The Brief Stop, a convenience store on the second floor of Langsdorf Hall, was closed on Nov. 14 for renovations.
The store was previously a sandwich and coffee shop named the Langsdorf Hall Express, but was closed and made into a convenience store due to a lack of sales shortly before the coronavirus pandemic.
Delays to remodeling the space after it was converted were exacerbated by limits to in-person activity that came as a response to the pandemic, according to Cal State Fullerton Auxiliary Enterprise Director Kim Ball.
“We’re just finally getting to the point where we can actually get this remodeled,” Ball said. “It’s gonna get some paint and some new floors and then reopen designed around the convenience store concept versus the sandwich shop that was there before.”
The renovations will remove a counter that had been placed in the middle of the store, as well as remove drains from the floor from when the space was being used as a coffee shop. Updates will also be made to the electrical makeup of the store to make it more compatible with a convenience store layout.
With the renovations, The Brief Stop’s layout will change so that its lines are not winding around its aisles, according to Ball. She also stated that with the remodel, the store will be able to feature more food options for students and potentially more microwaves.
All food and drinks have been cleared out of the space amidst renovations, but students are still able to find free scantrons and other testing materials in a stand located outside the convenience store and across the second floor elevators in Langsdorf Hall.
The Brief Stop is expected to reopen at the beginning of the Spring 2026 semester.
“We tried to pick the smallest window of impact, which would be Thanksgiving break and then Christmas break, and then, you know, it only really impacted about three weeks of school,” Ball said.
Ball stated that one of the priorities of Auxiliary Services Corporation was to pick times for projects that impact sales the least, due in part to the office’s need to generate its own funding for projects.
The budget for the remodel is $150,000 and, since the Brief Stop is owned by Titan Shops, is being funded by ASC.
While funding for ASC projects is independent from the campus, Auxiliary Services utilizes campus planning and construction resources for its projects.
“So we have to get in their queue as to whenever they can do that particular project. It’s dependent on suppliers and available resources for those projects,” Ball said.
Some students who visit The Brief Stop, such as first-year studio arts major Jodi Sayon, have not been heavily impacted by renovations and feel the campus has sufficient resources to temporarily fill the gap caused by its closure.
Others stated that instead of convenience stores, they wished the university would focus on a wider variety of on-campus food options.
“I will say though, there is a Starbucks and I know there’s a Carl’s Jr., but I mean, I would like more, maybe, cafes,” said first-year civil engineering major Jeremy Arnold.
CSUF is currently undertaking a number of construction projects across campus, including renovations to the Nutwood Cafe in College Park, a new dormitory, engineering and computer science building — the Innovation Hub — and Landmark Hall.