Campus is buzzing again, and there’s a new place where members of the Queen’s community can grab a coffee or a meal to keep themselves energized as the fall semester gets into full swing. Café Union, a unique retail food location operated by Hospitality Services, opened in Goodes Hall at the end of August and offers a range of fresh food and beverages made by local producers.

“We believe that through our collaborations with local community partners, farmers, conscientious food producers, and our campus apiary, Café Union can strengthen the vibrancy of our campus community by fostering a shared commitment to social and sustainable business operations,” says Jennifer Pete, Director, Business Development and Communications, Housing and Ancillary Services in Student Affairs. “There are so many passionate producers in the Kingston area making high quality food, and they were eager to work with us to create a unique café that brings together Queen’s and Kingston.”

The new full-service barista-style café offers a diverse range of hot and cold coffee, espresso, tea-based beverages, and a selection of local, freshly made food items such as artisan sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches, salads, and a variety of fresh-made baked goods.

The café is located on the first floor of Goodes Hall in a space that was formerly a campus Starbucks location. Goodes Hall is also the home of Smith School of Business, which was highly involved in the planning process for Café Union.

“At Smith Business, we welcomed an opportunity for this new café to align with the goals outlined in our strategic plan, especially being a positive force in the community,” says Patrick Legresley, Executive Director, Finance, Smith School of Business. “In addition, we wanted to make sure the café provides a unique menu with healthy options that could be easily carried from one place to another by our students. Some of our students, faculty, and staff took part in a focus group that gave them the chance to taste potential items and offer feedback, which was incorporated into the menu being used now.”

Community partners

A barista helping a customer at the new Café Union.

Coffee beans for Café Union will be exclusively provided by White Buffalo, an Indigenous coffee provider that supports Indigenous farmers across many countries and sourced through experienced Fairtrade purchasers who are aware of the social and environmental issues in the areas they work. Cold beverages selections will include locally made soda’s from The County Bounty Artisanal Soda Co. and house made refreshments.

Honey used at the café comes from the campus apiary Queen’s Bee’s Honey. Located near Richardson Stadium, the apiary was established in 2022 to provide honey for the campus community through all Hospitality Services locations and promote local and sustainable food production.

Other local partners include Juniper Café, Burnbrae Farms, Wilton Cheese Factory, Wheat Kings, Woolwich Dairy, Slipacoff’s Premium Meats, Tony Deodato & Sons, and more.

Any unused, untouched foods from the café are donated daily to campus and local Kingston community partners that are committed to addressing and mitigating food insecurity.

Learn more on the Food at Queen’s website, and provide feedback on Café Union by writing to dining@queensu.ca.