Dec. 6 — The Bridge Café reopened on November 6 after being temporarily closed for nine weeks. Nancy Bristol—Manager of Dining Services—attributed the shutdown to a persistent staff shortage. She told Leapfrog that Hampshire Dining Services began the semester understaffed, but the unexpected departure of numerous employees forced the College to make the necessary “business decision” to close the Bridge Café in order to ensure that the Dining Commons remained fully operational.
When reached for comment, President Jennifer Chrisler echoed Bristol, and emphasized the important role of the Bridge. Chrysler wrote that she “asked our leadership team to make opening the Bridge a priority, [so] we brought in a consultant to help us with both hiring staff and improving some of our operations in dining services.” President Chrisler tapped John Dineen—Associate Vice President of Finance—to spearhead implementing her goal of reopening the Bridge.
Dineen told Leapfrog that by mid-October Hampshire hired two consultants—Roger Weger and Gary Symolon—with expertise in food service. While focusing on accelerating the hiring process, they also provided Hampshire Dining Services with professional support in areas like “problem resolution, sourcing of products, and … talent acquisition” according to Dineen.
By November 6, the logistical support supplied Hampshire Dining Services with enough personnel to reopen the Bridge to the Hampshire community. Bristol said that it is largely reopening with minimal changes. However, there are some new menu items like fried Oreos and grilled cheese. Additionally, the Bridge’s hours of operation have been reduced by one hour daily: from 3pm – 10pm on Thursday through Saturday to 4pm – 10pm on the same days.
Dineen noted that for the spring semester, the consultants will look for opportunities to enhance the dining experiences. He also stressed that the College is taking measures like over-hiring high-turnover positions and streamlining the hiring process to prevent staff shortages in the future.
REVIEWED BY: Blaise Paine, Jesse Fair, Verne Gulley
