Update: As of Nov. 1, Decadence is open for business.
Decadence, a sweet shop managed by Residential & Dining Enterprises(R&DE), is under construction at Tresidder next to Fraiche Yogurt and will fill the space formerly occupied by Peet’s Coffee. The store’s opening date is currently unknown.
According to Michael Gratz, executive director of Stanford Hospitality and Auxiliaries, Decadence will offer a variety of the Bay Area’s “best desserts,” including cakes, chocolate, cupcakes and pastries.
The store is one of several “food concepts” created by R&DE to operate within the Union Square area inside Tresidder Union. R&DE introduced two other food concepts over the summer — Basils, which serves Italian entrees like deep-dish pizza, baked lasagna and pasta dishes, and Heirlooms, which rebranded the Tresidder salad bar.
“When you look at the entire serving area and all the food options in that space, [R&DE is] trying to develop things that complement one another,” said Jeanette Smith-Laws, director of operations and student unions.
Smith-Laws said that R&DE typically surveys students or holds focus groups before deciding to introduce a new food concept and often changes their menus in order to “keep up with the food trends.”
According to Smith-Laws, R&DE previously managed the Peet’s Coffee that is now being replaced by Decadence. Though she could not confirm that R&DE shut down Peet’s because of the installation of Starbucks in Tresidder this summer, she said that it “doesn’t make sense” to have two coffee retailers competing in one student union.
Kenny Johnson ’14 said that while he doesn’t often dine at Tresidder, he believes the sweet shop will fill a unique niche and is an appropriate use of the available space.
“It’s hard to put in a bigger restaurant, so a sweet shop kind of makes sense,” he said. “There are more grandiose, better food options that I would like to have, but I know that space is pretty small so it would be really hard.”
According to Smith-Laws, R&DE’s introduction of new food concepts like Decadence has contributed to the effort to “revitalize Tresidder and make Tresidder the best place it can be” by drawing student interest.
“I’m glad they are opening a new food establishment,” Ketaki Shriram ’13 said. “I don’t go to Tresidder that much, but I’ll go there to check out the sweet shop.”
Carolyn Rennels ’14 agreed.
“I don’t really know much about it but it seems exciting. I have a sweet tooth, so it’ll be good,” she said.