The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) reported expense and profit numbers for the renovation period at Rooster’s Coffeehouse, which lasted through the summer and into September 2014.
Rooster’s, a campus coffee shop owned and operated by CUSA, underwent renovations which revamped the space and decor of the popular hangout.
Originally slated to be open by the beginning of the fall semester, Rooster’s did not open until Sept. 15, and the renovations went over budget.
From May 1-Sept. 30, Rooster’s reported $241,000 in revenue, and $258,000 in total expenses.
Expenses include the salaries for two members, who were paid during the renovations, and does not include most of the normal expenditure on food.
CUSA president Folarin Odunayo said these numbers were on par with expectations for the summer, because business suffers while students are not on campus.
“Over the summer there are less people on campus, so we, all of our business actually, play catch up September through April, because of the summer,” Odunayo said.
Two Rooster’s employees were paid for full-time hours for the duration of the renovation, despite the shop being closed.
“But the only staff that were paid were the full-time staff because they have to be, they’re unionized, and they worked over the summer anyways,” he said.
The staff were given “projects,” Odunayo said.
“They managed aspects of the business that don’t actually involve running the business,” he said.
“So how we go about doing our interviews for our staff, how do we manage our staff’s timing and labour costs, how we manage morale.”
Although the renovation went overbudget, Odunayo said a deficit due to the Rooster’s renovation is not expected, and the 2014-15 budget accounted for the renovation.
“Right now we are not projecting a deficit for Rooster’s. If you look at our budget, our budget at the start of the year counted for the fact that we were going to be closed,” he said.
Odunayo had previously said no final numbers on the renovation were available, because the university was still handling final negotiations.
“We’re still negotiating change orders is the last I heard at the end of last semester, so we still don’t have final numbers,” he said.
“Of course the business is now new, better, and looks good, so what we saw in September actually was a huge influx of people coming in,” he added. “We were making a lot of money in that month.”
