By Sara Valle-Martínez
Coffee shops along Holloway Road are no longer offering student discounts due to the measures they had to follow to adapt to life after Covid-19.
Universities, including London Metropolitan, used online learning for the 2020-2021 course. With no students studying nor living in the area, most establishments closed their doors.
IO Finch, 24, co-manager of Zee Coffee said: “We used to have a student discount, but Covid-19 [messed] up everything. It was a struggle to try to reopen and stuff. Terrible.”
Universities welcomed back their students in autumn 2021 and coffee shops started thinking about reincorporating these offers.
Carolina Semprucci, 22, a student working part time in Miki’s Paradise, a coffee shop on Holloway Road, said the difference is already noticeable.
She said: “We currently don’t have a student discount. Before Covid-19 we did, as most customers used to be students. We are planning to introduce one soon now that the university is open… Something to help students and business.”
Other establishments decided to stick to the loyalty cards.
Maria Poborilova, 37, barista in The Travel Café, in front of the university, said these are more inclusive. “Students are a little part of our customers… We have a loyalty card. Yes, that way everyone can have a free coffee from time to time.”
Sara Valle-Martínez 