Is it me, or does it seem like the Union revitalization leaves much to be desired? Aside from the Rathskellar being raped of its atmosphere, the scanty attempt at providing the presence of performing arts appreciation with a 6-foot by 6-foot "soundproof" practice room with a mistuned piano, and lighting so poor it can cause vision impairment, the Rathskellar-level food service in the new Union makes me want to keel over and die. That is, if I can get the attention of the girl behind the counter before doing so.

The Grille, located in the previous Chiripa’s Café, is the source of much of the angst and hatred I feel toward the world today. Even just walking by, looking at the line of people waiting—knowing the hell they will endure—makes my blood boil. But waiting in line myself is worse, knowing I will be there for lengthy amounts of time, only to receive someone else’s order, or something different from what I actually asked for. What are those stupid slips of paper for if they aren’t even being looked at? How can they tell I want a chicken and cheese sub just by looking at me? Look at the slip, it might tell you I actually wanted two cheeseburgers and an order of curly fries.

Every time I visit the Grille, it’s the same old regime. I wait in line (or rather, an amorphous blob of humans, as there is no organization or order). Ten minutes pass, and the people behind the counter chat with each other. I continue waiting. My temperature rises. Then a stranger arrives, cuts in front of me, and places an order without waiting. I wait patiently still. I finally order—my number is 86. I wait some more. Orders 87, 88, 92 are ready. Mine is not. Five minutes pass, I run into some friends, who distract me from my anger for a brief period. I am alerted that order 86 is now ready. Upon inspection, order 86 is not what I ordered. I bite my tongue and accept the food, knowing a re-order would only confuse the staff and complicate the issue. Lather, rinse, repeat the next day.

Marriott needs to shape up their act or get some real food service franchises like McDonald’s in there. I don’t care about the quality of the food (perhaps that will be the subject of a future Letter to the Editor); I am a college student—I want it fast and cheap. And I want it now. Train better, employ more people, make them work faster and more accurately. We are engineers, taught to work efficiently, ethically, quickly. Shouldn’t we expect the same from other services provided on campus, especially those not included in meal plans or tuition expenses?

Marriott’s corporate trademark is "explore here, go anywhere …." Well, I’ve explored it, I hate it, and I’d rather eat anywhere … but the Rathskellar.

Douglas DiPietro