Students, employees, and community members gathered for the reopening of the Clinton Street Starbucks. The store opened back up on Friday after a temporary closure due to renovation construction.

The closure, which started on Aug. 25, was for updates to the store’s layout and overall function.

Curran Anderson, an employee of Clinton Street for the last year and an employee of the company for roughly four years, is anticipating the new changes will help the overall function of the store.

“There are pretty big changes. They’re pushing out the back area for us, so there’ll be a little less lobby space and there is also going to be significantly less seating.” Anderson said.

The Starbucks, located directly in the heart of downtown, is a hub for many University of Iowa staff and students fueling up for their day of classes and work. The changes will aid in traffic flow to the store because of the proximity to downtown and the university.

“We’re going to be remodeled as to what’s called a pop-in store, so it prioritizes mobile orders and stuff like that since that’s what most of our business and transactions are,” Anderson said.

Although Anderson couldn’t speak to specifics, he shared that the downtown community should be excited about the new changes and updates rolling out.

“There’s going to be a lot of new technology and products that the baristas get to use. So, it won’t affect the customers all that much, but it’s [going to] be really cool,” Anderson said. “The ceiling is actually going to be the same, which is kind of cool, but new floors, new decorations, and walls.”

Not only will students get back to their morning Starbucks, but the employees are able to get back to work. Because of the closure, the company has had to find work at other Starbucks locations around the area for their Clinton Street crew.

The Starbucks on Riverside Drive is the closest to the Clinton Street Store. There are also locations in Coralville and North Liberty. For the Clinton staff, this has taken a toll on them, as they have to adapt their routine to fit their commute.

For Anderson, his shifts at the Riverside location would start at 4:30 a.m.

“I live two miles away from the Riverside location, and I don’t have a car. So, for the first three weeks, I was running two miles there, working my shift, and running a mile and a half back to campus and going to class.” Anderson said.

That was until a coworker stepped in.

“A barista at Clinton [Street] lent me her bike for the remainder of the renovation. So, I’ve been biking the two miles to work every morning.” Anderson said.

The commute ended for many employees this Friday when the Clinton Street Starbucks opened its doors for the early 5 a.m. crowd.

“I don’t think anybody is really having the best time working at a different store. That’s always tough, especially since you’re only going to be there for a limited amount of time. So, we’re all excited to get back.” Anderson said.

Not only are the employees excited to return to the Clinton Street Starbucks, but students around campus who have had to outsource their Starbucks fix are exhilarated to return to their routine.

RELATED: Downtown Iowa City Starbucks to close until October

Clare Hannigan, a senior at the university, lives close to Starbucks and relied on it to get her iced cinnamon dolce latte on the way to class until the beginning of this year.

“It’s so convenient right there. It’s perfect on your way to class to pick it up,” Hannigan said.

Hannigan has access to a car, making it easier for her to drive to the Riverside Drive location to get her coffee. For others, they have utilized other Starbucks outlets.

The Food for Thought cafe in the University of Iowa Main Library and the Hawk Shop Café and Market in the Iowa Memorial Union both serve Starbucks products. But for many, these substitutes don’t compare to the real thing, especially in the wake of the fall drink season.

The popular “pumpkin spice latte” was arguably made a household name by the Starbucks company, and with the fall menu in full swing, it has been hard to recreate cult classic drinks.

“I got the pumpkin Chai at the Iowa Memorial Union. It was not the best. It doesn’t hit the same. I am excited to get back to the real, authentic drink,” first-year student Addison Driscoll said.

Driscoll said her go-to order is usually an iced peach green tea lemonade. For her recent high school graduation, many of the gifts she received were Starbucks gift cards. Since the locations serving Starbucks within the UI aren’t full stores, they cannot take gift cards or points from the Starbucks reward system.

“I have, like, $75 in gift cards for my graduation party, and the Starbucks in the library and the memorial don’t use that, so I can’t use my gift cards. My stars are also going to run out.” Driscoll said.

Other coffee shops around Iowa City have been hubs for Starbucks drinkers. The Dunkin Donuts in the Iowa Bookstore is constantly busy with the influx of students. Other local coffee shops have been go-tos for many students.

Driscoll has been going to Java house, and Hannigan has been going to Encounter, which is also very close to her house.

The long process has left employees and customers excited to get back to 228 South Clinton St. and grab a fall drink.