(Butler, PA) Brian McCafferty entered the new Vintage @ BC3 Bistro for the first time Wednesday morning before attending a meeting with fellow Butler County Community College trustees.

“This,” he said, “is fantastic.”

Seated just inside was Evan Sutton, a networking and cybersecurity student from Butler who was finishing a western burger “with bacon, barbecue sauce and onion rings,” he said.

“This is really cozy and inviting in here,” he said. “And the food is good too.”

Sydney Bayless, a registered nursing student from West Sunbury, and Sophia Fleeger, a health care science student from Butler, were sipping lattes.

“When I walked around the corner and saw this, I thought, ‘This looks crazy down here,’” Bayless said. “It’s huge and it looks so pretty. I told (Fleeger) ‘You can catch me down here literally every day that I am at school.’”

 

“But this is above and beyond what I thought it was going to be.”

Brian McCafferty, BC3 trustee

 

Community grand opening Jan. 27-28

BC3 trustees approved an agreement Oct. 15 that authorized Vintage Coffeehouse, 209 S. Main St., Butler, to succeed CRH Catering Co., Connellsville, to operate, manage and provide food services on the college’s main campus in Butler Township.

The Vintage @ BC3 Bistro is located on the lower level of Founders Hall and replaces the Pioneer Café, whose 5,000-square-foot space underwent a $200,000 renovation from November to mid-January that included new flooring and furniture.

The bistro debuted Tuesday to mostly BC3 students, faculty and staff on the first day of the spring semester. A community grand opening is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 27 and Jan. 28.

The introduction of the bistro follows that of the Vintage @ BC3 Café in November in the Heaton Family Learning Commons, the college’s academic and community library.

Patrons who place an order at the bistro’s community grand opening will receive a free cupcake while supplies last. The event will also include glass-cup decorating with markers and stickers, giveaways and the announcement of the winning drink recipe from the café’s community grand opening.

“BC3 is the community’s college,” said Peter Kupas, who with his wife, Angela, owns Vintage Coffeehouse. “We had a couple of community members come in (Wednesday) morning and they said that was the first time they had ever been on campus. There is so much to do here with the (Shaffer and Imhoff) walking trails and the library.”

Vintage’s bistro and café, said Megan M. Coval, BC3’s president, “reflect the kind of welcoming, inclusive environment we have always worked to create as the community’s college. We want people to feel at home here, to feel that this is their college, because it truly is.

“As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, it’s especially meaningful to be able to offer spaces where the community can come not only to learn, but also to connect, whether that’s taking a class, enjoying a cup of coffee, walking around campus or checking out a book from the library. These are the small but important ways BC3 continues to happily serve the community we’ve been part of for six decades.”

 

“As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, it’s especially meaningful to be able to offer spaces where the community can come not only to learn, but also to connect …”

Megan M. Coval, BC3 president 

 

“I like the vibe.”

Brynn Siegel, BC3 biological science student

 

“I love the ambiance in here.”

Cory Killian, BC3 psychology student

 

“It doesn’t feel like a regular college cafeteria.”

Shawn Crilley, BC3 networking and cybersecurity student

 

 

“A good hangout spot”

The Vintage @ BC3 Bistro seats approximately 75 and features new tables, chairs and booths, 75-inch television screens -- and an electric fireplace, where Brynn Siegel, a biological science student from Zelienople, was having an American cheeseburger and french fries.

“I like the vibe,” Siegel said. “It is like where you would go to see your friends and hang out and grab lunch. It feels like I could just go up to anyone right now and just start talking to them because it is more open and inviting.”

Cory Killian is a psychology student from Mars who was playing billiards in an area aside the bistro.

“I love the ambiance in here,” Killian said. “It sets a vibe when you come in here. There are people in here. You can meet friends in here. It’s an upbeat, positive vibe with all the lights and seating. It sets you up for conversations.”

Added Fleeger: “A good hangout spot. It’s very calm in here.”

The bistro’s antiques, black-and-white photographs, wooden furniture and other period pieces “are a nice touch,” said Joseph Colley, a computer science student from Butler. “I like to see something kind of retro compared to modern or abstract. It gives more substance to everything.”

“It doesn’t feel like a regular college cafeteria,” said Shawn Crilley, a networking and cybersecurity student from Fairview who had ordered a slice of pepperoni pizza.

Peter and Angela Kupas opened Vintage Coffeehouse in May 2022. Kupas at age 46 graduated magna cum laude in BC3’s Class of 2023 with an associate degree in the college’s business management career program.

Vintage Coffeehouse will sell its own menu items, and foods made by Nosh & Nest, Butler; Batch, Saxonburg; and Pennie’s Bake Shop and Espresso Bar, Butler, Kupas said.

 

 

“This is above and beyond what I thought”

The Pioneer Café needed to be updated, said McCafferty, the BC3 trustee.

“But this is above and beyond what I thought it was going to be,” McCafferty said. “This has a very comfortable vibe when you walk in. I see the coffeeshop look here, which is really great and relaxing for students to come in and study and hang out, to have a place to gather and have a sense of community.”

The Vintage @ BC3 Café is open from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and the Vintage @ BC3 Bistro, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays.