Grinnell College Dining Services pilots late-night Global Café program

The Global Café is expanding its weekday hours until the end of the semester. Monday through Thursday, the Global Café will now be open from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. in addition to its regular hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

The first day of the Global Café’s extended hours was Monday, April 14.

Director of Dining Services Jeanette Moser wrote in an email to The S&B that this is a pilot program designed to gauge interest in late-night dining options.

In addition to the extended hours, the Global Café is also updating its menu with several new offerings. Additions include a falafel pita wrap, matcha ice cream and an assortment of gummies, including sour worms and Halal and vegan-friendly Sour Patch Kids. Two new drink options — lemonades with customizable flavored syrups and popping boba (vegan and gluten-free) — are also being introduced. Regular menu items will remain available.

Moser explained that the new food and drink options were selected based on student feedback and encouraged students to share their preferences by either emailing Dining Services or using the anonymous comment form available at the Global Café. Dining Services is particularly interested in learning which late-night items are most popular, in case there is enough demand by the student body and the wider community for the program to continue into next semester. 

To support the new operational hours, Dining Services restructured supervisor coverage across the Marketplace, Spencer Grill and the Global Café. The new late-night shifts are staffed by current Global Café student employees.