By Angel Gonzalez and Jennifer Gonzalez
The renovated cafe on the first floor of the Paramus campus at Bergen Community College opened its doors Sept. 8, just in time for the start of the new semester. Reporters asked students around campus what they thought of the new cafe and pizzeria.
Many students mentioned their enjoyment of the expanded menu, which used to be less diverse. The first interviewee, completing her third semester at Bergen, said, “It tastes good, it’s good coffee,” when asked about the quality of the products. The cafe and pizzeria now feature a menu filled with hot and cold drinks, a variety of flavorings, toppings and add-ons, as well as its own catalog of pastries, desserts, sandwiches and pizza.
Another student, when asked about the new staff and their service, said, “They are very efficient. The workers here are kind and patient. The revamp of the space is really beautiful, and it’s very accessible. I really like it.”
A third student, attending her first semester at the college, offered her opinion on the new atmosphere: “I like the environment. It is very relaxing. I would not change anything about it.”
The last student, who is soon to be graduating, said when asked for a comparison of the old and new spots: “I think I like this new cafe better because I feel like the products are of higher quality. The place is cleaner and more modern. Everything tastes really good.” The cafeteria’s affordability was described as a fitting place for someone who would like to have a bite without “breaking the bank.”
To understand the process behind the opening, reporters spoke with Jennifer Nicodemo, director of Capital Planning, who has been overseeing all construction plans and updates to the campus for two years. She is involved in the planning and design of all projects, large and small. When asked the reason for the remodeling, she explained:
“The cafeteria on the second floor and the cafe are part of the 10-year master plan for the college. Although the funding that we had did not cover the cafeteria upstairs, as part of our ongoing efforts, we are trying to update and modernize all of our spaces for our students, faculty and staff.”
Nicodemo disclosed that planning for the project started toward the end of 2023. These processes take longer than expected, she said. The planning management team wants to ensure they are constantly looking at what needs to be done to provide the most comfort to everyone on campus.
One of the major concerns when creating the project was giving the workers better mobility, which led to an expansion of both the pizzeria and the coffee cafe. Outdated equipment was replaced. “The old cafe and pizzeria had a lot of failing equipment, and just the visuals of it were very run-down,” Nicodemo said.
The Capital Planning 10-year master plan intends to keep up Bergen’s stylish and pleasant design steady throughout all three campuses it encompasses, Nicodemo reassured reporters, and many more updates are yet to come.
