Student Union President Herbie Rosen ’12 stated that the C-Store campaign “went pretty well,” and the Union will keep the lessons it learned there in mind with the Einstein Bros. campaign.
Currently, Senator Ricky Rosen ’14 is spearheading the campaign. Ricky Rosen told The Hoot that this effort resulted when “the Senate Dining Committee re-examined the dining hours of all locations on campus” after last semester’s C-Store efforts.
Upon deciding that the hours of Einsteins could be a good target for this semester, the Student Union sent out a survey that received a response from one-fourth of the student body, according to Ricky Rosen. Of that roughly 750 students, 96 percent reported that they were dissatisfied with Einsteins’ hours of operation.
Based on the data, Ricky Rosen said that he realized these hours “were something that needed to be prioritized.” The Senate Dining Committee then decided primarily to lobby for increased hours on Sunday morning, as this was when the majority of students surveyed said they would prefer increased hours.
“Einsteins is a breakfast location,” Ricky Rosen said, “and having a nice breakfast option on lower campus seems only natural.” He also stated that he would work with the Senate Dining Committee to try and have the trial period conducted in April, so that any extensions on Einsteins’ hours would be in place by the time finals season comes around.
According to Ricky Rosen, progress has already been made on this front. He met with Aaron Bennos, the head of Dining Services, and told The Hoot that Bennos seemed “very receptive” to the proposed increase in hours.
Herbie Rosen also attested to the effectiveness of having hard data to show to administrators as proof that extended hours would be not only cost-effective, but profitable as well. He stated that this “really helped with the C-Store campaign.”
Due to this need for hard data and statistics, the Student Union will be pushing for a trial period of extended hours, as this will provide the Senate Dining Committee with the required information to present to Dining Services. Ricky Rosen commented that such a trial period would be incredibly successful, if adequately publicized to the student body.
Ricky Rosen also told The Hoot that the Union would only be seeking an extension of Einsteins’ hours, and wouldn’t be asking for anything else, such as a price reduction. “How they manage their business is not something we deal with, nor should it be” he said.
Aramark does not explicitly own Einsteins, which is owned by its parent corporation, like Quiznos. Because Aramark is ”logistically a major presence on campus,” according to Ricky Rosen, “they have the most discretion” with operational matters of dining establishments on campus.
Aramark could not be reached for comment on this matter. Herbie Rosen stated, however, “Aramark keeps the Student Union updated” on its part in these efforts, and has itself “been very receptive to the Union’s input.”
