The Commons

The UB Commons (often called The Commons) is a retail and office complex on the University at Buffalo's North Campus that serves as a popular dining and social destination for students. Opened in 1990-1991, The Commons is a privately owned "mini-mall" located on university property.^[1] It was developed to provide additional food, shopping and service options right on campus, complementing the university-operated facilities like the Student Union. The Commons sits at 520 Lee Entrance, directly across from the Student Union along Mary Talbert Way. The Commons is not part of the state-owned campus buildings - in other terms, UB itself does not own it.

History

Construction of The Commons was completed in 1991 as a public-private partnership project on UB's North Campus in Amherst.^[2] It was part of UB's efforts to enhance North Campus in the late 1980s, aiming to create a more vibrant campus environment. The Commons was constructed at a cost of about either $5.5 million or $7.2 million (as sources are conflicting on this number)^[1]^[3] and numbered as building "A900" in UB's inventory. UB leases the land but not the operations, allowing it to host businesses that a state-run facility might not directly manage. More specifically, a UB Foundation affiliate leases the land and helped develop the Commons.^[4]

The Commons officially opened around 1991, and one of its anchor tenants from the start was the CVS in The Commons. It remained the last original tenant until it closed in January 2022. Other original tenants included a Burger King, Pizza Hut, ice cream parlor, rent-a-car company, travel agency, coffee house, and the Center for Excellence for Document Analysis and Recognition.^[5]

Design and Features

The Commons is arranged in a U-shaped layout with two floors of retail and office space surrounding an open-air courtyard. The courtyard features a fountain and seating, and is a popular spot in warm weather for students to eat or relax between classes. Inside, The Commons offers over 50,000 square feet of space housing a variety of functions. Its primary draw is the array of dining options. Through the years, these have included fast-food franchises, local eateries, and international cuisines - ranging from pizzerias to Subway and even bubble tea.

Examples of currently existing eateries at The Commons include:

Starbucks (a popular cafe in the US)
Subway (a popular sub chain in the US)
Dancing Chopsticks (a Japanese restaurant)
Bollywood Bistro (an Indian restaurant)
Austin's Kitchen (a Korean restaurant)
Chick-Mex Grill (a Mexican restaurant)
La Rosa Pizza (a pizzeria)
Poke Factory (a Thai restaurant)
Young Chow (a Chinese restaurant)

The Commons used to have a bubble tea store called Kung Fu tea, but it has since closed.

Apart from food, The Commons has space for service outlets and offices. Over time, it has housed Broadview Federal Credit Union, a salon (called Simon's Salon, although students have advised against going there)^[6]^[7]^[8], UB Hillel (the Jewish student organization), and a UPS Store (which many students find useful for Amazon returns). The Commons also contains meeting rooms and multipurpose rooms such as "Common Ground," a lounge/meeting space located at 200 Commons (second floor) for meetings and events.

The Commons also provides employment opportunities for students in many of its businesses (including positions in the eateries and shops). It tends to operate longer hours than the Campus Dining and Shops locations.

Tenants and Changes

As The Commons is privately owned, services like the CVS store provided products (such as medicine and toiletries) not otherwise easily obtained without a car. The CVS in The Commons was valued, as it was within walking distance on North Campus and carried many dorm essentials. Subsequently, many students were upset when CVS announced it would close its Commons location in 2022 as part of a nationwide downsizing, which meant the loss of what students described as a "crucial resource" for those without transportation.^[9]

A non-comprehensive table of tenants in The Commons include:

Past and Current Tenants at The Commons
Store	Tenant Type	Open	Date Opened	Closure Announcement	Date Closed
CVS Store	Convenience Store	No	~1991	November 2021^[10]	January 2022^[11]
Burger King	Food & Dining	No	~1991	(Unknown)	(Unknown)
Pizza Hut	Food & Dining	No	~1991	(Unknown)	(Unknown)
Ice Cream Parlor (Name Unknown)	Food & Dining	No	~1991	(Unknown)	(Unknown)
Rent-a-Car Company (Name Unknown)	Car Rental	No	~1991	(Unknown)	(Unknown)
Travel Agency (Name Unknown)	Agency	No	~1991	(Unknown)	(Unknown)
Coffee House (Name Unknown)	Food & Dining (Café)	No	~1991	(Unknown)	(Unknown)
Center for Excellence for Document Analysis and Recognition	UB Department	(Unknown)	~1991	(Unknown)	(Unknown)
Kung Fu Tea	Food & Dining	No	(Unknown)	(Unknown)	(Unknown)
The UPS Store	Convenience Store	No	(Unknown)	September 2025^[12]	September 2025^[12]
Starbucks	Food & Dining (Café)	Yes	(Unknown)	-	-
Subway	Food & Dining	Yes	(Unknown)	-	-
Dancing Chopsticks	Food & Dining	Yes	(Unknown)	-	-
Bollywood Bistro	Food & Dining	Yes	(Unknown)	-	-
Austin's Kitchen	Food & Dining	Yes	(Unknown)	-	-
Chick-Mex Grill	Food & Dining	Yes	(Unknown)	-	-
La Rosa Pizza	Food & Dining	Yes	(Unknown)	-	-
Poke Factory	Food & Dining	Yes	(Unknown)	-	-
Young Chow	Food & Dining	Yes	(Unknown)	-	-
Call A Fried Chicken	Food & Dining	No (Opening Soon^[13])	TBD	-	-

References

[:0-1] 1.0 ^1.1 https://www.buffalo.edu/administrative-services/managing-facilities/planning-designing-and-construction/building-profiles/profile-host-page.host.html/content/shared/university/page-content/facilities/ubcmns.detail.html

[2] ttps://research.lib.buffalo.edu/campus-planning-construction/timelines

[3] ttps://cedar.buffalo.edu/pub_docs/article80.html

[4] ttps://ub-foundation.org/what-we-do/real-estate-management/

[5] ttps://cedar.buffalo.edu/pub_docs/article80.html

[6] ttps://www.reddit.com/r/UBreddit/comments/1jvope2/dont_go_to_simon_salon_at_commons/

[7] ttps://www.reddit.com/r/UBreddit/comments/1jvope2/comment/mmc0rd0/

[8] ttps://www.reddit.com/r/UBreddit/comments/1jvope2/comment/mmqspsf/

[9] ttps://www.ubspectrum.com/article/2021/11/campus-cvs-slated-to-close-in-january

[10] ttps://www.ubspectrum.com/article/2021/11/campus-cvs-slated-to-close-in-january

[11] ttps://www.ubspectrum.com/article/2021/11/campus-cvs-slated-to-close-in-january

[:1-12] 12.0 ^12.1 https://www.reddit.com/r/UBreddit/comments/1nsy4ig/ups_at_commons/

[13] ttps://www.reddit.com/r/UBreddit/comments/1rnnbr3/coming_soon_call_a_fried_chicken/

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