Longtime Groton favorites Scudder’s and Dory’s will receive a thorough overhaul this year, both physically and organizationally. Dory’s has moved to a new location, and a new menu is planned for Scudder’s. Both organizations will now be run with tighter fiscal accountability and greater responsibility for students who are chosen to serve on their boards.
Paula Marks serves as the faculty advisor to both these longtime student establishments and notes that both had significant problems when she was appointed to oversee operations; she stated that recent student leaders were relatively uninvolved and called enthusiasm in the organizations “moderate at best.” Cleanliness, she continues, was a constant concern of Scudder’s, and Dory’s’ location made it prone to flooding. Ms. Marks and Dean of Students Michael O’Donnell worked together to create a solution which would allow both locations to stay open and address the problems present.
Much of the plan involves upping the responsibility of student leaders, who will now include both Fifth and Sixth Formers. Ms. Marks says that the organizations will now be run “like small businesses.” In addition, Dining Hall Head Jed Coughlin and Chief Financial Officer Arthur Diaz plan to meet with students monthly to discuss efficient and financially responsible leadership, as well as helping develop the menus in response to student demand. The cafés are also considering introducing a card swipe payment system to both facilitate payment and more effectively manage stock.
Both Dory’s and Scudder’s plan on introducing new food items and cut unpopular ones. The grill at Scudder’s was disconnected this summer due to health concerns. One of the first items on the agenda for the Scudder’s board (which is to be assembled during Fall Term) is updating the menu both to suit student desires and accommodate for the lack of a grill. Dory’s will receive a smaller menu change. Both hope to introduce rotating specials to adapt to a changing customer base.
Student opinion on these modifications is mixed; Westby Caspersen ’17 said, “I really liked the old Scudder’s menu and I’m sad to see the grill go.” Nevertheless, some believe that the changes will spruce up organizations that desperately need it. Alex Waxman ’18 said his experience with the student organizations to be “good”, but also that it “left something wanting”. “I hope the new changes,” Waxman said, “will keep the same concept in mind but improve the execution.”
Despite these significant changes, Ms. Marks maintained that the two organizations will remain student-run: “It will not,” she said, “become Marks’ Café.” She did, however, emphasize that the nature of the changes will necessitate more adult involvement as staff adjust to the new system. She went on to say that students will need to step up as leaders to ensure the continuing success of Scudder’s and Dory’s: “The board members will need to work harder and make a greater commitment if they want both organizations to remain part of student life.”