The Meantime Coffee Co. to open new location at Innovate Carolina Junction

The Meantime Coffee Co. will open their second location at the Innovate Carolina Junction on Nov. 8.

Founded in 2016, Meantime is UNC's only student-run cafe. It is currently located on the first floor of the Campus Y building, where they serve a variety of drinks and pastries. The cafe currently employs 32 students and promises all baristas a living wage through their partnership with Orange County Living Wage. 

The Innovate Carolina Junction, which opened in September 2023, is the physical space on East Rosemary Street for the Innovate Carolina program — UNC’s program to encourage and support innovation and entrepreneurship.

In 2023, Meantime donated a total of $50,000 to community initiatives, including the Campus Y Fund, Durham Public Schools Hub Farm and Refugee Community Partnership. The cafe sources its food products from local businesses and prioritizes sustainability initiatives, with 80 percent of the cafe’s waste being either compostable or recyclable. 

Rose Houck, the co-founder of Meantime's second location, said Meantime chose the Innovate Carolina Junction due to the organizations’ shared goals of connecting members of the greater Chapel Hill community to UNC students.  

“By expanding Meantime’s footprint to the second location, there’s the potential to double the amount of staff, the amount of social impact and all of the other meaningful work we’re doing," she said.

Meantime CEO Noreen Mansoor said the Innovate Carolina Junction reached out to Meantime last year to initiate the partnership.

Houck said opening the new location has presented the staff with many unique challenges, but their confidence in their entrepreneurial abilities grew throughout the process.

"We had a very unique team here of very passionate students who care deeply about Meantime," she said.

Jack Wilson, one of Meantime's chief marketing officers, said he hopes that opening the second location inside the Innovate Carolina Junction will allow student customers opportunities to meet and connect with industry professionals. 

“[The new location] will open up [Meantime] to the city at large while retaining our amazing student customers," Mansoor said.

Wilson said the new location will feature a sit-down cafe — a notable change from the flagship location in the Campus Y, which does not have any seating.

The new location will cultivate a much calmer atmosphere, Mansoor said, allowing for customers to be able to actually interact and have conversations with the baristas. She also said while the current location accommodates students who quickly need to go to class, the new location will allow customers to sit down, enjoy their order and do work. 

Houck said Meantime is reaching maximum capacity at its current location in the Campus Y, which sees around 600 customers each day. Due to the small size, she said there are often lines of customers running out the door.

She also said the new location will give Meantime the opportunity to hire more baristas, expanding their professional development.

Mansoor said Meantime will continue to be entirely student-run. Additionally, she said all of the menu items currently available at the Campus Y location will continue to be available at the Junction. 

The new location will be open on Monday through Thursday from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will be closed on weekends.

There will be a grand opening event on Nov. 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with special promotions to celebrate the new location.

"It's called the Innovate Carolina Junction because they see themselves as the junction between the Town of Chapel Hill and the University," Wilson said."We would like to get in on that — to also be a junction between the students of Chapel Hill and the community."