2008 Woodie Awards
Cafe Mac to close doors on students over Break
As usual, Café Mac will close over Spring Break in order to save money, leaving many students who stay on campus to fend for themselves
By: Christine Elliott
Issue date: 3/10/06 Section: News
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Despite the fact that the residence halls remain open during Spring Break and some students remain on campus, they will be left to their own eating devices, as Café Mac will be closed.
The last meal served before Break will be dinner on Friday, Mar. 11; the next available meal will be dinner on Sunday, Mar. 19, Café Mac General Manager Lori Hartzell said.
Café Mac has traditionally closed during Spring Break, Director of Business and Administrative Services Doug Rosenberg said.
Some students were unaware that Café Mac was closing until they saw signs posting the information this week in the Campus Center. And even after the signs were posted, students, especially first-years, were still unaware that Café Mac would not be open.
â?oeItâ?TMs inconvenient for students staying on campus,â?? Tina Baum â?TM09 said. â?oeI know a lot of students who didnâ?TMt even know about it until recently, they thought they wouldnâ?TMt have to worry about meals during Break.â??
Closing Café Mac over Break is both cost-effective for the school and students, Rosenberg said. If Café Mac were to stay open, the cost would be factored into studentsâ?TM room and board. And while neither Hartzell nor Rosenberg was able to say how many students stay on campus during Break, since students do not check in and out of the dorms during that week, the number is low enough that it does not pay to keep Café Mac open.
Since the issue of Café Mac closing has not been raised in recent years, Rosenberg was unable to cite any specific figures regarding how much students or the college would have to pay if Café Mac remained open.
But Hartzell cited low sales at The Grille, which remains open limited hours during Spring Break but rarely breaks even in sales, as a possible indication of how few students utilize campus dining services during Break.
Hartzell said that J-term use is an indication of demand as well. During J-term and pre-season, students have to check back into their dorms, allowing the school to gauge roughly how many students are on campus during that time. Only one third of students back on campus regularly eat at Café Mac during J-term, Hartzell said.
The last meal served before Break will be dinner on Friday, Mar. 11; the next available meal will be dinner on Sunday, Mar. 19, Café Mac General Manager Lori Hartzell said.
Café Mac has traditionally closed during Spring Break, Director of Business and Administrative Services Doug Rosenberg said.
Some students were unaware that Café Mac was closing until they saw signs posting the information this week in the Campus Center. And even after the signs were posted, students, especially first-years, were still unaware that Café Mac would not be open.
â?oeItâ?TMs inconvenient for students staying on campus,â?? Tina Baum â?TM09 said. â?oeI know a lot of students who didnâ?TMt even know about it until recently, they thought they wouldnâ?TMt have to worry about meals during Break.â??
Closing Café Mac over Break is both cost-effective for the school and students, Rosenberg said. If Café Mac were to stay open, the cost would be factored into studentsâ?TM room and board. And while neither Hartzell nor Rosenberg was able to say how many students stay on campus during Break, since students do not check in and out of the dorms during that week, the number is low enough that it does not pay to keep Café Mac open.
Since the issue of Café Mac closing has not been raised in recent years, Rosenberg was unable to cite any specific figures regarding how much students or the college would have to pay if Café Mac remained open.
But Hartzell cited low sales at The Grille, which remains open limited hours during Spring Break but rarely breaks even in sales, as a possible indication of how few students utilize campus dining services during Break.
Hartzell said that J-term use is an indication of demand as well. During J-term and pre-season, students have to check back into their dorms, allowing the school to gauge roughly how many students are on campus during that time. Only one third of students back on campus regularly eat at Café Mac during J-term, Hartzell said.
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