This article is part of a head-to-head series. Read the counterargument by Laken Kincaid.
At this university, there are many options for a hungry student. There’s Saxbys for a good pastry, vending machines if you want a quick snack and the wonderful pizza of Pizzazz is just across the street. However, among John Carroll students, two dining establishments are the most prominent: Schott Dining Hall (aka “The Caf”) and The Inn-Between. Despite being only a few feet from each other, the two have drastic differences and each has amassed strong fanbases of students who stand by the fact that their choice is “good enough.” However, the quality of the food from both of these eateries is irrelevant because The Caf far outshines The Inn-Between both in terms of practicality as well as community.
The most immediately apparent advantage of The Caf is that it offers a better financial deal. For students with a meal plan, one swipe allows for one meal at The Inn-Between. However, one swipe at The Caf is all that is needed for unlimited access to all the food in the dining hall. You could just get one meal and leave, sure, but you could also do so much more! You could get seconds, thirds, dessert and a whole other meal, all for the same price as one hamburger from Blue Streak Grill. One could argue that one hamburger is better than any food from The Caf, but the sheer difference of quantity between the two equal transactions is staggering and undeniable.
The practicality of the Schott Dining Hall goes beyond the financial measure. The process of getting food is much faster and more convenient than that of The Inn-Between. After ordering your food off of the Get app, it will usually take a minimum of 20 minutes before the food is actually ready for pickup. It is possible to order your food in person, but even then it’s not guaranteed that a worker will be able to make it right away, so the wait time is similar to that of an online order. Compare this waiting period to that of The Caf, where you simply ask for your food and are given it in a manner of seconds. Granted, during the busier hours there might be a longer line that will increase waiting time, but in my experience I don’t think I’ve ever had to wait more than 10 minutes even in the longest line. The only exception might be the time that The Caf was serving breakfast at night during finals week last year, but I will reiterate that that night was the exception, not the rule.
The last point I will bring up in favor of The Caf is the social aspect. The physical layout of the dining hall allows for much more interaction with its plentiful supply of tables and open space. Not only can students plan to sit down and eat food with a group of friends, but they can also find people they weren’t expecting to see and strike up an unplanned conversation. Once again, compare it to the Inn-Between, where all you do is pick up your food and leave. While there are tables where a group of friends could enjoy a meal together, the amount of them is much smaller and not conducive to the same community experience as The Caf. Furthermore, the only time you’re likely to see people is when they’re on their way to The Caf and give a quick wave before continuing along their way. The likelihood of actually having a conversation with someone passing through the Inn-Between is incredibly slim.
While both The Caf and the Inn-Between are valuable aspects to the John Carroll campus and are good sources of food when needed, The Caf simply offers a better deal for the customer. The Inn-Between is a good place to eat every once in a while, but it does not have the staying power of the Schott Dining Hall.
