Brigham Young University is opening an on-campus bar later this year — a milk-and-cookie bar.
Because, of course, BYU is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which teaches its members to abstain from drinking alcohol. Milk and cookies are OK, however. And, once the new on-campus facility is completed, milk and cookies will be actively encouraged.
And not just plain ol' milk. Or even plain ol' chocolate milk. BYU is promising a variety of flavors — including mint brownie, cookies-and-cream, root beer and an array of fruit flavors. “Imagine a freestyle soft drink machine but with BYU milk and flavor mix-ins,” according to a release.
The flavored milk will wash down a variety of BYU's “signature baked goods,” including “baked-to-order cookies.”
(Accommodations will be made for the lactose intolerant; dairy-free milk alternatives like soy milk and almond milk will be available.)
(Photo rendering courtesy of BYU) There will be additional openings between the BYU Store and Cougareat for easy navigation between the venues.
Who says the Provo school doesn’t have a sense of humor about itself? According to the news release, the milk-and-cookie bar “underscores BYU’s stone-cold sober legacy” — the university has been No. 1 on The Princeton Review’s list of colleges that avoid alcohol.
The milk-and-cookie bar will be added as part of an ongoing remodelng of the BYU Bookstore and the Cougareat. The bar — or lounge — will bridge the space between the two at the Wilkinson Student Center. Construction will begin this summer; it's expected to be completed by the time classes resume in the fall.
BYU will also remodel Cougareat, updating the seating area and adding new restaurant options — including allergy-free, vegan and vegetarian options.
“We hope to create an atmosphere that has a more collegiate feel — a bright space full of light,” said Dean Wright, director of BYU Dining Services.
