One time, as I sat in the dark side of Sadler at 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon, quite possibly the most desolate time to be in Sadler, I witnessed a Sodexo employee walk in, lift her hands high and shout, “Free at last, free at last, thank you Lord, I’m free at last.” This, I imagine, is the same sensation seniors go through after they graduate and leave behind our Sodexo cafeteria services forever.
If I had a dollar for every time students rail on our Sodexo cafeteria food, I’d be a very rich man. The ineptitudes of Sodexo summarized in a single event is when the dining halls served fish and chips with potato chips instead of the proper french fries (all it takes is a Google search guys, come on). Cafeteria food will always be less than perfect, and the food at the College of William and Mary certainly scores low on the list of college meal quality. With a significant amount of resources devoted to the omnipresent pizza and burgers, other options seem limited and underrepresented.
However, I feel that people constantly give Sodexo a bad rap simply because it’s convenient and easy, even though at times the derision is deserved. I’m glad to attend a college that spends its money on the important things in life, namely, our education, our classrooms, a bronze statue of a griffin and an addition to the Alumni House. Though I am just a naïve and lowly freshman, who can certainly see why four years of Sodexo food might grow old, I feel that we should give credit where credit is due.
For starters, the Caf is a delightful experience in every bite. From the man singing at the top of his lungs as he works, to whatever orgasmic food Marco’s cooking up, the Caf never lets me down, always holding me in its sweet embrace. While the ice cream machine is about as reliable as one from McDonald’s, the Caf maintains a special place in the hearts of many, mostly because of the omelets. And whoever makes the soup there deserves a raise.
Sadler is the most conveniently located of the Sodexo dining halls, stationed in between my ignominious dormitory in the Green and Gold Village and my classes. Because of this, I usually frequent Sadler for breakfast or lunch. Sadler also has by far the superior breakfast cereal selection. While in most respects, Sadler tends to be painfully average, there is one notable event that garners its fame: Late Night. Late Night at Sadler is absolutely divine, and I live for Thursday wing night.
But the positives of Sodexo come not from the institution, but from the employees and their work. My namesake, Christian from Marketplace, is so nice he’s essentially been turned into a meme (in a good way). Ms. Evangeline at the Caf’s Tribe Market who sells me succulent taquitos as I stumble in at 11 p.m. is a saint of unlimited patience. Institutionalized food is always easy to attack and mock, but know that it could always be worse.
Email Christian Borio at cmborio@email.wm.edu.