Saint Xavier University’s Gilhooley’s Grande Saloon closing came as a shock to many students. The sudden announcement that Gilhooley’s was closed and finding out the only other place to eat besides the SXU Diner, Starbucks and Rhubarbs had many on campus residents disappointed.
While the diner has plenty of options to choose from, it closes relatively early. From Monday through Friday, it is open from 7:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday it is open 10 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.
Starbucks has a wide variety of drink and food options, but the portion size of the food is not filling nor nutritional and is expensive. Rhubarbs is open later for on-campus residents as well, but the students have to buy the food then heat it up, instead of having the convenient option of a freshly prepared hot meal.
Gilhooley’s was a warm and welcoming place for students to go and unwind after class with their friends. It was open from 3 p.m. until 11 p.m. so students who had just endured a night class still had the opportunity to slip into Gillhouley’s as their evening oasis.
When I attended SXU last year as an incoming freshman, I did not have any friends on campus to begin with. Once I became acquainted with a girl in Improv Club, we made plans to go to a football game together, which then became a late night adventure to Gilhooley’s. It gave us the opportunity to get to know each other better over some fish tacos.
After that night, she became one of my best friends. She introduced me to more people and we would all go to Gilhooley’s almost once or twice a week. One night, we were all supposed to go and everyone canceled besides one other person and me. I barely knew her, but after we went to Gilhooley’s, we became very close. Now, she is another one of my best friends and also my roommate.
As a college student and on-campus resident SXU, is my home away from home and my friends are my family here. Gilhooley’s was a place where students could go to have a fresh meal on actual plates with silverware.
Saint Xavier University is supposed to be all about being a community, but how can we be a community when things that bring us together keep getting taken away?
The SXU diner does not have real plates, glasses, or silverware, which contributes to a lot of waste. Gilhooleys brought that aspect into our meals and reminds lots of the students of home. Sitting down at a table to eat with real utensils with friends that are like family is something we all looked forward to.
The SXU Diner and Rhubarbs may have some of the favorites from Gilhooley’s, but it is not the same as it used to be. The diners hours have not changed due to the closing of Gilhooley’s so students with night classes have to heat up food, instead of getting a fresh meal after a long day.
The freshman will never get to experience what it is like to go to Gilhooley’s with their friends and returning students will not get to enjoy something that seems so insignificant to some but meant the world to them.