The East Hampton Library passed a milestone Wednesday when it sold its 10,000th hot drink since a Starbucks machine was installed on the circulation desk in late May 2018. To mark the occasion, the first 100 customers Friday will be given a free drink. The regular cost is $2, $1 if patrons take their own cups.
Dennis Fabiszak, the library director, has kept tabs on the machine's use and reported Wednesday that the breakdown overwhelmingly was in favor of coffee, which is offered individually ground and in three styles: light, medium, and bold. By the numbers, on average, for every 100 cups sold, 68 are coffee, 19 hot chocolate, and 13 are chai latte.
Whether small or large, the price is the same. Mr. Fabiszak said that 59 percent of patrons get large drinks and that the busiest time of the day is between 9 and 10 a.m.
The library sells travel mugs for $5. There are no plastic tops for the disposable paper cups, no small packets of sugar, creamer, or milk (those supplies are in easy-to-use bottles and containers), and the stirrers are wooden.
The machine is always on when the library is open, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, until 5 p.m. on Saturday, and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Russell Bennett, the front office manager at The East Hampton Star next door, was the 10,000th customer Wednesday. He got a large coffee.
