The fall 2024 semester at Stony Brook University has officially begun, commencing yet another semester of students juggling their work and social lives. Questions often arise, such as whether a party the night before an early class is a good idea or which classes can you get an easy A in. Perhaps the biggest question of all is “what should I eat?”
This semester, the University added a Popeyes to Roth Cafe, and a Carvel and an Iron Waffles at East Side Dining. The Statesman spoke to students about their thoughts on the additions to campus dining.
A survey of less than 20 students at different dining areas showed that only 17% of students knew of Iron Waffles’ existence, with even fewer students knowing where to find it. A likely reason for this is its tucked-away location in the back corner of East Side Dining. Its small logo on the exterior side of the building does not aid its visibility.
Carvel did much better with 66% of students knowing about it, likely due to its larger sign in East Side Dining, as well as students’ excitement due to the ice cream chain’s popularity.
The fan-favorite new addition to Stony Brook’s eateries was Popeyes by a landslide. Except for one student, everyone reported knowing about this addition. This most likely happened because of Roth Cafe’s appeal among residential students and the general acclaim for the fast-food franchise.
One student observed the general lack of Popeyes across Long Island. This became more apparent when viewing maps of Long Island and seeing an abundance of other fast food chains like McDonald’s and Taco Bell, yet only a few Popeyes locations.
The student interviews then went into discussing the quality of these new additions. First, when it comes to Popeyes, the consensus of the students is that the on-campus Popeyes has demonstrated no clear drop in quality or taste from its other establishments.
Grievances with this Popeyes are issues that were guaranteed from the start, such as long lines and a pricey menu. These issues were inevitable due to the popularity of the brand itself, as well as the increased price due to the markup on food franchises on college campuses. Long lines were already a problem at Roth Cafe since they installed kiosks; now, more students will be using the limited amount of devices to order, which will extend wait times.
Carvel and Iron Waffles yielded more of a split reaction from the polled students. The general reaction of these students was lukewarm, with most having little interest in either establishment. However, something that could be seen as a major loss for this Carvel location is that it only has soft-serve ice cream.
There is no array of scooped ice cream flavors you can browse and pick from that a typical off-campus Carvel would have. Soft-serve ice cream machines are already offered in campus dining halls, making the new establishment seemingly unnecessary.
Regarding Iron Waffles, students liked that the menu is more diverse than one would assume, with “savory options” that include dishes like fried chicken and waffles and mac and cheese waffles.
A common thread throughout most students’ responses is overall satisfaction with these new food additions to campus; however, some students suggested alternative ideas for what could’ve been added instead.
Oscar Ortiz, a junior business management major, said students on campus “would go feral” for a Chick-fil-A or a Taco Bell. Iris He, a freshman majoring in applied mathematics and statistics, said a bakery akin to Peet’s Coffee in the Alan S. deVries Center with different options like brownies or muffins would be a good addition. Hadrian Akren, a junior majoring in biology, said he wished for restaurants with more Eurocentric foods, like Polish or French cuisines. Gaby Gentile, a senior majoring in chemistry, said students should take a trip to any nearby grocery store for ingredients since it would be a good idea to try cooking for themselves in dorm kitchens to avoid burger-only diets.
With all of this in mind, students should see what campus food options work best for them. The most common reason given during interviews, when asked why a student typically goes to a specific dining option, was convenience, whether that be its proximity to their classes or dorm. However, it is important to use these earlier weeks in the semester to see what food options and times work with one’s schedule. Certain locations tend to be more populated depending on days and times, so it’s best to see when is the best time to eat where. So, explore what places work, and most importantly, budget wisely.
