Lucky Lab Coffee Co. opened two new stores in Moody College of Communication buildings at the beginning of the fall semester, expanding the business’s operations further on UT’s campus.
The new stores are in the G.B. Dealey Center for New Media and Building A of the Jesse H. Jones Communication Center, making them Lucky Lab’s third and fourth on-campus locations, according to the Lucky Lab website. A Moody College spokesperson said in an email the college ended their partnership with O’s Campus Cafe and Catering in the spring because it “determined a new approach is needed going forward.” The company had been operating within the Moody College for seven years.
Courtney Hutton-Natenstedt, CEO and owner of Lucky Lab, said Moody College representatives approached her in the spring with the opportunity to open two new stores where O’s Campus Cafe and Catering locations were previously located.
“We’re always excited to introduce Lucky Lab to the community,” Hutton-Natenstedt said. “We want to share our seasonal menus (and) our baked goods. (We want to) bring a little something different to the UT campus.”
Joe Sauta, owner of O’s Campus Cafe and Catering, said in an email he found out from Moody College faculty and staff that Lucky Lab would replace his businesses prior to the store’s establishment. He said the administration never informed him of Lucky Lab’s arrival. Although both of his stores were closed, he was able to relocate all employees to other locations on campus.
Sauta said he was not informed of any perceived issues, according to previous Texan coverage.
Hutton-Natenstedt said she is in the process of opening her first location outside of the University area in Dripping Springs, which is set to open in October. Eventually, she said she wants to expand the business to other college campuses, such as Texas A&M and Texas State University.
“We’re trying to see if we can replicate the brand outside of the University,” Hutton-Natenstedt said. “We have a built-in community at the University, and opening a brick-and-mortar outside of that area is something that we’ve always wanted to do. We’re going to give it a try.”
Although there is competition in the University area, Hutton-Natenstedt said she is confident that her business will continue to succeed.
“We know who we are as a brand and what we have to offer to the community, and that’s what we do,” Hutton-Natenstedt said. “The flagship (location) shares the same street as Starbucks. We have Medici, we have O’s (and) we have a lot of other coffee choices in the area. If we continue to do our craft, and we do it well and be good stewards of our community, then we don’t have anything to worry about.”
