The A.J.’s Cafe menu could be back to normal by next semester, according to Bon Appetit and A.J.’s employees.
A.J.’s has long been a popular spot on campus for beverages and snacks, but this year it looks a bit different. While students can still order coffee and ice cream, the cafe’s hot sandwiches, mozzarella sticks and other made-to-order snacks have been replaced by grab-and-go meals. Additionally, food can only be purchased with a meal swipe — not cash or Liberty Bucks.
The changes were made in light of COVID-19 and the restrictions that followed. The Knorr Family Dining Room is limited to 50% capacity, making A.J.’s an overflow spot for dining hall traffic.
“We were trying to build capacity,” said David Apthorpe, general manager of Bon Appetit. “Obviously, not having gone through this before, let’s make sure we can get everybody fed quickly and as safely as possible.”
According to some older students, people are less inclined to go to A.J.’s these days.
“I miss the old A.J.’s,” said sophomore Grace Beach. “I wish they had some of their old options back. I still go for coffee a lot, but I have not used a meal swipe or done grab-and-go there.”
Students also said they miss being able to pick up a snack while working on assignments or grabbing a bite if they missed dinner; the disappearance of cheese quesadillas and french fries are commonly lamented. The changes in food service have also changed the campus’ sense of community.
“The fact that we’re all so spread out now is not what Hillsdale is supposed to be,” said senior Michaela Frohnen, the cafe’s senior supervising manager for students. “It has impacted the experience.”
Beach, on the other hand, said she sees a silver lining in the new carry-out dining options.
“It’s allowed for us to do much larger groups, like with Hillsdining, which I think makes for a better community,” Beach said, referring to the new campus event in which a different dorm hosts a meal on their lawn each week. Students bring their carry-out food to the dorm to eat and socialize with fellow students.
As to whether A.J.’s old menu will come back, Apthorpe said, “absolutely.”
“We want to make sure before we commit to offering something that we can execute,” he said.
While the old menu will not return in its entirety overnight, there are plans to begin providing a limited menu of hot foods late at night. A.J.’s would need the state’s capacity restrictions to ease up, as well as several new hires, to get things back to normal, according to Apthorpe.
“It’s about slowly rolling it back out and making sure we’re doing it safely within our company standards and working with college on how they want things to move along,” cafe manager Paul Giesel said.
Though it may be slow, cafe favorites will come back soon.
“Let’s get them their chicken tenders back,” Giesel said.