For many students with busy schedules, the new lunch option in Kendall Hall, Café Fresco, has been a welcome reprieve.
As students, we often complain about issues on our campus. Although these complaints are sometimes valid, a solution can be hard to come by. Bon Appétit Management Co. addressed some of our complaints in the form of Café Fresco, and we all ought to thank them for it.
There are around 1,000-1,200 students who go to the Knorr Dining Hall on any given weekday for lunch, said William Persson ’17, Bon Appétit’s marketing manager at Hillsdale. Café Fresco, in its first five days open, has averaged around 200 students per lunch period.
For students dreading the long lines during the mass migration to the dining hall after 11 a.m. classes release, Café Fresco offers a short wait, but plenty of options. There are even dining hall cookies available for dessert.
Although the grab ’n’ go option is a nice alternative to a dining hall rush hour, Persson said Café Fresco has also reached a whole new demographic: the students with a hectic class schedule who would normally skip lunch altogether.
“There’s definitely some transfer from the dining hall, but it’s not like we’re losing 200 people from the dining hall,” Persson said. “We’re reaching a different audience of people.”
Café Fresco also serves as an option for people on block meal plans to double-swipe and grab food for later, if they don’t have time to get dinner.
It’s easy to complain and get angry when nothing is done about a legitimate issue on campus. Bon Appétit made it easier to get a nutritious lunch in the midst of our busy schedules, and we should acknowledge the hard work that made it possible.