Sep. 4— Announced August 13th through the Daily Digest, the Bridge Café will now only operate Thursday through Saturday, 3pm to 10pm for the fall semester, opening on September 5th.
This new schedule totals 21 hours per week, where last semester the Bridge was open Tuesday through Friday from 11am to 10pm, and Saturday from 4pm to 10pm, only closing on Sundays and Mondays, a total of 50 hours.
This reduction in hours is likely related to new restrictions on the weekly work hours of student employees, as now the Bridge only requires a minimum of three student employees to operate it, whereas it would require at least eight student employees if it continued operating with last semester’s hours.
In addition to reduced hours, most items on the menu have had their prices raised by 50 cents or a dollar. An outlier, cheese fries which used to cost $4, is now cheese tots and costs $7.50, making it cost nearly as much as a whole burger.
The menu has been cut down significantly, with 15 menu items no longer present. Some students have noted that although these items may have been infrequently ordered, they were a source of food for students with specific allergies.
With the reduction of hours and the elimination of many menu items, the Bridge, once campus’ only reliably allergen-free dining facility, may no longer effectively serve that role, forcing students with allergies to choose between the Dining Commons which regularly serves shrimp, one of the top nine allergens, and the Bridge, with increased prices and maybe two items they can eat, only three days out of the week.
These changes are likely to make accessing food extremely difficult for Hampshire’s many students with allergies, especially those who live in the dorms and cannot cook for themselves. 53% of F24s reported specific dietary needs, according to a survey conducted over the summer, further highlighting the need for allergen-free dining facilities.
