Checking in With Northstar Cafe Staff

Employees at the Northstar Cafe celebrated Halloween last Friday dressed up as the Care Bears.  Without a mid-semester or normal Thanksgiving break, both students and employees have struggled with the exhaustion of this semester.  Halloween costumes gave the staff of the Pub a well-deserved break.

The Pub has seen changes due to COVID-19 restrictions: students now order using the GET app and are notified when their food is ready.  “[Each station] is only able to take in fifteen orders every fifteen minute block,” Sean Pearson says.  “But the flow of customers isn’t as much obviously because we have less students enrolled here now and everything.  We don’t get that huge lunch rush like we used to last year.  It’s less kids at one time.”

The staff of the Northstar Cafe is also being extra careful cleaning the surfaces this year, especially in Jack’s Corner and the grill and kitchen areas.  “We’re trying to clean more often, wipe down more things, the high contact zones that are around, we try to make sure those are good because a lot of that stuff people are grabbing and touching and stuff,”  Pearson says.

But despite the changes and lack of breaks through this semester, Pearson thought that employees were managing.  The Northstar Cafe staff usually get nine days off for Thanksgiving, compared to the two days they are getting this semester.  The employees usually get a weekend off for mid-semester break as well, but that didn’t happen this year.  However, Pearson says that some employees are just looking forward to Holiday break.  “We’re going to have Christmas off from December tenth until January fourth, so we’ll still have three and a half weeks off for that.”

In the meantime, the staff is managing by having fun with their jobs, such as dressing up for Halloween.  “We all got together and decided to be each a different care bear,” Pearson describes.  “So, we had the regular Care Bears that were the original generation, and then we had the cousins of the Care Bears.”  Pearson was “Champ Bear,” sporting a blue mask and ears and a trophy.

One thing that hasn’t seen many changes is the menu.  Favorites like smoothies, wraps, quesadillas, chocolate-chip pancakes and philly cheesesteaks are still available for students.  “The menu hasn’t changed too much,” Pearson says.  “But we’re not doing make-your-own salads anymore for right now, and produce, where kids used to be able to order that in half-pound bags: we’re not doing that right now.”

Students are grateful that the Pub has remained open as an alternative to the pre-packaged meals and cafeteria style options available.  The Pub offers more food options than any other on-campus eatery.  “The Pub workers are always very friendly,” John Churchill ’22 says.

The employees are happy that St. Lawrence has done a good job of managing the virus and keeping students on campus.  “We enjoy seeing all you guys and everything,” Pearson says.  “We’re glad a lot of you guys are still here.  Next semester will be different because we’ll get some of the kids in that weren’t able to go this semester.”