During the first half of this school year, a longtime fixture on the Circle was missing: Scudder’s Grill.

Over the years, students have spent countless nights in the popular grill filled with the sounds of music, chatter, and laughter. Scudder’s offers a wide array of food options, ranging from pizza to burgers, from chicken fingers to the legendary “Z-Bomb.”

An increasing number of students were curious this fall about the reasons for Scudder’s extended closure. Brent Chung ’17 said, “I was really upset that Scudder’s was never open. My friends and I always went to chill there at night, so we had to find a new hangout spot.”

Scudder’s shutdown was in part due to the leadership of the grill. Originally, Scudder’s faculty advisor and student heads had intended to resume operations this year after the opening of the Schoolhouse cafe. But since the cafe opened later than expected, Scudder’s heads changed their plan and decided to reopen the grill right away.

However, the Student Center experienced a sizable ceiling leak that infiltrated Scudder’s with dirty water from the Dining Hall, rendering it temporarily unable to function. According to Jack Fitzpatrick ’16, one of the Scudder’s heads, the renovations took nearly one month to complete.

At last, Scudder’s resumed operations on the night of this year’s Lip Sync. Right away, the eatery buzzed with activity, providing yummy snacks for students who had long awaited them.

No significant changes were made, nor are any in store. However, Scudder’s leadership has promised to be attentive to the voices of its custom- ers. Fitzpatrick ’16 said, “As always, students are welcome to make suggestions for us to consider.” Lizzie Tobeason ’16, another Scudder’s head, remarked, “We are always trying to be as inclusive as possible.”

Regardless of the direction Scudder’s takes going forward, the student body is undoubtedly glad that the grill is back in business.