Campus Spotlight: The Black Katz Café

Hey panthers! So I am going to start a new section of my blog called “Campus Spotlights.” Basically what I will be doing every few weeks is writing about different places of the Florida Tech campus that goes beyond the typical academic setting. For my first spotlight, I thought what better area to write about than my favorite spot on campus: The Black Kats Café.
Location: Underneath Evan’s Hall, right next to the Rathskeller dining.
Hours of operation: 7:00 pm – 1:00 am
What they offer: Smoothies, milk shakes, lattes, espressos, macchiato, cake, etcetera.
Special events: Open Mic night on Wednesdays and Karaoke night on Thursdays.
As a freshman, it is difficult to find the social hot spots on campus that really are not mentioned during orientation. Thankfully, I had one of my friends take me to the Kat (yes, that is the cool, hip abbreviation for it) one night and I automatically fell in love with the place. It has a very welcoming environment. It’s cozy and has plenty of couches to lounge on while sipping away at a smoothie and chatting with friends. Not to mention the staff is very nice and are willing to help the indecisive make a choice amongst the vast array of flavors. (To give you some perspective, there are milkshakes that range from Death by Chocolate, to Key Lime Pie, to Pink Monkey to the typical strawberry banana.)
Because of its late hours, the Black Kat is a great place to relax after a long study session or just after a hectic day of classes. After grabbing a few sugary drinks, one can even head on over to the Rathskeller right next door and play a few games of pool. If you are semi- claustrophobic like me and don’t really enjoy being locked up in the same room to study for a long period of time, the Kat is a great place to bring your books, grab a chair and do work in a different environment. This would be best if it was not on Karaoke night because it does get pretty rowdy in there! The Black Kat also does pizza delivery straight to your dorm for a late night snack.
My favorite drink would have to be the Japanese School Girl on the rocks. It is an iced drink with green chai tea, shots of espresso, caramel and milk. It is really refreshing and will be the boost necessary to wake up for all that homework.
Be sure to drop by and ask about the tradition of rubbing the soft carpet on the wall. So panthers, what’s your favorite drink at the Black Kats Café?