Convenient eats at The Shack
The Shack revamps menu to include a full bar
Zuri Rose
Staff Writer
Tucked between the parking lot of Westminster Cottage and the Gault admission office is the Shack, a gem buried within the Wooster campus since 1915. A hang out spot straight from yester-year, vintage jerseys from several Wooster teams decorate yellow and black walls and there is no shortage of tartan. A relaxed, “mom and pop” diner, the Shack has focused on serving students at the College for nearly 100 years, however, its popularity among the current student body has declined. But, now a new addition to the menu has people talking: a full bar.
That’s right, the Shack is now serving alcohol to all students of legal drinking age. The decision to serve alcohol had been the works for some time as a way to attract more student business and rekindle its reputation as a preferred hang out spot on campus. With extended hours on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, the Shack will offer another, convenient location for students to let off steam and have a great time.
While the food is similar to what one might find at Mom’s there is an expanding health-conscious section including a vegetarian Asian salad and garden burger. Daily specials are available throughout the week when breakfast and lunch menus are served. The Shack reopens on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights featuring Wooster ’11 grad Andrew Dirgo mixing drinks for late night partiers. Wednesday happy hours feature specials on a variety of margaritas. Friday and Saturday happy hours are longer and will feature rotating mixed drink specials, mostly determined by what students enjoy. All happy hours will also feature deals on select appetizers. A late night bar menu including the famous C.O.W burger will be served until 12 p.m. and breakfast is served until 2 a.m.
The fact that The Shack is within reasonable walking distance from every residence hall is a benefit that should not be overlooked. The staff is also incredibly eager for student input. “We really want to know what students want. We want to be a place where they can come to have fun, to be entertained,” said one employee. Students can also pay for food using their C.O.W cards, however they cannot use it to purchase alcohol. For alcohol purchases students can use cash or card, and can open tabs with no minimum.
Overall, The Shack’s down-to-earth, homespun atmosphere is endearing and evidence of the restaurant’s love for Wooster students is everywhere. Students would be missing a huge part of the C.O.W tradition if they didn’t eat at The Shack once before graduating. At the very least it should certainly be a stop for every senior’s I.S. Monday route. The hours are:
Mon-Sun from 7 a.m. – 2 p. m. Wed from 6 p.m. – 12 a.m., Happy Hour 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. Fri-Sat from 4 p.m. – 2 a.m., Happy Hour 4 – 9 p.m.
No Dine-In Alcohol sales on Sunday.