JACK NIMESHEIM, Staff Writer—

I’ve made the fifteen-minute drive to Newark’s Chipotle on maybe a half-dozen occasions, and I’ve seen other Denison students there as well just about every time.

That hasn’t often been the case on my almost-weekly trips to Ray Ray’s, or my roughly tri-annual Day Y Noche trek, or even my once-in-a-blue-moon Broadway Pub indulgence. Many here seem more drawn to Corporate American food than to the unique, home-cooked-esque tastes of Granville. If you’re one of these students, hear me out: next time you get sick of Slayter chicken avocados and decide to leave campus for a meal, swap the Jimmy John’s sub for a “Paulie” from Palumbo’s. Or chicken fried rice from Dragon Village. Or a steak burrito from Taco Dan’s (believe it or not, they do serve food there).

Why? 

First off, you’ll miss the local establishments one day. I know for damn sure that I will not be residing in Granville anytime beyond graduation, and I’ll play the odds here in guessing that you may say the same. But one day, you’ll reminisce on good college memories–seeing friends every day, late nights at Lamson, AND that warm Village Coffee bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich…  that you only ate three times in four years because your twenty-year old self decided that a McGriddle was the better hangover cure! Guess what, burnout: there’s a McDonald’s right across the street from your new residence. 

The Catholic school boy in me feels inclined to summarize this portion of my argument with a popular Latin phrase: Carpe Diem, or “seize the day.” Take advantage of the establishments that are just a declined walk away now, because you may never see them again once you get your diploma.

Next, I’ll go for the pathos pull: the people who own Granville restaurants will probably appreciate your business more than the Heath Taco Bell manager would. I reached out to reps for two of town’s finest, and they confirmed that they would like to see more Denison students in their buildings.

First was Anselmo Morales, manager of Day Y Noche. He estimated that 4% of his company’s revenue comes from Denison students and families. While he acknowledged the fact that his small-sized business could only take on so much demand, he emphasized that he would like to serve more Denison students in general.

“If it can go to 6%, that’d be great,” he said in a statement to The Denisonian (And by The Denisonian, I mean me, in a conversation that I recorded with the shattered iPad that I got six years ago).

My next call was Cody Haywood, kitchen manager of Ray Ray’s. He guessed that “at least 15%” of his customers were Denison students, but said that the number may be closer to 20%. Good, but good enough?

“I definitely wish it would be higher,” he said.

And who can blame him? You put a restaurant into a college town, who do you expect to be interested in it? College students!

I’m sure, after reading this all, you’re ready to pull the “price” card on me. 

“But fast food is so cheap,” you say. 

Blah, blah, blah. You lie, I lie, but the Numbers do not lie.

Five Guys Cheeseburger and regular-sized fries: $11.88 

A serving of that Ray Ray’s pork belly pictured above, plus TWO sides: $12

Eat local.