Students looking to quench their thirst at the new eatery in Simon Hall are taking a gamble.

Einstein Bros. Bagels, which opened Feb. 4 in the Olin Business School, has charged students 25 cents for water cups at times but provided a free cup at others.

Students are not charged for water cups at Bear’s Den, the Danforth University Center, the Village eateries or Subway.

Freshman Jordan Gamble stopped by Einstein Bros. for a drink between classes. She was surprised when she was asked to pay for her water.

“I forgot my water bottle in my room, so I decided to go to Einstein’s to get something to drink,” Gamble said. “When I asked the cashier for water, she told me that they would have to charge me 25 cents.”

Submitting to the payment, Gamble used her Campus Card points, and her receipt showed the charge as “MISC EBB MERCH”—miscellaneous Einstein Bros. Bagels merchandise.

Though the franchise is still ironing out management details, Brian Bannister, associate dean of administration at the business school, said that Einstein Bros. upholds a no-charge policy for water, and cups are available in the cash register area for free.

According to Bannister, the charges are due to a miscommunication.

“Our staff there is new, of course, and adjusting to [the job], so it’s possible that someone might have said that, but [charging] is not our policy. We actually haven’t given it much thought,” Bannister said.

Students are even more confused because Einstein Bros. charges for the cups inconsistently.

Freshman business student Diana DeVries had a different experience than Gamble at the franchise.

“I went to the front of the line and asked if I could have a cup for water,” DeVries said. “I didn’t have to pay for it.”

While Gamble received one of Einstein Bros. paper cups for her water, DeVries was given a yellow Styrofoam coffee cup instead.

“I remember it because it had some slogan about coffee on it,” DeVries said.

Sophomore Rahul Goel has visited Einstein Bros. twice since it opened last week. As a non-business school student, Goel was attracted to Einstein Bros. as a new eatery on campus and as a break from the lunchtime offerings at the DUC and Bear’s Den.

Though he was not happy when he learned of the charge for water, Goel conceded that this might be necessary to offset costs.

“A lot of places do it. This being a restaurant, they have to pay for the cups somehow.”

In spite of this, Goel is otherwise pleased with his new lunch spot and will continue patronizing the new dining facility.

Though the charge policy is unclear, many students agree that Einstein Bros. must remain consistent with their pricing system.

“It’s not fair that some students are charged and others don’t have to pay,” Gamble said. “We just want it to be consistent.”