News
Library Patrons Can Enjoy A Burger Or Coffee Marvin's Munchies
By Ryan Fennell
Shrewsbury - Traditionally, a trip to the library does not include enjoying a cheeseburger and fries, because food and drink have long been frowned upon inside libraries. At the Eastern Branch of the Monmouth County Library, that is no longer the case.
On February 13 of this year, "Marvin's Munchies" opened on the second floor balcony of the library.
Through the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired's (CBVI) Business Enterprise Program (BEP), Marvin Price was able to own and operate his own food service business inside the library.
Price, from East Orange, is legally blind and was trained to be the sole proprietor of his business through the CBVI.
According to Price, the training was a rigorous program that required training five days a week for approximately four months. The training included cafeteria training as well as accounting and other business practices in order to give each individual the opportunities to know every aspect of their business.
Despite having the training and the knowledge to run the cafe, Price can't control the sporadic flow of customers.
"Most people come to the library to do what they came to do," Price said. "They don't really think about eating or drinking in the library."
He said that the cafe was doing fairly well during the tax season because there were a lot of people coming to the library for tax help, but since April 15 business has been a lot slower.
Price has also noticed that people that come to the library who drink coffee usually bring a cup with them because it is not a common practice to get food or drink in a library.
"Most people bring coffee with them because they don't know they can get it here. My menu is affordable and you can get a large cup of coffee for only a dollar." In fact nothing on Price's menu is over three dollars.
"A library patron can get anything from a cup of coffee to hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken fingers without leaving the library," Price said.
Price has only been a New Jersey resident for the last two years and word of mouth has not been an effective way of letting people know that he is open for business. He has spent the last year studying with the BEP to open his cafe, and was one of five people in the class that have recently opened their own businesses. A similar cafe is located in the main library in Manalapan by one member of his class.
"Business has been sporadic with some days better than others," Price said. "The library itself is not often that busy so it can be hard to get customers."
The library has been cooperative in letting Price advertise at the entrance and by the elevators as well as allowing him to place menus on the tables downstairs each day.
Since Price is legally blind some of the equipment he uses may seem strange to some. His cash register "speaks" each selection made to make it easier for him to be sure of what he is entering into the register.
Price has also been provided a bill identifier that says aloud the denomination of the bill he passes through it to ensure proper change.
Price commutes by public transportation from East Orange six days a week. The cafe's hours are Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
