As September and the return to campus approaches, local vendor Renaissance Coffee plans to upgrade the shop in preparation for campus reopening. The shop closed briefly last year due to COVID-19, but reopened in September 2020.
The Peak spoke with the store owner, Parminder Parhar, for an update on the business and its plans for the upcoming term.
“I’m really dying to see the energy back on the campus,” Parhar said. He added Renaissance Coffee plans to renovate, “look fresh and ready for reopening, and improve our menu.”
They also have a new marketing team led by marketing students. They were responsible for establishing the business’ new social media presence on Facebook and Instagram.
“They were looking for [a] project, so we joined hands and we are helping each other out,” Parhar said. “I’m really excited about this and exploring the opportunity.”
Due to low traffic over the summer, the shop has limited menu offerings of coffee, bagels, and baked goods. They are also serving lunch items including sandwiches, butter chicken, chana masala (chickpea curry), rice, and naan.
Although business has been slow, Parhar said he was happy to see people support the shop when they came to campus.
“As the new added energy comes back to the campus, we’re going to get better,” Parhar said. He also aims to make the shop’s full menu available again in September.
According to Parhar, the pandemic has caused some shop losses. “Hopefully that is behind us. Majority of the people are vaccinated and things are looking great from here on.
“We take a lot of pride in our food and we do a fantastic job on that and we will keep doing that. At this point in time, I really need support from the community.”
At the moment, the shop operates in full staff service to reduce potential COVID-19 touch points. All staff are required to wear masks on duty. Following SFU’s COVID-19 guidelines, customers are expected to practice social distancing and masks are recommended. To protect staff and customers, the shop also has limited seating and uses protective barriers.
Stay connected with Renaissance Coffee on their Instagram and Facebook and find them at SFU Burnaby campus at AQ 3000.
