ASUCD Coffee House

What ASUCD Coffee House does

ASUCD Coffee House (commonly "CoHo") is a student-run dining facility operated by the Associated Students of the University of California at Davis (ASUCD), a unit of the UC Davis student government housed within the University of California system. Founded in 1968 and currently located on the West Side of the Memorial Union, the operation runs a multi-platform foodservice model featuring seven distinct stations under one roof: Swirlz (bakery, espresso, smoothies), Deli by CoHo (bagels and sandwiches), TxMx by CoHo (Tex-Mex), CIAO by CoHo (pizza and pasta), Ikoma Sushi-Mandalay Express (sushi and pho), Cooks by CoHo (homestyle plates), and Chickpea by CoHo (Halal Mediterranean bowls and wraps). A satellite CoHo South Cafe operated in the Student Community Center from January 2012 until its permanent closure on June 11, 2026. Supporting offerings include CoHo Marketplace (grab-and-go), CoHo Catering for campus events up to 50 people, and facility rentals for performances and conferences.

The underlying "technology" of the operation is in-house food preparation by student teams (fresh-baked goods, in-house pizza dough, signature sauces, freshly prepared sushi) combined with a broad payments stack spanning cash, Visa/MasterCard/Discover, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo card, PayPal, Samsung Pay, Aggie Cash (UC Davis campus debit), and proprietary CoHo Gift Cards; no mobile app, API, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. The operation is staffed by 5 full-time career employees, approximately 40 part-time student supervisors, and over 250 student employees (hiring 80-100 new students annually), with career staff promoted from within the student pipeline.

Commercially, ASUCD Coffee House operates on a mandated break-even financial basis rather than a profit-maximizing model, with an explicitly stated objective to provide the highest quality food at the lowest possible prices. Revenue is generated primarily through direct walk-in transactions across the seven food platforms plus catering and facility rentals, serving more than 7,000 students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors daily. The unit is funded within the ASUCD/UC Davis system and is not a venture-backed, for-profit enterprise; it has no funding rounds, no M&A history, and operates exclusively in a single domestic market (Davis, California).

Name

ASUCD Coffee House

Legal name

ASUCD Coffee House (Associated Students of the University of California at Davis)

Website

https://coffeehouse.ucdavis.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

ASUCD Coffee House is a student-run, multi-station dining facility at the UC Davis Memorial Union serving 7,000+ students, faculty, and staff daily through seven food platforms and catering, operating as a $4M break-even unit of ASUCD that employs 250+ students annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Campus Dining Services

NAICS

Cafeterias, Grill Buffets, and Buffets (722514)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail Dining & Quick Service (On-Campus) (EDALADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nutrition, Dietary Management & Allergen/Accommodation Services (EDALADAJ), Coffee Shops, Cafés & Beverage Programs (EDALADAG), Catering & Events Food Service (EDALADAC)

Keywords

• Campus dining services
• Student-run foodservice
• Multi-platform restaurant
• Event catering services
• Grab-and-go cafe

Headquarters

HQ city

Davis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Dining Services Revenue: The Coffee House operates as a break-even $4M operation generating revenue through multiple food service platforms including Swirlz bakery, Deli, TxMx grill, Ciao pizzeria, Ikoma sushi, Cooks, and Chickpea stations. Revenue comes from direct customer purchases at various food stations serving over 7,000 customers daily.
2. Catering Services: Catering offers for meetings, events, and campus celebrations including coffee service, baked goods, pizzas, and sandwich boxes for groups up to 50 people.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The ASUCD Coffee House operates a multi-platform, student-run foodservice inside the UC Davis Memorial Union, serving inexpensive and nutritious food across seven in-house stations (bakery, deli, Tex-Mex, pizza/pasta, sushi/pho, homestyle, and Halal Mediterranean), plus a grab-and-go marketplace and event catering for campus groups. The $4M break-even operation serves more than 7,000 students, faculty, and staff daily, with 5 full-time staff and over 250 student employees preparing fresh items on-site.

Product overview

ASUCD Coffee House operates as a multi-platform foodservice operation within the UC Davis Memorial Union, featuring seven distinct food stations under one roof. The portfolio includes Swirlz Bakery (coffee, pastries, smoothies), Deli by CoHo (bagels, sandwiches), TxMx by CoHo (Tex-Mex), CIAO by CoHo (pizza, pasta), Ikoma Sushi-Mandalay Express (sushi, pho), Cooks by CoHo (homestyle meals), and Chickpea by CoHo (Halal Mediterranean). Supporting services include the CoHo Marketplace (grab-and-go), CoHo South Cafe (satellite location, now closed), and CoHo Catering for events. The operation also manages facility rentals for conferences, live performances, and table tent marketing reservations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Swirlz Bakery Bakery and coffee bar station serving fresh-baked pastries (many made in-house by the student team), specialty drinks, espresso beverages, smoothies, organic teas, and Pachamama Gourmet Coffee; open to walk-in campus customers at the Memorial Union.
• Deli by CoHo Deli station offering locally sourced bagels with homemade cream cheese spreads, signature toasted sandwiches, and build-your-own sandwich options with customizable breads, proteins, cheeses, and toppings.
• TxMx by CoHo Tex-Mex station serving all-day breakfast burritos, nachos, tacos, and quesadillas with customizable options and fresh ingredients.
• CIAO by CoHo Pizza and pasta station featuring fresh-made dough crafted in-house daily, signature pizza sauce, rotating seasonal toppings, and daily-made pasta options with meat and vegetarian varieties.
• Ikoma Sushi-Mandalay Express Sushi station offering freshly crafted sushi rolls daily with premium ingredients, plus authentic pho with slow-simmered broth and rice bowls with vegetables, chicken, beef, or curry.
• Cooks by CoHo Homestyle dining station serving daily-rotating plates, bowls, hearty entrees, homemade soups, chili, and fresh deli salads.
• Chickpea by CoHo Mediterranean-style station offering 100% Halal bowls and wraps with turmeric rice or spring mix, chicken shawarma or falafel, fresh vegetables, hummus, and house-made sauces.
• CoHo Catering Catering service for UC Davis campus meetings, events, and celebrations offering coffee service, handcrafted pizzas, freshly baked pastries, cookies, brownies, cupcakes, breakfast breads, lunch boxes, and bagel boxes for gatherings of up to 50 people.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7,000 customers served daily at the most popular dining facility on UC Davis campus
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ASUCD Entertainment CouncilminorOthersHandles live performance bookings at the Coffee House. The Coffee House staff does not book acts or sell tickets; all live performance inquiries should be directed to the Entertainment Council via their website or email.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Aramark: Global food service and facilities provider with significant higher-education dining business. Comparable as a large-scale operator of campus dining halls, residential dining, and retail food platforms on U.S. university campuses — a model ASUCD Coffee House is structurally similar to but self-operates rather than contracts out.
• Sodexo Education: Major contracted food service provider with a dedicated higher-education segment that operates residential dining, retail cafés, and event catering on campuses. Directly comparable as a third-party operator of the same multi-platform campus dining services ASUCD Coffee House self-operates.
• Chartwells Higher Education (Compass Group): Higher-education dining brand of Compass Group, one of the largest contracted campus foodservice operators in the U.S. Comparable because it runs multi-platform residential dining, retail cafés, and catering on hundreds of university campuses — the same service mix CoHo delivers at UC Davis.
• Peet's Coffee: Specialty coffee chain with strong university campus presence and bakery-adjacent menu. Comparable as a coffee/bakery platform (similar to Swirlz) competing for the same student beverage and snack occasions.
• Starbucks: Largest U.S. specialty coffee chain with extensive on-campus locations. Comparable as a competing campus coffee/beverage destination for the same student wallet, though it does not operate multi-platform dining halls.
• Panera Bread: Fast-casual bakery-café chain offering coffee, soups, sandwiches, and salads. Comparable as a competing off-campus value-priced café option for UC Davis students and as a comparable multi-category quick-service format to CoHo's stations.

Direct peers

• UC Berkeley Dining Services (Cal Dining): Self-operated residential and retail dining program at another UC campus. Closest direct peer — a university-affiliated multi-platform dining operation serving a comparable student population with similar break-even/cost-recovery economics.
• Stanford Dining, Hospitality & Auxiliary Services: Self-operated dining services at Stanford University featuring residential dining halls, retail cafés, catering, and sustainability programs. Comparable as a university self-operated dining program with multi-platform format and strong sustainability credentials.

Others

• U.S. Foods: Major U.S. broadline foodservice distributor serving restaurants, cafeterias, and institutional foodservice operators. Comparable as a key vendor relationship supporting CoHo's multi-station food production.
• Sysco Corporation: Largest U.S. foodservice distributor supplying restaurants, cafeterias, and institutional kitchens. Comparable as a key supply-chain partner that enables CoHo's 7 in-house food platforms to operate at scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ucdcoffeehouse
• Facebookfacebook.com/ASUCDCoffeeHouse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asucd-coffee-house

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ASUCD Coffee House