PC: Danny Rothschild
Walt plumlee
The haverford college foodscape:lunt cafe
When Haverford students are hungry at night, or are just looking for a cool place to hangout and meet people, Lunt Cafe is a great on campus option. Lunt Cafe is located under Lunt, one of the Haverford College campus’ dorms, in a room that is an offshoot of the Lunt dorm basement. The basement is frequent host to off campus bands coming to play music for Haverford students. The Cafe next to Lunt basement is unique for a variety of reasons: it is completely student run, is BYO friendly, and is a restaurant designed to lose money.
Lunt Cafe is completely student run, as well as funded. The cafe’s operation is funded by the student activities fund, which is distributed by Haverford’s student council. The fund comes from a fee that students pay to the college, the student activities fee. This fee funds all of the clubs on campus, and is distributed each year through a budgeting process run through student’s council. Lunt Cafe has student managers, who hire students to work in the cafe. The managers also choose new managers from the other student workers by consensus. Students apply to work in the cafe through an application and interview process. A position working at Lunt is known to be perhaps the most sought after job on campus and when Lunt makes it known that they have an open position the managers often receive many applicants. Though working at the cafe is a stressful job at times due to how busy the cafe gets on the weekends, the cafe is has a great atmosphere, and employees are able to DJ over the Cafe’s sound system while they work. There is also a fair amount of freedom to talk to friends and do homework during slower shifts.
The most important reason that Lunt Cafe exists is to provide a more affordable alternative to Haverford students’ other food options, on campus and otherwise. Besides the dining center, Haverford’s other food option run through the school is the coop. The coop is also the only option on campus besides Lunt Cafe that runs at night, though it usually closes at 11:15. Lunt Cafe’s hours are 7PM to 1AM, with students working shifts from 7PM to 10PM and from 10 to 1 AM. However, the food at the coop is very expensive. Meals are an average of $6, and this is usually just for one entree item, and coffees and espressos are $2-4. At Lunt Cafe, a sandwich can be purchased for $3 and a large nacho with guacamole and salsa can be purchased for $2. Furthermore, if students can’t pay, lunt workers will give students free food, asking that they pay later on if possible. This is Lunt Cafe’s most valuable quality: the cafe allows all students to enjoy late night snack in a fun atmosphere no matter their current financial situation.
When the Haverford Student’s Council sets aside money to fund the operation of Lunt Cafe, they do not expect that Lunt Cafe will pay back this money. When Lunt Cafe makes a profit, this profit is returned to the Student Activities Fund. Though any profit would be returned, Lunt Cafe usually loses money. To the Haverford Student’s Council and student body, it is worth it for Student’s Council to spend money on Lunt Cafe without getting it back so that students have access to a cheaper food alternative on campus as well the interesting and rewarding campus jobs the cafe provides. Because the cafe is not as limiting financially as other options, it is a great place to hangout with friends no matter what anyone’s budget is at the time.
Though Lunt Cafe provides an important service to Haverford Students in a cheaper alternative to the Coop, the food is for the most part, snack food. Most of the items, even the sandwiches, are not healthy options. This makes sense in so far as that Lunt Cafe has less money to work with than the Coop, and perhaps more importantly has less to work with in terms of equipment for making and storing food. It is also limited in terms of funds for training workers, and for employing multiple workers during shifts so that making more complex items is possible. As Lunt Cafe exists currently, it is not designed to really mitigate the nutritional needs of students living on campus. However, this is not the goal of the cafe. The goal is to create in inclusive on campus space where students can enjoy a late night snack and a fun atmosphere with their friends, while having the opportunity to meet new students.
Lunt Cafe is completely student run, as well as funded. The cafe’s operation is funded by the student activities fund, which is distributed by Haverford’s student council. The fund comes from a fee that students pay to the college, the student activities fee. This fee funds all of the clubs on campus, and is distributed each year through a budgeting process run through student’s council. Lunt Cafe has student managers, who hire students to work in the cafe. The managers also choose new managers from the other student workers by consensus. Students apply to work in the cafe through an application and interview process. A position working at Lunt is known to be perhaps the most sought after job on campus and when Lunt makes it known that they have an open position the managers often receive many applicants. Though working at the cafe is a stressful job at times due to how busy the cafe gets on the weekends, the cafe is has a great atmosphere, and employees are able to DJ over the Cafe’s sound system while they work. There is also a fair amount of freedom to talk to friends and do homework during slower shifts.
The most important reason that Lunt Cafe exists is to provide a more affordable alternative to Haverford students’ other food options, on campus and otherwise. Besides the dining center, Haverford’s other food option run through the school is the coop. The coop is also the only option on campus besides Lunt Cafe that runs at night, though it usually closes at 11:15. Lunt Cafe’s hours are 7PM to 1AM, with students working shifts from 7PM to 10PM and from 10 to 1 AM. However, the food at the coop is very expensive. Meals are an average of $6, and this is usually just for one entree item, and coffees and espressos are $2-4. At Lunt Cafe, a sandwich can be purchased for $3 and a large nacho with guacamole and salsa can be purchased for $2. Furthermore, if students can’t pay, lunt workers will give students free food, asking that they pay later on if possible. This is Lunt Cafe’s most valuable quality: the cafe allows all students to enjoy late night snack in a fun atmosphere no matter their current financial situation.
When the Haverford Student’s Council sets aside money to fund the operation of Lunt Cafe, they do not expect that Lunt Cafe will pay back this money. When Lunt Cafe makes a profit, this profit is returned to the Student Activities Fund. Though any profit would be returned, Lunt Cafe usually loses money. To the Haverford Student’s Council and student body, it is worth it for Student’s Council to spend money on Lunt Cafe without getting it back so that students have access to a cheaper food alternative on campus as well the interesting and rewarding campus jobs the cafe provides. Because the cafe is not as limiting financially as other options, it is a great place to hangout with friends no matter what anyone’s budget is at the time.
Though Lunt Cafe provides an important service to Haverford Students in a cheaper alternative to the Coop, the food is for the most part, snack food. Most of the items, even the sandwiches, are not healthy options. This makes sense in so far as that Lunt Cafe has less money to work with than the Coop, and perhaps more importantly has less to work with in terms of equipment for making and storing food. It is also limited in terms of funds for training workers, and for employing multiple workers during shifts so that making more complex items is possible. As Lunt Cafe exists currently, it is not designed to really mitigate the nutritional needs of students living on campus. However, this is not the goal of the cafe. The goal is to create in inclusive on campus space where students can enjoy a late night snack and a fun atmosphere with their friends, while having the opportunity to meet new students.