Local coffee shop offers late hours for students
Jessica Carr/ TNJN
As the sun goes down, school books begin to open. It’s 9 p.m. and the Golden Roast, coffee shop has no seat unoccupied.
“In my case, I particularly like coming to the golden roast because I’m a night owl,” said Connor Minton, sophomore at UT. “The university is open yes, but there really is no place walking around on campus at night that is convenient. I can park in a staff lot or right outside and walk to the golden roast. It’s really nice to actually have a quaint coffee place that is open late.”
The Golden Roast has been located on Melrose Place off of Cumberland Ave for 17 years. It is open from 8 a.m. until midnight every day of the week.
“I’m not a very good morning person so; night shifts are more along my line,” said Cara Pfennigwerth, late night worker at The Golden Roast. “I think there are not many places besides bars that offer late night hours and I think coffee is more conducive to studying than alcohol.”
Abby Barnes, a UT senior, thinks late hours better fit a student’s schedule.
“They are definitely more conducive to the student schedule and when we like to study is late at night,” Barnes said. “Usually I’m in class until 5 p.m. It’s just easier to come here maybe around 8 or 9 and just stay here study for a couple of hours, undistracted.”
Barnes prefers to study at The Golden Roast over Hodges Library.
“I feel like the people here are a lot more focused,” Barnes said. “A lot of the times at the library you’ll get people goofing off. They aren’t focused. I get frustrated with them and it makes me want to leave.”
As finals week approaches, The Golden Roast will continue to serve up coffee for students at late hours of the night.
“It’s just a really relaxing work environment,” Pfennigwerth said. “It hasn’t changed much at all since it opened 17 years ago. I think it’s very familiar and calming. It’s a nice setting for students to study.”
Edited by Savannah Lucas
Food aficionado, Jessica Carr, believes her passion for food first began while learning to cook Asian and southern cuisine with her mom. Now a senior journalism major at the University of Tennessee, Carr combines her love for writing and food by cultivating restaurant reviews through her blog. As newly appointed Editor-in-chief of the Tennessee Journalist, the official news website for UT's School of Journalism, Carr plans to build experience and one day be the editor of a food magazine. When she isn’t writing, she’s most likely in a theater enjoying the latest indie film.
