Within an hour of attempting a roll-out of its new menu on the first day of classes, the Observatory was forced to shut its doors for nearly a week due to ventilation issues.
Students locked out of the college’s only bar on Sept. 9, 10 and 11, looked through the glass doors, unable to see newly appointed manager Bill Kitchen scrambling to get the ventilation fixed.
“Kitchen equipment isn’t the same as moving your toaster oven, unfortunately,” said Kitchen, explaining why the Observatory didn’t reopen until the following Monday.
Despite the hiccup, the first Dirty Bingo session of the semester went ahead as planned on Sept. 9. The Observatory hosted the sold-out game night.
Interest in the restaurant’s new menu was sparked on orientation day, Sept. 8. Kristina Stodulski, an aesthetician student, was one of several volunteers that spent hours handing out samples to passing students.
Stodulski said the revamped menu will rely on fresh, not frozen foods.
Kitchen wanted to affect change that would help the Observatory as a business long-term.
“You take a project like this on and you have an idea that you want to make something your own. You want to delve in and get your hands dirty,” he said.
“I think everyone enters with new thoughts, new ideas, probably very different than the person that had the position before you. They’re things that I thought would help the business long-term.”
Kitchen said that other than the poutine, which he considers the Observatory’s signature item, everything has been reworked.
In addition to a revamped menu, the Observatory has three new beers on tap, Shock Top, Mill St. Organic and Ten12, a lager by local brewery Nita.