Starting Monday, the Verney-Woolley Dining Hall will be open all morning, serving continental breakfast from 9:30–11:00 a.m. in addition to its normal 7:30–9:30 breakfast. The continental breakfast will include bagels, fruit, yogurt and cold cereal, according to Ann Hoffman, director of administration for Brown Dining Services.
The continental breakfast will not include hot food options, such as pancakes and eggs, which are offered during the normal V-Dub breakfast hours and all morning at the Sharpe Refectory. Waffle makers will also be available, though Hoffman was unsure whether both machines would be open.
Though many prefer the hot food options, students are still excited to see the change.
Remy Robert '13, a self-proclaimed V-Dub lover, said she would rather have hot food options, but she still welcomes the continental breakfast.
"I think the change is great because the previous hours were hardly workable for most of the people," said Robert, who also writes for Post- magazine.
"I do think it would be best if they would also serve hot food during the extended breakfast hours," she added. "But I am generally really excited that I don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to grab some food before my first class."
Kevin Grubb '11 said he usually chooses the less-crowded Ratty and prefers its hot food options.
The new V-Dub program is "not ideal," he said. "I always have to have my eggs every morning. The V-Dub's food is better, but a little more convenience wouldn't hurt," he said.
According to Hoffman, the change in the V-Dub's operating hours was prompted after the Undergraduate Council of Students contacted Dining Services with feedback from undergraduates who wanted a change in the breakfast hours.
"In the fall, we were approached by UCS with a list of proposals based on a survey of the undergraduate population," she said. "Evidently, this was a priority item for them."
UCS Campus Life Chair Ben Farber '12 was one of the students involved in proposing the change. Of the 70 percent of students who registered an opinion in the survey, 60 percent said breakfast would need to end later than 9:30 a.m. in order to meet their needs, according to Farber.
"We received an overwhelming amount of feedback, especially from people living on the Pembroke area of campus, that the V-Dub hours were not ‘college-friendly,' " he said.
Representatives from UCS discussed the feasibility of different options with Dining Services — including the V-Dub's need to set up for lunch — before settling on the continental breakfast setup.
"We figured that a continental breakfast would be feasible in terms of logistics and it would meet the needs of the students," Farber said.
Hoffman welcomed the proposition, and Dining Services found that the change would work financially.
"It was determined we could do this with a very small additional cost," she said.
Those additional costs, she added, would come primarily from adding extra student cashier shifts during the new operating hours.
Anna Hsu '10 welcomed the continental breakfast, but she said she hopes the continental breakfast will expand eventually.
"I could see why they would be hesitant to start with everything," she said. "It's probably not cost-efficient for them right now."
Farber said he was pleased to hear that Dining Services would be enacting the change, thanking the office for its responsiveness to students' needs.
"My committee and I are extremely excited that Dining Services is gong to implement this change. I believe I speak for all of us when I say that we feel very privileged to attend a university where students really just feel listened to by all of the administrators, especially by those from Dining Services," he said.
Farber said UCS plans to gather feedback from students once the new plan is enacted.
Matt Mettler '13, a Pembroke campus resident and V-Dub eater, said he is ready to make use of the continental breakfast.
"I'd say it's a step in the right direction," he said. "I have never actually been to V-Dub breakfast because it closes so early, so this is a pleasant change that I'm sure I'll take advantage of before morning classes."
