Sunday brunch attracts diversity

People are gathering at Sodexho on Sunday mornings and making Sunday brunch a tradition on campus and in the community.

For almost six years Sodexho has been setting up a buffet style meal for students and community members returning from church. The customers are a miscellaneous group of mostly formally dressed people coming to eat after church and tired students who woke up late, said Mimi Tsegaye, a senior nursing major and Sodexho food server.

“Saga is a great meeting place,” said Mimi Tsegaye. “Some people come with their family and others wake up late to eat breakfast and lunch at the same time.”

The variety of food is what keeps the customers coming for more, said John Camp, a sophomore economics major.

“My experience with Saga brunch is perfection; every week the brunch is perfect,” said Camp. “I like to get one plate for breakfast, one for lunch, a salad plate to stay healthy, and of course one plate for dessert.”

Many students feel Sodexho’s Sunday brunch is the best meal of the week, said Camp.

“Do not get me wrong, Saga food is good all the time, every time,” said Camp. “The other meals of the week just do not compare to Sunday brunch. It’s the best meal of the week. You can taste the love the workers put into the food.”

A great deal of preparation goes into the room setup and food, said Mimi Tsegaye.

“On Saturday night the tables are put into place and on Sunday morning the cooks arrive early,” said Mimi Tsegaye. “This ensures that the line is full and the food is warm. It can get a little chaotic, but it is worth the trouble to see the friendly faces in the morning.”

However, preparation is not just for the servers and cooks. Camp has a routine that must be completed before a visit to Sodexho brunch in order to get the most out of his meal.

“On most Sundays I go to church and the preparation begins on the drive back towards Saga,” said Camp. “On the drive back I become mentally ready. Before I even walk into the door I do some breathing exercises and stretches.”

Sunday mornings are noticeably different because of the crowd of people. While the cafeteria would be full of students on a normal workday, for Sunday brunch the crowd is clearly older. The churchgoers usually find a place to eat after the service, said Nani Tsegaye, a senior business major and Sodexho food server.

“People like to eat after attending church,” said Nani Tsegaye. “Other restaurants do the same, but we also cater to religion. Everyone seems to be happy because it is different in the cafeteria, so it became a tradition for many families.”

After six years of a thriving tradition, the students and community hope to keep Sodexho’s brunch a lasting cornerstone to the cafeteria. The tradition will probably last for years to come, said Nani Tsegaye.

“I will be graduating at the end of the semester,” said Nani Tsegaye, “but I hope that Sodexho keeps its brunch a tradition. It is fun for me to see the students and everyone likes the food.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 14 2006. Filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry