“Large mint chocolate smoothie for Allie,” a barista calls out to the room.

The ponytailed girl walks up to the counter to retrieve her smoothie. She stops and looks around; where should she sit? Despite the fact that it is 1 a.m., the place is packed with mismatched furniture occupied by students hard at work. The constant drone of conversation fills the air. In the back, a group of students sits at a circle of multicolored couches. One of the students produces a guitar from the case next to him and begins to pluck away at the strings.

The 1891 Bistro officially opened for business on Jan. 6, 2016. There are a variety of seating options, a coffee stand complete with a convenient selection of food and snacks and even a kiosk with rentable Macbooks. The spot quickly became a favorite for late night study sessions among CWU students. In September 2018, the Bistro extended its hours to be open for 24 hours a day. One might expect a lull in customer traffic during the late night hours, but that’s clearly not the case.

In fact, 1 a.m. early Monday morning seems like the perfect time for students to come use the facility. Nearly every booth and table is being used by students cramming in a late night study session or eating and socializing with their friends. In the back, a large projector plays “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Baristas are constantly filling orders for coffees and smoothies and keeping the place tidy.

Since Brook’s Library closes at midnight every night, plenty of students come to the Bistro for a casual place to study at night. There is always music playing in the background and the booths are constantly filled with students hard at work.

The space used to be called Wellington’s Cafe, located in the Tunstall Commons. CWU had utilized the space for catering in the past, but after a student survey, it was decided that the building should be used in a way that was more beneficial to the ever growing population of CWU students. From there, a team of people including the owners of D&M Coffee went to work transforming the space into an entirely new facility, looking nothing like it did before. The 1981 Bistro initially closed at 10 p.m. every night, but since moving to a 24 hour schedule the space is constantly being used by students to study, socialize and even participate in activities such as Dungeons and Dragons and online gaming.

Freshman David Hawkins said the Bistro is a productive space for him, especially with finals around the corner.

“I like to come [to the Bistro] to study where I can’t get distracted,” Hawkins said. “When I need to pull an all nighter or something, I come here so I don’t keep my roommate awake all night.”

Other students come to the Bistro to utilize the resources that are available 24 hours a day. Coffee and food can be purchased throughout the night, there is a vending machine with school supplies and students can check out a MacBook for two hours at a time whenever they want.

“I don’t have a laptop, I can’t afford one,” senior Sophie Winnett said. “I always check one out from the library or from [the Bistro]. It’s a nice resource.”