Three weeks into the fall semester, foot traffic is increasing at CT State Manchester’s Cougar Cave Café thanks to its new vendor.
Epicurean Feast Café, based in Bolton, has already made its mark with lower prices, quick and easy food that patrons can grab and go, and friendly customer service.
The Cougar Cave is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sean Madden is the new kitchen manager.
“The student body is full of life, fun, considerate, and patient, and I’m excited to be serving them,” he said on a recent afternoon.
The campus is excited, too, that there is stability in the Cougar Cave again following the crisis caused in Spring 2024 when the vendor that had been serving the campus in the fall did not return.
Instead, a sign reading “closed until further notice” greeted the campus in January. Everything was very up in the air. No one knew when food would come back on campus, and as expected, nobody was happy about it.
But the campus community came together to save the day, starting with more food being added to the Cougar Pantry, purchased with grants from the Manchester Community College Foundation and the 4C’s Union, along with additional microwaves to heat them up. Donations from the faculty and staff to the pantry also increased, with one faculty member, Deb Simmons, professor of music, offering hot dogs, coffee and tea.
In March, Gramma Lil’s food truck appeared on campus, selling students and staff meals for the rest of the semester. But that solution only lasted until the end of the spring semester and then the campus was a food desert once again.
With the new vendor the campus is saved from a repeat of last semester.
“I am super happy that they are open, and that we have food available for staff and students on campus,” said Brian Cleary, director of the Academic Support Center, “especially since we didn’t have that last semester. The menu is grab-and-go. Pre-packed and very limited, but from everything that I had I thought the food was very good.”
Prices range from $1.99 for fries to $6.50 for chicken tenders and $7.95 for a salad.
“The prices are way better than what they were before,” said Manchester student Semira Robinson.
Time will tell if Epicurean Feast is a good fit for Manchester.
To contact the café email [email protected].
