Misericordia Students are petitioning over the closing of the InterMetzo café. 

This year the InterMetzo café that was on the main floor or Insalaco Hall closed. In response, students have created a petition located in the Henry Science Center. Students enjoyed the quick convenience that the InterMetzo café offered. 

“Starbucks often has limited options and obviously a lot of foot traffic, which means lines. Lines suck. Options don’t,” said first year chemistry student Marissa Lucas. She has never personally gone to InterMetzo but heard that many people enjoyed it.  

InterMetzo café served all day breakfast, along with gourmet hot and cold sandwiches. They were open Monday-Friday from 7:30am-3:00pm.

“I miss being able to grab a breakfast sandwich quickly after an 8:00am class before going back to my room. Now if I want something and I’m in Insalaco, I have to decide if I should go back to my room and eat or if I should go to Banks,” said Sophomore Sport Management major Mike Scarpulla.

Students enjoyed the accessibility that InterMetzo provided.

“I personally have a rough schedule with no breaks, and options that I can get in between my small 15-minute breaks between multiple classes are obviously ideal,” said Lucas. 

Paul McMillan, the general Manager of dining services, stated that closing InterMetzo was a financial decision. Metz Culinary Management, in partnership with Misericordia, evaluated all food sources on campus. This was done to determine which food services were most beneficial to students and find areas where they need to put more resources. 

 “Throughout this process, InterMetzo was not producing enough revenue to support the costs associated with running the venue,” said McMillian. 

Metz Culinary Management did not work alone in these decisions. Amy Lahart, Vice President for Mission Integration and Student also assisted in the decision making. 

Shutting down InterMetzo was no isolated act. McMillian mentioned that this was done to provide more options for students. 

“Poblano’s and additional options, soon to be available in the Henry Student Lounge, will provide more selection and convenience to out students,” said McMillian. 

Poblano’s is a new dining option available to students in the Banks Student Life Center. Located next to the Chick Fil A, Poblano’s has replaced the Chopping Block. 

Poblano’s offers burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and other Mexican food. Poblanos also has the same market that was in Chopping Block, with food ranging from Ben and Jerry’s ice cream to cereal. Students can use their Cougar Points at Poblano’s. 

This move, along with any changes in the immediate future, are done in response to student and family concerns about dining on campus.

“As with all decisions, the decision to close InterMetzo involved many considerations. First, students and families have expressed concerns for late-night dining options,” said McMillian. 

Metz Culinary Management has already taken steps towards providing more late-night food options to students. On September 26th, Starbucks had “Late Night Snack” from 7-11pm. The menu included chicken quesadillas, strombolis, mozzarella sticks and more. 

Concerns for more late-night food options arise because the hour’s food stations are open on campus. 

During the week, the John and Mary Metz Dining Hall closes at 8:30 pm. Monday-Saturday Chick-Fil-A closes at 9:00pm. On Monday-Thursday Starbucks closes at 7:00pm, 5:00pm on Fridays, and 3:00pm on Saturday/Sunday. 

No food options on campus are open past 9:00pm. If a student has not had the chance to eat at that point, they need to look off campus to find food. 

While InterMetzo closed, it was to provide better, more diverse dining options for the student body. 

Now that InterMetzo is shut down, students are hopeful that this can lead to new and improved food sources on campus. 

“In lieu of InterMetzo I’d enjoy expanded options in the grab-n-go sections at Poblanos,” said Lucas. She also mentioned that “most students want something fast but edible and warm” so they can grab classes in the middle of their busy days. 

Even with this petition, students shouldn’t get their hopes up. McMillan stated that there are no immediate plans to bring back InterMetzo due to a lack of sales revenue to run the venue.