For years, Brunonians who frequent the Blue Room have enjoyed refreshing iced coffee and sumptuous pumpkin muffins. But these tasteful treats are available only on certain days and in certain seasons; for the rest of the year, students have to do without.
Iced coffee is generally phased out in the colder months because of a drop in demand, Sophie O'Connell '09, Blue Room unit manager, wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. The iced lattes that were introduced this fall, she added, will likely follow suit.
Linda Whittaker, the Blue Room's assistant manager of retail operations, who is in charge of menu decisions, explained in an e-mail to The Herald that because the pumpkin muffin batter is bought from a supplier, the muffins can be offered only when the supplier has batter in storage. Due to high demand last year, the supplier ordered extra batter and the Blue Room could offer the muffins for a longer time period, she wrote.
O'Connell added that the pumpkin muffins are also part of a muffin rotation and are not offered on a daily basis.
Not all students are aware about when and why these items disappear from the menu. As he watched a friend savor a bite of one of the elusive pumpkin muffins in question, Annam Nguyen '12 guessed "Maybe it's a seasonal thing."
The Hope Street Salad, which can be made only in the fall due to its use of fresh and local produce,the Valentine's Day crepe-making event and this October's new make-your-own-oatmeal bar are other examples of seasonal offerings at the Blue Room, O'Connell said.
