Bonne Marie BautistaIn response to student complaints on the lack of dining options at night, Bon Appetit has shifted the hours of the Tea Shop Grill and Café Suzie’s.
The Grill is now open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Sunday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Tea Shop is open an additional half-hour on weekdays. Café Suzie’s is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
General Manager of Bon Appetit David Wilson said the company “had the ability to give (students) more options” in response to pressure about nighttime dining options. Wilson said there has been a positive response by students coming in during the new hours of operation.
Phaedra Gauci, administrative assistant for Auxiliary Services, said that an attempt made to increase Tea Shop hours a year ago by Dorothy Calameris, catering manager, was met with little success. Bon Appetit, which now runs all the dining facilities on campus, made the decision to implement the new hours this semester.
Returning students will notice that the Grill is now open significantly later compared to last semester; it was open until only 6 p.m. on weekdays. However Suzie’s, once open on Sundays and open later on weekdays, has reduced hours this semester.
Wilson said there was no reason to have Café Suzie’s open at the same time as the Tea Shop past 3 p.m.
Sophomore Erin Stoll likes the shifted hours. “I like that the Grill is open instead of Suzie’s,” she said. “It’s nice that it’s open later.”
Another sophomore, Kallie Berg, agrees with Stoll but would like to see dining options on Saturdays. “I appreciate that they’re open later,” she said, “but on Saturday you still can’t get food for a four-hour period.” Berg thinks that at least one of the establishments should be open on Saturdays.
According to Wilson there are no plans to be open on Saturdays in the near future, but there may be a possibility of it happening at some point.
“As we continue to build a relationship with Mills College we’ll always look at areas of improvements and areas where we can fulfill the needs of students,” Wilson said.
