Big Al’s – Houghton STAR

By Anna Catherman

Big Al’s is dead.

The campus center’s basement dining establishment is quiet. Still. Too still.

Metz calls the rebranded ice cream and hamburger shop “Sizzle and Swirl at Big Al’s”. The moniker change is just one of many which have resulted in many students abandoning their once-beloved hangout spot.

The changes to Big Al’s and the dining hall haven’t all been bad. The Poblano’s bar in the dining hall is popular, and the return of hard ice cream is also very welcome. It’s become apparent that Perry’s ice cream is never coming back to the dining hall in its previous all-you-can eat format. Due to pandemic-related production cuts, Perry’s no longer has the capacity to provide Houghton students with unlimited ice cream. The idea of keeping the dining hall open later was also a popular student request. Athletes especially wanted late-night dining options other than greasy hamburgers and fries.

Replacing meal exchange with extended dining hours turned out to be the least beneficial change – and put the final nail in Big Al’s coffin.

Due to the end of meal exchange, the number of students at Big Al’s each night has declined dramatically. Friends would gather to study, play card games, or just talk. Lines used to wrap around the post office during busy times. Now, it’s rare to spot more than a dozen people at Big Al’s. And extended dining hours? It didn’t provide student athletes with the nutritious meals they requested. They’re getting leftovers. Some nights, they have a few options, but many nights they’re forced to choose between either tacos or pizza.

Oh, and there’s no more free ice cream, not even the soft serve that was present last year, an issue which was heavily protested at the beginning of the academic year.

Dining services are tricky for any college campus, especially one as rural as Houghton.

Students can’t easily get off campus for a healthy meal or for socialization. Houghton thrives when students band together as a community. Cliche, but true.

With a few changes, Big Al’s could be an important part of that community again. Reviving Big Al’s wouldn’t take as much effort as some might claim. Bringing back meal exchange would be an instant boost. Many students would welcome back the old Sunday-Thursday meal exchange, but a hybrid approach could be a good compromise. Preserving the new extended dining hours while also allowing students to use one or two meal swipes per week at Big Al’s would be the best of both worlds.

Restoring menu items that students miss and adding new ones could also help. Buffalo chicken sandwiches could make a triumphant comeback. And maybe, just maybe, some healthy options. Salads? Gluten-free buns for hamburgers?

The smallest change to dining services that would bring the university the most goodwill, though, would be returning our soft serve machine to the dining hall, thank you very much. ★

Student operated concession stand, 5-Bites, was edged out by a Sodexo-catered concession stand built into the Kerr-Pegulla Field House (KPFH) under the cooperation’s direction.

In addition to the main dining hall, Sandella’s, Big Al’s, and the coffee house added last summer to replace Java 101, Sodexo now holds a monopoly over every food stop on campus.

Previously, concessions for athletic events were provided by 5-Bites, a student operated business that manages small snack oriented concession stands in the dorms and at the fields. Bradley Oliver, president of Houghton Student Enterprises (HSE), said “It has always been our goal to have businesses that are run by students, for students by listening to what they want, and delivering.”

Options typically found at the 5-Bites stands included chips, pretzels, candy, and bottled beverages available for purchase with cash only. One reason for the transition from 5-Bites to Sodexo, General Manager of Houghton Dining Services, Tina Powers explained, was “the college wanted the ability to serve full hot meals as concessions from the new facility,” not just packaged snacks.

The KPFH has a full sized kitchen located on the north-west corner of the building specifically designed to meet Sodexo’s culinary needs. Catering Manager, James Ward said, “There are a variety of health codes that have to be upheld when serving hot food. Maintaining food during the course of service and keeping it at a certain temperature requires a certain facility and the work of the certified dining staff.”

“Since the project’s inception it became clear that 5-Bites could not handle all of what the college expected from their new facility,” said Oliver. “Meetings between Skip Lord [executive director of athletics], Robert Pool [vice president of student life], Sodexo, and 5-Bites to discuss how to keep HSE involved in running the new facility ultimately determined that Sodexo would be running the facility without our collaboration.” Oliver also mentioned that this result would cut HSE’s total profits by 50 percent.

Sodexo provided concessions at preliminary sporting events hosted by the KPFH this summer, but last weekend’s homecoming marked the official kick-off of its newest dining option. A variety of hot concessions were available throughout the day and were available for purchase with cash, credit, or flex dollars.

“We want to partner with the campus to ensure that there will always be a good meal there,” said Powers. “We want to show great hospitality to those who come here.”

Sophomore, Elizabeth Houseman, said, “I think they should make it a little more simple, I mean they had beef on weck ,yet no hamburgers.” “Another Sodexo take-over means even less options—there is so little variety to their food already,” said Graduate student Sean Douglas.

Sodexo’s service at the KPFH continued late into homecoming evening providing concessions for the 2,500 guests attending the Tenth Avenue North Concert. “There was always a giant line to buy anything, but the popcorn was delicious.” said Junior, Leah Shadbol.

Sodexo’s concession services in the KPFH will be open for all of Highlander Athletics’ Home matches this weekend.

“We do not like the monopoly power that Sodexo has on the campus, but as a creative group we will come up with new ways to serve the student body.” ” Oliver said on behalf of 5-Bites and HSE.