The Square Café Soft Launches in The Percy Gee Building

11th Apr 2025 | By UoL Food and Drink

A bold new brew to try.  

Exciting things are brewing in the heart of the Percy Gee Building, as The Square Café opens for a soft launch on Monday, 28th April.  

Formerly branded as ‘We Proudly Serve Starbucks’, the reimagined outlet in SU Square is inviting customers to be the first to try its new exclusive coffee flavour, The Square Roast, completely free. 

Crafted in partnership with our Sheffield-based coffee supplier and roasters – Cafeology, The Square Roast is a smooth, dark roast tailored specifically for the café and its community. Holding its own in any brew, this rich blend has gentle hints of cocoa, a more refined bitterness, and a flavour profile reminiscent of the Starbucks roast that regulars know and love, but with a local, bespoke edge. 

“The aim was to keep that bold flavour our customers enjoyed, but refine it into something unique to us,” said Naomi Kirby, Retail Manager at University of Leicester Food and Drink. “With help from our roasters, we’ve created something that’s smooth, rich, and distinctly ‘The Square’.” 

The soft launch marks the first public tasting opportunity, where customers are encouraged to sample the new coffee blend and share their thoughts on food items from the menu as part of the café’s development phase. These insights will help shape the final offering ahead of the official grand opening. 

The Square Café’s transformation is designed to deliver great value food and drink options, tailored to students, staff, and visitors alike. With a focus on affordability, speed of service and sustainability, the menu will feature everything from hot breakfast bites, tasty lunch options and made in-house salad bowls to indulgent desserts, barista served hot drinks and seasonal cold drinks. 

Customers can expect further updates on the full opening through University communication channels, but in the meantime, they’re encouraged to stop by on Monday 28th April, sip something new, try new menu items and be part of what’s set to become the new campus go-to.