Mesa Legend - ARCHIVES - Vol. 39, Issue 10


Volume 39, Issue 10. Today is .

You are viewing
Volume 39, Issue 10
February 12, 2002

To return to the current issue please click here.

‘T-Bird Cafe’ lacks business,
limits service

By Joshua J. Cali
For the Mesa Legend

MCC students are feeling the effects of the nation’s economic slump due to the events of Sept. 11 with the closing of the T-Bird Cafe.

The original hours of 7am–7pm have been shortened to 7am–3pm.

Students most likely to be affected by the change are those who are taking night classes.

"This is a temporary solution due to the economic problems following September 11," said food service director, David Johnson.

Johnson said the cafeteria was not making enough revenue to keep it up and running between the hours of 4pm to 8pm.

Grounds for Thought, the on-campus coffee bar, is extending their services to include making cold sandwiches, salads, as well as providing a hot dog stand outside the library to make up for the closing of the cafeteria.

Daniel Mereel, a Grounds for Thought employee, says it has been very good for business.

"This type of setup is beneficial to the student’s fast paced lifestyle."

Johnson also indicated that the partial closure was purely because of economic reasons and had nothing to do with the recent health inspection.

"The cafeteria’s last Health Inspection was done in November and they received a score of 92 out of 100."

This exceeds the Environmental Health Divisionís standard failing score of a 75 or below.

While Grounds for Thought keeps its business going on campus, some students think that the cafeteria should not have decreased its hours.

"They need to reopen it (the cafeteria). I’ve gone down for dinner a few times and it has been closed," said Shawn McKay, a 22-year-old Mechanical Engineering major.

Johnson also said that to keep the partial closure from totally affecting the department, none of the jobs were cut.

"We restructured the shifts so that none of the employees would have to be let go."

Mark Franze, who runs the hot dog stand from 3 p.m.– 8 p.m., said he’s surprised at the amount of business that he’s experienced.

"We usually sell close to 100 hot dogs in four hours. The cafeteria closing has drawn the students out here."

‘T-Bird Cafe’ lacks business, limits service

‘T-Bird Cafe’ lacks business,
limits service