6-story Benton Apartments arriving right outside campus in early 2022, multiple new store outlets were built lining its ground floor. One of these outlets was taken by the newly popular 1 Oz. Coffee. I first heard of the place from a friend hyping up a date he had there, and as someone who drinks coffee daily, I thought I’d give it a try. I had been to Voyager and Starbucks, and I was excited to see if the prices here could save me from the ever-terrible ones I was used to. Upon arriving, I saw both classmates and a professor of mine walking out, so it was clear that the place had some traction. But when I saw a sign on the front desk that read “Dear 1 Oz. Coffee friends, we have to raise prices due to the minimum wage and food cost increase,” I knew the price operation was doomed.
One quick glance at the menu left me mortified. Espresso for $4.50? Vanilla latte for $7?? Prosciutto toast for $17??? Despite the horror, I couldn’t let my stinginess get in the way of trying new things. I ultimately settled for the $6.25 Kyoto cold brew, still a noticeable increase from Starbucks’ $5.45 Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew or Voyager’s $5.00 cold brew, both of which also pay food and minimum wage costs. As for the flavor? Pretty good—it tasted pretty similar to most cold brews I’ve had. The main positive takeaways I had were with the staff and the ambiance. The staff was quite friendly and helpful, and the vibe of the shop was clean and cozy. The outdoor seating section was also a popular choice among customers, with most sitting beneath the palm trees and string lights.
Regardless of my gripes with the price tags, 1 Oz. Coffee could mark a new beginning for the university. As my professor recently mentioned in class, “I’ve always wondered why it doesn’t feel like a college town around here.” Funny enough, this was the same professor I saw enjoying the new coffee shop on my quest. These new lots opening up and yielding popular restaurants for students could bring a lot more life to the area we call home, and I’m all for it. I just hope the next one is called $1 coffee.