After only two years in business, the Garden Room will not reopen its doors this semester, marking a setback to the 1998 Faculty Senate initiative to foster an "intellectual community" at the University.
The Garden Room, located in Hotel E on the West Range, functioned as a full-service restaurant that served lunches to students, faculty, administrators and their guests.
Since its opening in the fall of 1998, the Garden Room was a drain on Dining Services funds, never generating enough profits to cover the cost of operation, Dining Services Director Edward Gutauskas said.
Faculty Senate Chairwoman Patricia H. Werhane said the Senate is not considering the Garden Room's demise a total defeat.
"We [the Faculty Senate] decided to try it and this was a good thing," Werhane said. "We're not disappointed we tried."
University Provost Peter W. Low said his office assisted Dining Services in paying for part of the operating losses from last year, but that he did not play a major role in the restaurant during its two years at the University.
"I regret very much that the concept did not work," Low said. "But I cannot be critical of those who concluded that the continuation in the face of losses it was generating could not be justified."
Gutauskas said the building's small kitchen caused problems for the restaurant.
Many people complained about poor service, but he said it was difficult to serve food in a timely manner with such a small cooking space.
The poor service and unspectacular food turned many faculty members away from the Garden Room, former Faculty Senate Chairman David T. Gies said.
"There were so many mistakes made in the first year in food and quality of service," Gies said. "A lot of faculty went and didn't go back."
He said time constraints kept many faculty members away since they were on deadlines and had to return to class in time for students to arrive.
He added that the food and service were inconsistent, making it difficult for professors to plan a meal at the facility.
In November 1999 Faculty Senate members met with Dining Services officials and suggested switching the restaurant from full-service to buffet-style.
But this suggestion never materialized into a reality because it would be difficult to set up a buffet in the space, Faculty Senate Chairman-elect Robert M. Grainger said.
In retrospect the Garden Room should have been designed as a buffet because a full-service restaurant is too slow for faculty, Grainger said.
The Faculty Senate will continue to search for ways to broaden and enhance the "intellectual community" at the University, Werhane said.
Possible alternatives to the Garden Room include a faculty club or initiatives that are aided with funds from alumni, she said.
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