Shadow's Makes Waves on Campus

Photo supplied by Frank Gogol

A combination of the late night eatery, Nelly's, and a college-friendly diner, the new Shadow's is open for business - at the request of many hungry students.

Shadow's is the old Underground, the glass appendage to Elmwood Hall, which functioned as a mini complex for select student entertainment.

Over the summer, the old facility underwent some construction, specifically the refurbishing and installation of kitchen equipment, according to Eric Savoie, Direct of Dining Services for ARAMARK. The late-night hang out opened with the start of school.

Hours of operation have changed to 8:30 to 1:30 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, and 8:30 to 2:30 p.m., Thursday through Saturday.

According to Patti Swannack, Vice President for Administrative Services, Shadow's hours were also changed in order to compete with other late-night, nonaffiliated campus choices, such as Nelly's and University subs, and better meet student needs.

With its beachside feel and Hawaiian style food options, Shadow's is being widely talked about on campus, said Mary Ann Nagy, Vice President of Student Services.

Nagy expressed the tremendous success Shadow's has been exhibiting, both in student and faculty attendance and sales.

She noted that official sale reports for Shadow's, sent to her daily, are extremely strong and that the university is very pleased with this kind of response. She seemed to be confident that Shadow's success would continue. "Personally, I had the Big Kahuna, which is this buffalo, blue cheese burger, and I have to say, it was very, very good," Nagy said about her first visit to Shadow's. Swannack said that during the week, Shadow's has been serving 50 plus students and faculty, and on weekends that number is doubling.

Savoie believes that sales will continue, since Monmouth students have been demanding a late-night eatery for years. "Shadow's was a long time coming, and the menu was based on a student opinion survey that overwhelmingly showed Nelly's as the favorite campus restaurant," he said.

For this reason, Shadow's new menu includes Monmouth's own 'PHAT Sandwiches,' a spin-off of the popular Nelly's classic 'Fat Sandwiches,' though Savoie made it clear that every sandwich creation was original to Shadow's. PHAT is an acronym for 'pretty hot and tasty.'

Savoie admitted he had fun putting together the menu. "It was influenced by my wife's heritage, she's Hawaiian. ARAMARK thought it would be great to do a boardwalk type of place, since Monmouth is so close to the shore," he said.

With a fresh image came the name change from Underground to Shadow's. "I think the idea behind the name change was that the new place was so radically different than the old. The physical feel was much more Monmouth and the name needed to match," Swannack said.

Other big ticket menu items include what Savoie calls "great, gooey mozzarella sticks," omelets, and assorted types of personal seven inch pizzas.

Student opinion of the new facility seems to be quite positive. Lauren Watzich, a senior business major at Monmouth, lives off campus, yet goes out of her way to grab a bite to eat. "I started picking up sandwiches from Shadow's instead of Nelly's. There's less of a wait and way less expensive," Watzich said.

Savoie believes student satisfaction will continue for this reason. "[Shadow's is] affordable, we have big food, a variety of options, we're quick, and it's all made fresh," he said.

The on-campus restaurant may be taking away business from Nelly's and other popular, late-night food sources, according to Savoie, who claims Nelly's parking lot has looked considerable less busy since the opening of Shadow's.

Despite this, Swannack said she has not heard any complaints from Nelly's or other eateries, indicating that Shadow's is snatching up student business.

ARAMARK hopes to sponsor future events at Shadow's, such as eating contest that will permit the winner to name his or her own sandwich and give-away nights, featuring prizes like t-shirts and other Monmouth merchandise.

Swannack is hopeful that facilities management will construct an awning over Shadow's walkway so that students will be shielded from inclement weather.

Other possible additions to Shadow's include Monday night football and delivery service.

Diana Cappelluti

Oct 2009