The already emaciated student food scene has taken another blow with the closure of three more campus food outlets for the rest of the year. In their most recent communications email (the one you stopped reading mid-way through the pandemic), the Uni announced the closure of Hunter Cafe, Frankly Sandwiches, and the Lab Cafe as of Friday 23 September.
The decision was reached “given the current economic environment” according to the email. In other words, shit has (once again) hit the economic fan and left student services in its wake.
Critic Te Ārohi spoke to heartbroken student Sam, Hunter Cafe frequenter and post-4pm half-price-pie-lover: “Sometimes you get a lasagne for half price. It’s pretty mean.” In an effort to keep the business afloat, we proposed that Hunter Centre studiers renounce packed lunches and pledge their lunch money to Hunter Cafe. Sam was not optimistic: “Med students are kind of poor so we can’t really do that.”
Tash, SPEX student and Frankly stan, was similarly displeased at the news: “I am so fucking sad about that.” The Pepsi to Subway’s Coca-Cola, Frankly is a “SPEX fan favourite” according to Tash, and will be dearly missed. “You smash out a really hard lab in the PE department and then you get Frankly,” she said. Upon being told about the Friday closure date, she vowed to make the most of it before then, “That’s going to be my mission tomorrow.”
So, if you saw a girl crying into a pile of sandwiches in the Link last week, chances are it was probably her. Critic sends our condolences.
On a more positive note, previous victim-of-economics Union Grill will finally be up and running again after more than a year of dormancy at the beginning of 2023. Returning students: rejoice!