The entrance to the Rathskeller
David Scibilia/The Bona Venture
BY: DAVID SCIBILIA, NEWS EDITOR
After over two years of closure, St. Bonaventure University welcomed back a newly renovated, late-night spot: the Rathskeller. Complete with a bar, stage, foosball table and more, the University was excited to re-open the space.
“We want students down there,” Associate Dean for Student Life, Rob DeFazio, said. “Whether they’re going down to eat, play games or just hanging out, we want students to regularly use the Rathskeller.”
Newly opened, there is much more to come to the Rathskeller.
“The pool table is coming soon, darts will hopefully be up shortly, an arcade machine came in and we’re looking to add more seating in the near future,” DeFazio said. “We only have so much space down there, but we’re looking to make the most of it.”
Freshman visual arts major, Jalen Morales, suggests a balance between furniture and open space.
“I can’t wait for the pool table to come in, but at the same time one of my favorite parts of the Rathskeller is the open space,” Morales said. “I like being able to walk around, but I also want there to be things to do down there.”
From the start, Bonaventure students were included in the creation of the menu of the Rathskeller.
“The general student population was surveyed about possible menu items during common hour in Hickey Dining Hall,” Connor Raine, student government association president, said. “[The results of the survey] were considered when the menu was created.”
Much like Freshens, located in Francis Hall, the Rathskeller is not a dining hall.
“The Rathskeller is a retail dining space rather than a dining hall, but it was important to both St. Bonaventure Dining and the University that we had options for meal swipes in these spaces to ensure accessibility and offer greater choice,” Nicole Clark, the Aramark food service director, said.
The Rathskeller is open from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. on weekdays and 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. on weekends, however, they only accept one meal swipe a day between the hours of 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. In addition to this, Hickey Dining Hall, will be shortening its hours to now close at 8 p.m. It previously closed at 10 p.m.
“We wanted to preserve a place for late-night meals,” DeFazio said. “Because the [dining hall] was going to close early, we wanted to give [students] a place to be able to use meal exchange.”
Students on campus weren’t happy with the shortening of dining hall hours, but saw a viable alternative with the Rathskeller.
“I was a little disappointed when I learned that [dining hall] hours were being shortened because I often went between 8 and 10 p.m.,” freshman biology major William Mccallum said. “But I think the Rathskeller is a better option. I like the food more and it has a great environment.”
Mccallum specifically comments on how good the quality of food is.
“I’ve had the Quesadilla and the chicken tender sub so far, and both were really good,” Mccallum said. “It tastes really fresh and you can tell they make it to order.”
Not everything on the Rathskeller’s menu is able to be purchased through the meal exchange program. The chicken tenders, Skeller fries, BBQ pork and buffalo chicken pizzas are only available by purchase.
“One meal swipe [per day] definitely makes sense for the Rathskeller,” Mccallum said. “But I don’t like that there are some things that don’t qualify. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
Mccallum isn’t the only one who seems to think this way.
“The Student Government Association was made aware [that not everything on the menu would be open for meal exchange] at the same time the general student population knew,” Raine said. “This is something that is currently being worked on after talking with the administration.”
SGA, along with the food committee, are also working to ensure healthier and more inclusive items are added to the Rathskeller’s menu in the future.
“The menu is not permanent,” Raine said. “After speaking with SGA members, I have brought [the concerns for healthier options] forward to the administration.”
Defazio echos Raine.
“We’re open to student feedback,” Defazio said. “We want to know what students want down there.”
In addition to a place for students to hang out and eat food, the Rathskeller provides a unique venue for performances and shows.
“When we bring comedians in, we want that in the Rathskeller because it has more of a comedy club atmosphere,” DeFazio said.
Both Mccallum and Morales like the environment the Rathskeller is providing to the Bonaventure campus.
“My favorite part is the lighting,” Morales said. “It’s dark enough that I don’t feel like I’m in class, but light enough that I don’t have to worry about bumping into tables. They did a really good job with that.”
The Rathskeller was made for musicians and performers. A built-in green room allows musicians to have a place to tune up and prepare for shows before taking the stage.
“Before [the renovations], when bands asked if we had a place for them to warm up, we had to say no,” DeFazio said. “Now that we have that kind of space within the Rathskeller, we’re able to support not only the needs of our students, but also the needs of performers.”
DeFazio, above all, wants the Rathskeller to be a place where students can come together and have a good time.
“ I’m ecstatic at how much it’s being used and how excited the students are about the space,” DeFazio said. “I look forward to continuing to see students take advantage of the Rathskeller.”
Scibild22@bonaventure.edu
