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Starting this fall semester cafeteria will open at Kyung Hee University (KHU) Global Campus. The bidding process is complete, and now construction is underway. It is now up to the KHU community to monitor them and see whether they bring meaningful value.

The 2nd Dormitory

Compose Coffee to Revive Vacant Spaces

Compose Coffee, a low-price coffee franchise, will open two branches in room 121 of the College of Foreign Language & Literature (FLL) building and room 108 in the College of Electronic & Information (EI) building. According to Compose Coffee, construction began on August 11, and they plan to launch the service in time for the start of the semester.

This move-in was confirmed following KHU’s recommendation. The owner of the Compose Coffee 2nd Dormitory branch explained, “I initially planned to expand only to the College of EI building. However, when the Global Campus General Affairs Team (GAT) requested us to operate in both locations, then we decided to expand to both places.”

The move raised the possibility of revitalizing the abandoned spaces. Room 121 in the College of FLL building, which formerly housed Dal.Komm Coffee, has been vacant since the business closed in December 2023. The space in the College of EI building shows a similar pattern, indicating low student demand. Therefore, Compose Coffee’s arrival could help restore activity and create new value.

Uniquely, the FLL branch is being designed as an autonomous area rather than a conventional shop, inspired by the Seoul Campus’s Space 21. “We found that room 121 is no proper space for a coffee shop. Therefore, following KHU’s request, we are designing the

space as an autonomous area rather than a commercial one,” the owner of Compose Coffee 2nd Dormitory branch added.

Despite its promise, the cafe faces risks related to ownership and management. The management structure is unusual—Compose Coffee headquarters considers the 2nd Dormitory branch and the College of FLL branch as one unit. However, the rental contract combines

both the College of FLL and EI together, while the 2nd Dormitory branch is separate. Therefore, in the case of ownership transition or business closure, these three locations could impact one another.

A New Cafeteria Operator

Another facility, the 2nd Dormitory student cafeteria, is getting a new operator, following the departure of Riaeni La Matinee last July. The dormitory conducted the bidding process from July 29 to August 7, and now they are negotiating with the new meal provider

candidates. The dormitory announced that the opening is planned for either September 15 or 21.

According to the bidding proposal, the new operator must run the business for 35 months. Three meals must be provided on weekdays, while weekend meals remain subject to negotiation.

The meal provider is now considered to be Foodist, in accordance with the dormitory. It is a company providing institutional food service in hospitals, military facilities, and sports teams, having become independent from the Hanhwa group in 2020. Regarding the details, the dormitory stated that the negotiating process is already complete, but they still cannot confirm anything official.

The new operator will receive a large advantage in terms of budget. Compared to the former meal provider, this contract reduces the annual rental fee from 40 million won to 3.9 million won and the residual value from 40 million won to 25 million won. Utility bills will now be partially covered—something not included in past agreements.

The key question is whether these changes will lead to improvements. Park Yong-ki, the former manager for Riaeni La Matinee, explained that “University meal business cannot make a surplus unless it receives financial support.” Now the new meal provider is able to run the business with 70% lower costs, indicating more leeway to focus on its service quality without financial burden.

Riaeni La Matinee now end the service from the 2nd Dormitory cafeteria

Different Visions Among Departments, Student Expectations Remain High

As the new business prepares to open, it seems that not all University departments are aligned. President Kim Jin-sang envisions improving the Global Campus’s welfare by expanding the KHU Cooperatives’s services, emphasizing the need for, “achieving equal welfare across both campuses through the KHU Cooperatives.”

In contrast, Global Campus GAT did not request a sole-source contract with the KHU Cooperatives before the bidding process, indirectly showing a preference for private companies.

Similarly, the 2nd Dormitory explained that due to its internal regulations and the KHU Cooperatives’s refusal, it had to find another operator. However, the KHU Cooperatives claimed it only received a brief call lasting less than five minutes, and then the dormitory

concluded the KHU Cooperatives did not wish to run the dormitory cafeteria.

Despite varying opinions among the University departments, students have expressed their expectations. Jung Ju-yong, a student in the

Dept. of Applied Physics, stated, “Our department’s student association revealed survey results showing that most students welcome Compose Coffee moving into the building. This reflects that students prefer coffee that is both less expensive and convenient.”

Eugenie Kiem, a student from the Dept. of Spanish, expressed optimism about the change. “Previously, I had to either buy expensive coffee at Twosome Place or walk outside the campus. I really like that a low-price cafe will move into the building,” she agreed. “As language students, we need to speak out loud for studying, which makes quiet places like the library difficult to use. The autonomous area will likely be popular among College of FLL students.”

Students hope the new meal provider will meet their demand this time. Kim Jong-ho, a student from the Dept. of Physical Education, emphasized that university meals should strike a balance between reasonable price and good taste. Riaeni La Matinee failed to deliver value for its 5,500 won meals, and he hopes the new operator will better meet students’ expectations.

Regarding the cafeteria, Jung added, “The 2nd Dormitory cafeteria has experienced numerous issues with hygiene and food quality. I hope the new meal provider can address students’ complaints as effectively as the KHU Cooperatives did at the Student Center’s

cafeteria this year.” 

Kiem remarked that even though she did not use the cafeteria much, she still recognized its problems. “I remember Riaeni La Matinee caused hygiene issues several times. I hope the newcomer can address these problems,” she added. “Sometimes they held events with discounted meal prices. I think this kind of initiative would increase satisfaction among users.”

New cafes and a cafeteria will move into unused or low-demand spaces. Although these new businesses will likely address existing complaints, their success depends on constant monitoring and dialogue about their services. The KHU community now has a responsibility to participate in shaping these businesses’ future operations.