Donald Keough, News Editor–
On Jan. 29, the Bandersnatch quietly opened its doors for the first time this semester. Throughout the night, students came and went, filling the room with their chattering as the smell of their pizza bagels permeated the air.
Usually their opening nights feature a band, which make them the “the craziest” nights and “scary busy,” according to Antonia Baylor ‘26. Baylor is a manager who was working during opening night, and has been working at the Bandersnatch since her freshman year.
“For this coming semester, the goal is to get some more music in here,” Baylor said. “It’s difficult, because it’s not a rehearsal space anymore… [but] the goal is music events and weekly events.”
With the addition of Moon Hall, referred to as “the Moonies” by students, some of the music gear for bands in the Bandersnatch was moved there, which makes rehearsing for groups harder.
But even without a crowd brought on by a music scene, students who did visit enjoyed their time as they hung out with friends while munching on the classic assortment of bagels that were offered. Although their opening night lacked milkshakes due to a shortage of milk, the majority of students who came purchased food.
Baylor also said that the Bandersnatch plans to keep last semester’s new pricing system, which tiers ingredients based on their cost. Compared to previous years, Baylor feels that student’s purchases at the Bandersnatch have differed, and that people order “a lot less of the more expensive things.”
“It’s sad to make anything over $5 in the snatch, because we pride ourselves on not making a profit,” Baylor said. “It’s like a service… we legitimately charge near the cost of the ingredients, and then we pay our paid workers.”
For reference, their bagels range from $2-6 while milkshakes cost $5. Currently, students can only pay with cash or card, and can’t use their meal plan at the Bandersnatch. This is because they operate as a fully student run business, and are unaffiliated to the dining provider on Campus.
“As we continue to look at the cost of goods and the economy, we have to take [prices] into account,” Dana Pursley said, who is the Director of Alford Community Leadership & Involvement Center (CLIC). “The cost of a bagel today is a lot more than the cost of the bagel even a year or two ago. We haven’t had drastic increases to the cost of prices at the Bandersnatch, [but] they did make nominal increases this year. We haven’t necessarily received pushback on that, because I think people are recognizing that things are costing more.” Despite rising costs, the Bandersnatch has seen success with their current menu, selling 3,772 bagels and 2,233 milkshakes last academic year.
Pursley has helped advise the Bandersnatch since her employment in 2020. She says that the Bandersnatch managers have been working with the Red Frame Lab, an entrepreneurship organization on campus, to possibly incorporate the use of the meal plan’s off-campus currency, Big Red Bucks.
“We’re exploring that as a possible option, but also weighing the cost associated with being able to take Big Red Bucks versus continuing with cash or credit,” Pursley said.
Pursley said that the incorporation of credit and debit card payment options after COVID had impacted sales in a good way, but also noted they also have had to take into account the fee that is often associated with these types of transactions.
In addition to this, Pursley emphasized that running a business isn’t necessarily the main goal of those who work at the Bandersnatch.
“I think [those who] work at the Bandersnatch [work there] because they love the atmosphere… and the space [it creates] in the community,” Pursley said.
She also underlined the significance of the Bandersnatch’s fully student run operation.
“I’m glad that we have [this] unique student run, student led business on campus, because I think they create… a creative outlet for students,” Pursley said. “I think they allow students to learn some really tangible skills that you can use in the real world. It’s [a] really hard problem to solve, to think on your toes, to deal with stress. And I think those are all skills that the Bandersnatch managers are well equipped to utilize after they leave Denison.”
Baylor also commented on how she felt working in the fully student run operation.
“It really does feel like we decide where the Bandersnatch goes,” Baylor said. “It’s kind of like a free for all… and I love it.”
Another student worker who was working during opening night, Mira Renaldi ‘28, touched on how it feels working in the casual environment. Renaldi started working last semester and when asked about her training, she jokingly agreed with Baylor that it was based largely on whoever happened to help her on her first shift.
“I don’t know how [the managers] do it, to be honest, but I’m happy to work here,” Renaldi said.
Yuvelk Lopez ‘28 also worked this semester’s opening night shift. Last semester, she worked a number of closing shifts, and said that she was relieved she gets to work an opening shift this semester.
Working at the Bandersnatch is Lopez’s first working experience, and now she works two jobs on campus. She hopes to continue working at the Bandersnatch because she “loves her work environment, the employees [she] works with, and [because it] is such a great opportunity.” She also mentioned that she appreciates the monetary compensation.
Going into this semester, Baylor hopes that the Bandersnatch can continue to fill its role on campus in the same ways that it has in the past, as it approaches its 60th anniversary.
“[The Bandersnatch] really does feel like the heart of campus,” Baylor said. “I think because it’s run by students for students… It feels like such a free space. That’s what I love about this. We come to work, sit here and make decisions… We’re these five students that got recruited by other students that were in our exact position five years ago when we were freshmen. And now we’re here, and it’s ours to run as a group of people who work here. There’s so much freedom in it, and so much love in it. It’s not a profit making machine. It’s just a space for students.