Moreton Fig Café officially reopened its doors on Sept 3. at Tutor Campus Center. It has been revamped with a new menu, interior and brand partnership. Originally a sit-down restaurant, the cafe now offers patrons coffee, tea and iced drinks in a diner-style seating to fit their new aesthetic.

Gone are the waiters and sit-down ordering; now, customers have to stand in a line, wait for their beverages to be made and pick a place to sit down. 

While the reason behind this transition from restaurant to cafe remains unclear, USC Hospitality has commented on their expanded partnership with coffee company Equator Coffees. Popovich Café in the Marshall building uses Equator’s coffee beans, and the company places great emphasis on their commitment to sustainable practices and social responsibility. 

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“We partnered with Equator, because of their commitment to the highest quality coffee, sustainable farming practices, and being a force for good in the communities they serve,” USC Hospitality wrote in a statement. “[Moreton Fig Café] is an ideal place to start your day, meet a friend or colleague for a cup of coffee under our beautiful Moreton fig trees.”

Most well-known for their two historic Moreton Bay fig trees near the patio, the restaurant offered services such as a full bar, open kitchen and private rooms available for rental as well as catering. These private rooms were utilized by faculty and research teams to get group lunches and dinners. Faculty who invited expert guests for lectures or research would treat them to a meal at Moreton Fig before they departed. 

However, they have discontinued their full bar service and removed all alcoholic beverages from their menu, reflecting a shift in the target demographic of the cafe. 

Christian Preciado, a cashier at Moreton Fig since 2022, said he has noticed a change in customer types as well as the atmosphere of the space. 

“[The restaurant] used to be geared just towards faculty,” Preciado said. “[With the cafe], we are getting a lot more students. The students are allowed to just come in here and study, and it is a lot more quiet than it was before. But, of course, it is just the first week, so as the days have been going on, it has been picking up a little more. I liked [the atmosphere] better before but I still enjoy working here.”

To celebrate their launch, the cafe offered free coffees to the first 37 people that ordered through the USC Mobile Order app at certain times on weekdays.

Among their first customers was Amadine Alcantara, a freshman majoring in international relations global business. She brought along her friend as company on her second visit to the cafe and she said the promotional posters had drawn her into the location.  

“[The coffee is] actually quite good,” Alcantara said. “I had the regular iced cafe latte, and I really liked it because it was the right amount of sweet, but also sort of bitter. I liked how they promoted it and incorporated it. I went in because it was so hot outside [and] I saw [the advertisement] stand.  It is a perfect place to study.”