On Call Cafe

Name

On Call Cafe

Legal name

On Call Cafe

Website

https://www.oncall.cafe

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student-Run Cafe / Late-Night Food and Beverage Service

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Shops, Cafés & Beverage Programs (EDALADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Independent Neighborhood Cafes (THAFADAC), Cafe-Bakeries (Coffee + Pastry Focus) (THAFADAG), Retail Dining & Quick Service (On-Campus) (EDALADAB)

Keywords

• Student-run cafe
• Late-night beverages
• Grilled cheese toasts
• Live music events
• Campus community space

Headquarters

HQ city

Stanford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Direct sales of drinks (matcha, chai, lattes, fizz beverages) and food items (grilled cheeses, toasts) to walk-in customers. Prices range from $4.5 to $10 per item.
2. Tab and Event Hosting: Organizations (dorms, clubs, student groups) can host tabs to cover group orders and can partner on creative events. This generates revenue through group spending and event packages.
3. Donations and Endowment: On Call operates at a deficit to stay affordable for students while paying staff. They are raising a $1 million endowment through donations to ensure future operations, equipment upkeep, and programming.
4. Gift Cards: Sale of gift cards/vouchers that can be redeemed for food and beverages at the cafe.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

On Call Cafe is Stanford's only student-run, late-night cafe operating from Old Union, serving signature drinks (matcha, chai, lattes, fizz beverages), toasted snacks (grilled cheeses and toasts), and hosting live music performances and cultural events. The cafe functions as a campus third space focused on community building for Stanford students.

Product overview

On Call Café is a single-location, student-run late-night café offering a unified experience combining beverage service, food items, and community programming. The core offering consists of signature drinks (matcha, chai, honey lattes, and specialty fizz drinks) and food items (grilled cheese paninis and specialty toasts), complemented by group tab services and event partnerships. The café also hosts student music performances and offers gift cards and donation opportunities to support its mission of building community at Stanford.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Signature Beverages Signature drinks including The Molly Matcha (iced matcha latte with strawberry and jasmine, $5.50), Berry-Breakers Chai (iced chai with blackberry, $4.50), The Anonymous Fizz (peach yuzu, $5), The Half Moon Bee (honey sea salt latte with cold foam), The Jane Stanford Way (decaf green tea fog with rose syrup), and The Ricottage ($7). Served to Stanford students as part of the late-night cafe experience.
• Toasted Sandwiches and Toast Items Toasted food items including The Pizzanini (marinara grilled cheese panini, $6 half / $10 whole), Pestomato (pesto grilled cheese with sun-dried tomatoes), The Kim-Cheese (grilled cheese with kimchi, mayo, and gochujang), and Ricottage toast (tomato and ricotta with za'atar and balsamic). Served as late-night snacks to Stanford students.
• Tabs Program Group tab service allowing dorms, clubs, and student organizations to order drinks with the group paying when the tab closes. Requires 48 hours notice to set up, with cancellation fees for late changes. Available to Stanford student groups.
• Events Partnership Program Partnership program for major creative and culture events including disco bingo, mini fashion shows, and tango workshops. Tiered packages based on budget with social media promotion benefits: under $300 earns mention in weekly schedule; $300-$500 adds story post; $500-$700 adds main feed post; $700+ adds stickers or collateral. Available to Stanford organizations and groups.
• Student Music Performances Student performer program where Stanford student musicians perform at the cafe. Interested performers sign up via Google Forms. Live music is integral to On Call's identity and a primary draw for foot traffic.
• Gift Cards Gift vouchers available for purchase via Square, allowing customers to send the gift of community to students, friends, or professors. Redeemable for food and beverages at the cafe.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,682 items sold in 2024
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Stanford University AdministrationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023On Call works with Stanford administration to operate as an official student organization. The administration provided support for On Call to establish their permanent home in Old Union building, enabling the student-run cafe to serve the campus community.
• ASSU (Associated Students of Stanford University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASSU is the student government that On Call operates under contractually. On Call has obligations to ASSU including minimum break-even sales each night. The partnership enables On Call's legitimacy as an official campus organization.
• SquaresupportingTechnology or IntegrationSquare provides payment processing infrastructure for gift card sales and tab management. On Call uses Square to send payment collection emails and itemized receipts for tab events.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Coupa Cafe: A long-running campus-adjacent café at Stanford offering coffee, food, and a community gathering space. Most directly comparable given shared Stanford campus context and café/community positioning.
• Piazza Italian Café: Another Stanford campus café serving espresso, pastries, and grab-and-go items to students. Comparable in physical setting, customer base, and quick-service café format.

Emerging players

• Insomnia Cookies: Late-night-focused food brand built around college campuses. Comparable in serving late-night cravings to student populations across multiple universities, though operates as a delivery/cookie brand rather than a café.

Regional players

• Café Strada: Iconic Berkeley campus café serving coffee, pastries, and light food in a community gathering setting. Comparable as a university-adjacent independent café with a strong student community identity, but located in Berkeley rather than Stanford.

Broad incumbents

• Blue Bottle Coffee: Specialty coffee chain with Bay Area roots and presence on/near several university campuses. Comparable as a craft coffee café with a community-focused brand, but operates at a much larger scale and without student-run staffing.
• Peet's Coffee: Berkeley-founded specialty coffee chain with broad café operations including campus-adjacent locations. Comparable as an established café model with deep Bay Area roots, though it lacks the student-run, late-night niche.
• Philz Coffee: Bay Area specialty coffee chain with a community café format. Comparable in café setting and craft beverage focus, but operates as a multi-location commercial chain without campus-specific programming or student-run staffing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/oncall.cafe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/on-call-cafe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 On Call Cafe