Like the mythical city of Brigadoon, the E-Cafe appeared for one night last month, then vanished. But while the Scottish village resurfaces once a century, it is unclear whether the late-night dining facility on Science Drive will ever be back.
Attempts to get the proposed eatery off the ground were continually thwarted by staffing difficulties and a possible lack of demand, said Jim Wulforst, director of Dining Services.
In its April 23 debut in the Levine Science Research Center's dining room, the cafe served drinks, desserts and grilled sandwiches from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Wulforst said the E-Cafe had revenues of $430, but suffered a net loss of $50 for the evening.
"The financial loss during the trial may reflect a lack of sufficient demand for the cafe," he said. "It was encouraging to see customers," he added, "but for the cafe to be feasible, it needs to break even."
Engineering senior Jason Custer, who conceived the idea for the E-Cafe last fall, said the restaurant could profit if given a fair chance.
"People are here all the time," he said, gesturing toward a packed computer cluster in the Teer Engineering Library. Custer said he believes the late-night eatery would attract not only engineers from Teer but also students working all along Science Drive.
Demand for the E-Cafe remains unclear, Wulforst said, but, so far, the real barrier has been staffing problems. The cafe was originally slated to debut in fall of 1997. Initially, Dining Services could not find employees willing to staff the eatery, but Custer found 15 students interested in working.
But student labor, Wulforst noted, is often unreliable. By the time the cafe was ready for its trial run in April, he had to staff it with LSRC employees.
"Students' main focus here is to get an education, not to work," he said. "Many times, students just won't show up for work. Especially during reading period and exam week, staffing is horrendous."
Dining Services will consider opening the E-Cafe again in the fall, but Wulforst said he is also pondering other alternatives. One possibility is the installation of several different vending machines, such as a frozen food dispenser with a nearby microwave and an automated espresso and cappuccino maker.
"Our primary focus is to provide an environment where students can work with their laptops while grabbing a bite to eat," Wulforst said.
For now, however, hungry students working in Teer, the Biological Sciences Building or the LSRC must order out, hike to the Bryan Center, or use vending machines.
"After pulling an all-nighter last weekend and eating nothing but vending machine food, I'd love to see the cafe happen," Trinity sophomore Charles Lin said last month.
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