Students braved long lines and technology snafus in the name of breakfast at the chaotic opening of Belmont’s new Einstein Bros. Bagels.
Chosen based on student requests for healthier food options — and bagels specifically — Bruins can now treat themselves to a full coffee bar and all-day breakfast at the university’s new eatery, which opened its doors Thursday.
And on-campus customers welcomed Einstein Bros. by queuing up eagerly in a line that snaked throughout the lobby of the Beaman Student Life Center all day long.
“If the line is this long, it’s probably worth it,” said student Sofia Coke.
The Einstein Bros., which replaced the Beaman’s What’s Bruin cafe, offers a wide variety of options including bagel sandwiches for breakfast and lunch, as well as pastries and fresh coffee.
“I’m really excited about it. I love getting new options on campus,” said Sophia Rafalli, whose go-to order is an everything bagel with bacon, egg and cheese.
Busy students have the ability to grab a quick bite on campus before an 8 a.m. class.
“Making breakfast is a lot to think about early in the morning, so it’s nice to run in here and grab whatever,” said Caroline Gheen, a fan of the All-Nighter breakfast sandwich.
On opening day, many students waited in line for at least 20 minutes before placing an order and hung around for another 20 while their food was prepared.
Due to an issue with third-party technology, Einstein Bros. also couldn’t accept any credit cards at the register, resulting in longer wait times while employees took down payment information by hand to put into the card reader later.
“Of course it worked when they did the testing stage, and then we went to open yesterday and it stopped,” said Belmont’s Sodexo manager, Susan Matheson, who oversees dining operations on campus.
Once the technical difficulties are resolved and the cafe hits its operating groove, the lines will probably move through more quickly, said Matheson.
“It’s popular and it’s open, so you’re going to see that line. But we could have got through that line a lot faster if the register was working properly,” she said.
Though the card reader is down, students are still able to swipe their Belmont IDs to redeem declining points and Bruin Bucks, said Matheson.
The Einstein Bros. will be open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m, and Fridays from 7 a.m to 3 p.m.
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PHOTO: Students line up outside of Einstein Bros. in the Beaman. Belmont Vision / Jenna Roberts
This article was written by Anna Jackson and Sarah Maninger. Contributory reporting by Jenna Roberts, Lauren Campbell and Corinne Robinson.
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