Tentative plans are in place to rebrand and reopen Scooter’s on Aug. 21. The on-campus restaurant originally closed in the spring of 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Food and labor shortages have kept Scooter’s closed for more than two years. Now with no pizza and contactless ordering and payment, the restaurant will be a new experience for all, not just those who have never dined there.
“The biggest change you’re going to see is that there’s no cashiers,” Stephen Griffin, interim executive director of Dining Services, said. “It’s going to be kiosks.”
Customers will order and pay through cashless kiosks that accept credit cards and meal plan hand swipes. The kiosks will allow customizable orders, like adding pickles on a sandwich or adding fries and a drink to a meal.
The shift to cashless kiosks allows for an eventual pivot to a business model that would include mobile ordering, Griffin said, where students could order food from various on-campus dining locations through an app and pick it up at their convenience.
“We’re not quite doing that yet because we want to make sure that it’s not too much at one time to throw at our staff,” Griffin said. “If we’re going to do it, we will do it right.”
Scooter’s regulars, like St. Thomas junior Kyle Gomel, are anticipating the reopening.
“I went to Scooter’s probably every day,” Gomel said. “Everyone would come to hang out there at night and you would know like half the people there.”
Gomel feels that students have been missing out on a fun aspect of campus life and the college experience with Scooter’s being closed.
However, the process of reopening has come with challenges. The biggest obstacle has been setting menu prices, according to Griffin.
“You’re not going to find a $5 burger anymore,” Griffin said. “Those days are gone. That ship has sailed, unfortunately.”
Scooter’s staples like chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches and hamburgers will be kept on the menu, while formerly-served pizzas will be left in the past.
“Seventy percent of all food coming out of there is french fries and chicken tenders,” Griffin said.
Addressing rumors surrounding the university’s new liquor license, Griffin made it clear that Scooter’s will not be serving alcohol upon its reopening.
Griffin also confirmed that Stacks, the coffee shop located in the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library, will be reopening and returning to its pre-pandemic normal in the fall.
“We’re excited to get Scooter’s back up so that all dining locations are open again,” Griffin said.
Abby Kielty can be reached at kiel6046@stthomas.edu.
Yeah! I was at St. Thomas when Scooters first opened way back when it was originally in Murray Hedrick.