HomeOPINIONOh 'Fry’ Are You Never Open?

Oh ‘Fry’ Are You Never Open?

By Jonas Miller
Opinion Editor

 

I have lived in Brubacher Hall for a very short period of time, exactly one month to be exact, and among all of the stories and rumors that circulate around our tiny campus, two words continuously haunt my dreams. Bru Café.

I’m sure everyone has heard something about the so-called café, whether it is good or bad, word travels fast in our little come away from home community. As a freshmen last year, the only thing I ever heard was that it was never, ever…ever open. Ever. Living in Lima, I seldom made the trip down the, so I never had the opportunity to make the hungry, disappointed walk back up to my room after seeing that the café was closed. But, since I have lived in this building, I have recently experienced such disappointment for the first time.

All I wanted was French fries, but NO, that was clearly too much to ask for. I walked allll the way down to the basement, only to find that the door was closed. Ironically, right next to the door was a sign that read: “Open Monday thru Thursday 11:00 to 5:30. So, I did what any hungry person would do when confronted with a closed door, I knocked. To my surprise, a woman answered. She said, and I quote, “Closed.” I responded, jokingly pleading, “But the sign, the sign says otherwise..” She did not like this. She offered to sell me any my friends anything that didn’t involve the grill or the fryer. In my mind I said, “But the fries woman, THE FRIES.” Out of my mouth came an “ok” and a very polite “thank you.”

Some other information I gathered from my short run-in with pure fry-less despair, was that the woman who was supposed to be working the grill had called in for her last two shifts. Interesting…

On top of this, my friend afterwards informed me that the woman who was there, was fully capable of working the grill AND the fryer, but was simply choosing not too. Suspicious? No, not quite. More like…ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. I WANT FRIES GOSH DARN IT.

For the record, I got my fries, but not when I really needed them.

It’s not even all about the fries, it’s about credibility, reliability, and hospitality. If you make a point of putting a sign up posting the hours that you will be open, the least you can do is have the door open during those hours. Even if the grill is not available, you are still staying true to your sign.

On this same note, as a student I rely on the fact that I don’t always have to go allll the way to campus to eat. If the only other option besides that long dreadful walk (or the shuttle ride – less dreadful), is closed, then I will starve, because you can always last so long on mac and cheese and peanut butter.

That brings up my last point, hospitality. We all pay to attend this school, and we aren’t just paying for classes and new couches in the main lounge. We pay to essentially be nurtured by our school community. We are provided with clean bathrooms, beds to sleep in, and food to eat. If you take away the food part of that, we are living in a very clean, very well lit prison.

In closing, while Brubacher café is certainly a convenience, especially in situations like our recent snow day.  Something needs to be done though regarding the inconsistency, because if I ever go down there again with French fries on the mind, and see a closed door…I’m going to write a strongly worded letter to whoever is in charge. After I go somewhere else to get my fries…

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1 COMMENT

  1. Jonas,

    As someone who once lived in Bru, I can understand your frustrations. It has been years since I have lived on campus and used the dining facilities, but the Bru Cafe has not always been as you descried it. I lived in Bru my freshman year (2011), and after almost a semester, eventually found my way to the Bru Cafe. The hours of operation have always been limited, but everyone took advantage of it when they had the opportunity. As the years roll on, staff comes and goes at Saint Rose, and Bru Cafe is a perfect example. Unfortunately you had ONE bad experience there, but I could say the opposite. When I lived in Bru, a younger guy named Sean worked at the cafe. Although he acknowledged it was a part time, in-between job; he took pride in his work and the food he made. In addition, he became a friend of mine as well as many other Bru residents who frequented there. Sean went over the top to make everyone’s experience at Bru Cafe the best it could be. I looked forward to eating at the cafe once or twice a week for lunch and it’s a shame to hear it has gone downhill.
    Jonas, I can understand your frustrations as a former Bru resident, and in my opinion, the college and Brubacher Hall could benefit from putting more time and effort into the cafe and it’s staffing.

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