Take 4 upgrade to Take 8?

By Jenna Greenbaum ’21, Quin Davis ’19, Emily Buckman ’20, and Peter Weiser ‘21

This week, Take 4 introduced a new breakfast setup. In addition to their lunch offering, they expanded to offering food in the mornings at the Spa. Take 4, for this week, is now open from 8am-2pm, rather than the previous 11am-2pm. A swipe from the board plan now gives students the option to choose from bagels, yogurt, fruits, wraps, and various drinks. The new setup allows students to eat breakfast in the Spa every morning without having to buy food. Previously, only students who used their weekly Spa meal swipe or paid for food were able to eat at the student hub in the morning. From the chatter around campus, we can conclude that this is an overall positive change, and more effective for a quick breakfast during a busy weekday morning. At Colby, our workload is very extensive and we often do not have time to eat breakfast before our first class. Now, we can quickly grab something on the way to class, without having to worry about our funds.

After experiencing this change for two days, we think that this is a step in the right direction for inclusivity. Previously, you could only get breakfast at the Spa once a week, or else you would have to pay. This took away opportunity to eat with friends or get a quick meal before studying in the Spa on busy weekday morning if you could not afford to do so. Now, the new Take 4 hours present a more inclusive setting for those students who may not be able to afford coffee or expensive Spa food every day. By adding another unlimited meal swipe option to a very popular setting on campus, Colby is attempting to bridge the obvious divide of the somewhat privileged groups who are seen in the spa, eating, every day. This appears to be a successful attempt, and we have seen more people hanging out in the Spa eating Take 4 food. Colby’s tuition is already so expensive, we believe that many students will appreciate the notion of making food more accessible during a busy morning in a centralized location.

While many students seem to enjoy this new breakfast option, there are still some negatives vocalized by students. Students who enjoy early morning lattes or macchiatos were upset to find that Take 4 only offered plain black hot or cold coffee; one sophomore shared that she was mad that she did not have ice in her iced-coffee. Perhaps this new lack of variation in coffee options at the Spa and Take 4 will create more business for the Mary Low Coffee House. Mary Low Coffee House is a student run shop that serves what the “regulars” see as more delicious and unique beverage options. In addition to getting our caffeine fix, increased business would be an effective way to support our classmates and increase awareness about the many open-mic nights and musical events held in this space.

While this change is a big one in one of the most popular places on campus, the complaints do not measure up to the praise, and we believe this is a positive change moving forward, and hope to see it continue into next year. If you’re interested in learning more about how this change reflects privilege and social class on Colby’s campus, look out for our podcast on ColbyNow in mid-May!