HMS To Temporarily Close Countway Cafe Ahead of 2026 Reopening as Fully Self-Service Operation

Harvard Medical School will temporarily close the Countway Connection cafe in mid-December due to “operating costs” far exceeding its revenue, HMS spokesperson Laura DeCoste confirmed on Monday.

The cafe, which is located in HMS’ Countway Library and offers a variety of “grab and go” sandwiches, salads, and snacks, will reopen as a fully self-service operation in February 2026, DeCoste wrote.

The school currently provides a six-figure annual subsidy to finance the cafe, which is not sustainable moving forward, according to DeCoste. The cafe will undergo minor renovations before its reopening.

It was not immediately clear whether employees of the cafe — who are contracted through the hospitality company Restaurant Associates — would be reassigned or laid off as a result of the change. Employees currently serve coffee and pastries to affiliates, but customers can also purchase food and drink at a self-service kiosk after hours.

DeCoste declined to comment on the status of the cafe’s employees, citing a policy against commenting on personnel matters. A spokesperson for Restaurant Associates did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

HMS affiliates have circulated a petition to keep the cafe open and staffed, arguing that a self-checkout would diminish its role as a gathering place for students and faculty.

“Connections Cafe is one of the only remaining places of HMS to socialize, work, relax, or meet colleagues over a great cup of coffee,” the petition states. “We feel Connections Cafe is an essential community space in HMS that cannot be replaced by a self-checkout.”

Luiza Lima Vieira, a masters student at the Harvard School of Public Health, said the cafe is a popular spot for group meetings because of its public access.

“It’s just a place for people to come together and sometimes have group sessions,” Vieira said. “We also have the shop next door, so it’s just a place for people who also don’t have a Harvard ID can come here and grab a coffee.”

Students and visitors stopping in for talks and lectures frequent the cafe, which is one of the school’s only dining locations open to non-Harvard affiliates.

“If it were to close, then people who were students and not affiliated, I don’t know where they would go,” said Anna “Katie” Shutack, a masters student at Tufts University.

Kanika Paruthi, another HSPH student, said affiliates would feel the impact of the cafe’s temporary closure.

“Obviously, none of us are happy about it. I think it’s the only common cafeteria at the library, for the Dental School, the Med School and School of Public Health — something which we really need,” Paruthi said.

“I don’t know how we’re going to survive without this,” she added.

—Staff writer Abigail S. Gerstein can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @abbysgerstein.

—Staff writer Ella F. Niederhelman can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @eniederhelman.