With outrageous prices for food, according to those who go to the Stag on a regular basis, and a staff that doesn’t bother matching your face to the picture on the card you are giving them, the students here are worried and outraged at what is going on with their alternative to the dining hall.
“While the Stag may think their prices are fair, they are not even comparable to the quality and service you get at a sandwich place such as A’S or even Subway,” said Jeremy Sawyer, ’04. “The prices are just ridiculous.”
This seems to be the tone throughout the student body and administration who frequent the Stag. However, the man in charge vows that these people are over reacting.
“It is a generalization that the students have this reaction to all the services that Fairfield offers, whether it be the food, the health center or even transportation,” said Jim Fitzpatrick, assistant vice-president of Student Services. “They are thinking about Thanksgiving and their mom’s home cooking. They are looking for a light at the end of the tunnel.”
“The food stinks, the prices are too expensive…the school is screwing the kids over,” said Sean Klock, ’04. “Have you seen the size of those chicken sandwiches? They’re so tiny and it costs 6 bucks? The school is ripping us off.”
Fitzpatrick agrees with some of the complaints that students have. He does say that nobody is pleased with the quality or the variety of the burger and chicken sandwich section. However, he would not say the same for the deli in the Stag.
“I have not had one student come to me complaining about the food here,” says Fitzpatrick, “and I would put our deli up against Firehouse any day. Boars Head meat is the greatest you can get and that is what we use.”
Students can complain as much as they want about the prices, but it doesn’t seem like the administration is budging. However, plans are in the making for improvements in quality to the Stag.
“When the students arrived on campus this fall, the Stag itself was a work in progress,” said Fitzpatrick. “The dollars were just not there to get it done in time. We knew that when it opened last November that we would be in this situation today.”
Plans are in the works to completely revamp the Stag, except for the sacred deli section. Sodexho, the franchise who deals with the food service at Fairfield, owns small subsidiaries which it has brought to schools around the country. These would act almost as mini-restaurants inside the Stag.
This new addition would make the Stag look like a food court at the mall, but it is better than the state the Stag is in now. The Sky Ranch Grill would replace the current pizza-taco bar-smoothie area. An Italian concept called Pandini’s, which is very similar to Sbarro’s, is planning on going into the Stag. This would occupy the grill area.
The Sky Ranch Grill describes itself on it’s home page as having, “a commitment to freshness, honesty, and bounty. We begin with the wholesome ingredients and prepare them right in front of you. Fresh lean beef, breast of chicken, or a fresh Portobello mushroom cap. We grill or charbroil, toast the bun, then pile it high with your choice of basic fresh veggies, pickles and spreads: Nothing fancy – just real and ample. Add fries, fresh onion strings, and a soda or hard scoop ice cream shake. Take it on the run, or sit and enjoy the wholesome Blue Sky freshness.”
Could it be – good food? Pandini’s will further broaden our horizons. It is described as being a specialty shop serving fresh Italian fare, including upscale brick oven pizza, salads, sandwiches, and pastas.
“I think this is great,” remarked John Doney, ’04. “I have been here for three years and I have yet to be excited about getting food. I feel like this could finally be it.”
This new addition has not been 100 percent finalized.
“We are still waiting to hear back concerning all the figures and hoping that all the drawings will fit,” said Fitzpatrick. “If all goes well it looks like the first part, the Sky Ranch Grill, could be implemented over winter break.”
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